Archbishop Cushley celebrated Mass for Married & Engaged Couples at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh last night (Wednesday 29 May) .
The annual event sees couples come before the Lord to reflect on the beautiful Catholic vision for marriage and family life, thanksgiving for the gift of this calling, and prayer for the blessing of their love.
The longest married couple attending were Margaret and Bill Mawdsley, parishioners at St John the Baptist in Corstorphine, married for 69 years (pictured to the right of Archbishop Leo).
The most recently married couple attending were Francesco and Nardina, from Italy and now resident in Edinburgh, who married just seven months ago.
Archbishop Cushley was the principal celebrant at the Mass and was joined by Fr Robert Taylor, Fr Jeremy Milne (Ss John the Baptist & Kentigern, Corstorphine), Fr Benedict Iwatt (Our Lady & St Andrews, Galashiels) and Deacon Peter Traynor.
Thanks to Fr Jeremy and members of his Marriage & Families commission for a wonderful evening, along with the Cathedral choir, volunteers and staff of Coffee Saints.
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SATURDAY: Valentine's retreat for married couples
The Archdiocese invites married couples (and those preparing for marriage) to a free Valentine's retreat this Saturday (10 February).
The free event takes place at St Kentigern's Church, Parkgrove Avenue, Barnton, Edinburgh, EH4 7QR from 2pm to 5pm.
It is hosted by Stephen and Martha Milne, who have long experience in running retreats, catechesis and marriage/family events.
There will be a crèche available for children of primary school age and older. Registration closes Thursday 8 Feb at 2pm.
The event is hosted by Stephen and Martha Milne who live in Dalmally, and are part of the Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community.
Stephen said, "The Valentine's Retreat is an ideal way for couples to spend time together in quiet reflection and prayer, in thanksgiving to God for each other and all the positive things that spring from your relationship.
"We’ll provide some inspiring stories and practical advice from our own background and what we’ve learned over the years through delivering catechesis about and for the family and from working with families.
"We hope it will help you look afresh in appreciation of each other ahead of Valentine’s Day in the relaxed and friendly environment of St Kentigern’s Parish in Edinburgh. We look forward to welcoming you."
Stephen and Martha were married in 1989 in Baltimore, USA.
They have six grown up children, four grandchildren and another on the way.
They currently reside in Dalmally, Argyll and Bute, recently joining the Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community.
Stephen is a retired English teacher and taught in schools in Kent, London and Lincolnshire.
He taught at the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham for several years as an Associate Lecturer on the MA for Catholic Pastoral Studies programme, running a course on Marriage and Family in the teaching of the Church.
He has a BA (Hons) in Developmental Psychology University of Sussex, an MA in English Literature and Language from King’s College London, and a PhD from the University of Nottingham.
Martha spent nine years as a primary school teacher at The Lamb of God Community School in Baltimore, Maryland.
She is the Director of the Machine Quilter Company Ltd and currently runs social media for the Juki Sewing Machine Corporation Europe.
The couple have been involved in helping organise and run family retreats at Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community in the last year.
She has a B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology M.Ed Literacy (Dyslexia), Catechesis Certificate from Maryvale Institute
The Valentine's Retreat is a free event organised by the Marriage & Families Commission of the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh. The registration address is bit.ly/valretreat. The event includes talks, time for coples to talk, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Guided prayer with readings and prayers relevant to the vocation of marriage. There will be a crèche available for children of primary school age and older. Doors open from 1:30pm. Questions? Contact matthew.meade@staned.org.uk
GALLERY: Couples celebrate marriage at St Mary's Cathedral
Couples from across the Archdiocese got together at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh last night for a celebration of marriage.
Archbishop Cushley was the principal celebrant at Mass and gave a blessing to married couples and to engaged couples.
He said: "It is always a lovely, happy occasion when we thank God for the many blessings received through the great gift of marriage.
"It warms my heart to see so many people here to celebrate that and to pray for God's blessing upon their lives."
After the Mass a reception was held in Coffee Saints cafe.
The longest married couple at the event were Margaret & Bill Mawdsley (below).
They are parishioners at St John the Baptist Church in Corstorphine and have been married for 68 years.
They were wed at St Mary's, Star of the Sea, Leith, in 1955, and have three daughters and five grandchildren.
They cut the celebration cake alongside the most recent married couple, Eilish & Callum Lloyd (below left), who have been married for just a few months.
The annual event was organised by Fr Jeremy Milne and the Archdiocesan commission for Marriage & Family Life.
Some members of the Archdiocesan Commission for Marriage & Family Life. From left: Louise & Deacon John, Andrew Milligan, Paul Atkin, Anna & Janusz Nieciecki.
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Celebrate Marriage at the Cathedral in May!
Archbishop Cushley will celebrate a special Mass for Married and Engaged Couples at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, on Wednesday 31 May at 7.15pm.
All married and engaged couples are very welcome to come on the night and celebrate the gift of marriage.
After the Mass there will be a celebratory reception in Coffee Saints to which everyone attending the Mass is invited.
If you are celebrating a significant anniversary this year, or know couples who are, do let us know so that we can send a personal invitation. Please submit names, address and number of years being celebrated to Fr Jeremy Milne, vemarriage@staned.org.uk, 0131 334 1693.
GALLERY: Mass for Married & Engaged Couples!
Two couples clebrating an impressive 60 years of marriage were among those who gathered at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh last night.
Helen & Vincent Robinson and Maureen & Robert Mochrie helped cut the cake following the Mass, which included a blessing of engaged and married couples.
Helen & Vincent Robinson, left, and Maureen & Robert Mochrie with Archbishop Leo in the Coffee Saints Cafe after Mass.
Archbishop Leo said in his homily: "Let me congratulate all of you on the happy occasion of your various anniversaries, great and small, and ask you to pray with me for those contemplating marriage, and for those who misrepresent it and misunderstand it.
From left, Deacon Tom McEvoy, Archbishop Leo and Fr Jeremy Milne (Vicar Episcopal for Marriage & Families).
"May we learn again as a society to value marriage, and to promote it to the greater good of everyone."
Lovely to meet those who attended the Mass for Married & Engaged couples last night at St Mary’s Cathedral. Special mention to Vincent & Helen Robinson and Robert & Maureen Mochrie, who are celebrating 60 years of marriage. pic.twitter.com/V9KaF6lBdD
— Archbishop Leo Cushley (@leocushley) May 19, 2022
Anna and Janusz Nieciecki, left, with Rosemary and Andrew Milligan - all members of the Archdiocesan Commission for Marriage and Families.
The event was organised organised by Fr Jeremy Milne and the Marriage & Families Commission.
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Deacon John Smith with wife Louise - members of the Archdiocesan Commission for Marriage & Families.
The Mass for Married & Engaged Couples was organised by the Fr Jeremy Milne VE and the Commission for Marriage & Family Life.
SUNDAY: Anton & Angela share insights from a Catholic marriage
A leading Scottish businessman and his wife will discuss the "pivotal" role their Catholic faith has played in their marriage at a special event in Edinburgh.
Anton and Angela Colella lead a testimony and reflection on the spirituality of marriage at 4:00pm-5:30pm on Sunday 3 April, Gillis Centre, Edinburgh. Register here.
Anton is a well-known figure in the business world as the chief executive of Moore Global, one of the world's leading accountancy firms.
Angela, who began her career as a dietician, said: "Our faith has been pivotal for us. We met through our participation in Catholic lay movements so it has been a central component of our life together, as well as in our family life."
Anton added: "Marriage, and even an imperfect and not always easy one like ours, can have the power to profoundly effect one’s life for good. We hope to highlight the powerful impact that can have not just on children and grandchildren but people beyond that."
Unity
The couple, who have been married for 34 years, have four children and five grandchildren and live near Glasgow.
Anton said: "The key thing for us is maintaining our unity, being united in front of our children and others. Angela added: " We look forward to the opportunity of sharing reflections and insights from our marriage with other married couples at this event.
Anton began his career as an RE teacher before being appointed the chief executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority in 2003. In 2006 he became chief executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, helping transform it, before joining Moore Global.
Among his other roles he is chairman of the executive board of the Scottish Catholic Education Service.
Events for Married Couples
Anton and Angela's event is one in a series organised by the Archdiocesan Marriage & Family Commission ahead of the World Meeting of Families in Rome 22-26 June 2022.
The programme was launched with a Holy Hour and reflection from Archbishop Cushley on 6 March at St Margaret's Chapel in the Gillis Centre.
Archbishop Leo launched the marriage events programme with a Holy Hour at St Margaret's Chapel at the Gillis Centre, Edinburgh.
Fr Jeremy Milne, who leads the commission, said: "Our events are for married and engaged couples to come before the Lord together in reflection on the beautiful Catholic vision of marriage and family life, thanksgiving for the gift of this calling and prayer for the blessing of their love.
"We look forward to welcoming Anton and Angela and couples from across the Archdiocese to this and the other two events we have scheduled."
WATCH: 'What we've learned about marriage preparation'
On this Valentine's Day* we're highlighting the benefits of a Catholic Marriage preparation course.
Have a listen to Andrew and Rosemary Milligan, parishioners at St Andrew’s, Ravelston, Edinburgh (married 38 years), chatting yesterday on BBC Radio Scotland about their experience helping running courses, along wth Fr Jeremy Milne, our Vicar Episcopal for Marriage & Family Life.
Getting married? Find out more about marriage prep here. Full interview on BBC Sounds (skip to 25 mins 12 secs)
*In the Church's calendar it's the Feast of St Cyril and St Methodius.
Married couples: Grow in faith with Teams of Our Lady
Married couples are invited to come together to grow in their Catholic faith by joining the Teams of Our Lady initiative.
Fr Jeremy Milne, who leads the Archdiocesan Marriage & Family Life Commission, said: "In our diocese there is currently one group meeting in Edinburgh. In this Amoris Laetitia Family Year I would like to encourage more couples to come together in this way to share the spirituality of marriage."
Fr Jeremy added: "So couples come together in small groups, ideally with a priest spiritual counsellor, to support and encourage each other in living out their call to Christian marriage."
Teams of Our Lady, is an international movement which has recently re-established in Scotland. Pope Francis has dedicated a year to marriage and family life and highlights the beauty of Christian Marriage in his prayer intention for June.
Connect
One couple who take part said: "Teams gives us the chance to connect with other couples at various stages of the marriage and faith journey, from other parishes, from other cultures.
"It's a great place to learn and reflect on our marriage. The simple format of the meetings helps each couple and our accompanying priest give their news: what goes well for them, what goes less well and what helps each of us in our lives and spiritual journey.'
"As a couple, there are things we've done spontaneously, like sitting down to listen to each other's experience of the last week, that being part of Teams has shown the value of - so much so, that now we do these things more intentionally, as well as spontaneously.
"We're grateful to Teams for confirming the value of sharing in this way, as well as for the fun of meeting to eat together, sing, pray and share news.
Walking together
During the course of this Amoris Laetitia Family Year, there will be 10 videos featuring Pope Francis discussing an aspect of his Apostolic Exhortation on the joy of love in marriage and family life (Amoris Laetitia - The Joy of Love).
Each video includes testimonies from married couples and families and includes a guide to help couples, families and groups reflect on the message.
Register now for latest marriage preparation courses
If you are preparing to be married in a Catholic Church, we're here to help! Here are the latest dates for our marriage preparation courses:
February Friday/Saturday 26th/27thSOLD OUT March Friday/Saturday 26th/27th SOLD OUT April
Friday/Saturday 23rd/24th May
Friday/Saturday 21st/22nd
The course will take place over a Friday evening (7.00pm–9.00pm) and Saturday (10.30am–3.30pm).
The Friday evening session takes place online and the Saturday session either online or at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh depending on Covid guidelines at the time. This will be confirmed to you by email after you have registered and nearer the time.
A marriage preparation course is a requirement for those wishing to be married in the Catholic Church. This course seeks to lead couples to a greater understanding of God’s plan for marriage and his call to live this beautiful vocation as fully, freely and fruitfully as possible.
Couples are invited also to reflect on some important aspects of growing and sustaining their relationship including sacraments, prayer, good communication and managing conflict. It also presents the Marriage Rite, emphasising the importance and significance of the vows made in the church, before God, family and friends.
The sessions are led by Fr Jeremy Milne, Vicar Episcopal for Marriage & Families, and presented by clergy and married couples.
If you have any issues, please contact Fr Jeremy Milne on 0131 334 1693 or vemarriage@staned.org.uk
Preparing for marriage in 2021? Here's how we can help
If you are preparing to be married in a Catholic Church, we're here to help! Here are the dates for our marriage preparation courses:
February Friday/Saturday 26th/27thSOLD OUT March
Friday/Saturday 26th/27th April
Friday/Saturday 23rd/24th May
Friday/Saturday 21st/22nd
The course will take place over a Friday evening (7.00pm–9.00pm) and Saturday (10.30am–3.30pm).
The Friday evening session takes place online and the Saturday session either online or at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh depending on Covid guidelines at the time. This will be confirmed to you by email after you have registered and nearer the time.
A marriage preparation course is a requirement for those wishing to be married in the Catholic Church. This course seeks to lead couples to a greater understanding of God’s plan for marriage and his call to live this beautiful vocation as fully, freely and fruitfully as possible.
Couples are invited also to reflect on some important aspects of growing and sustaining their relationship including sacraments, prayer, good communication and managing conflict. It also presents the Marriage Rite, emphasising the importance and significance of the vows made in the church, before God, family and friends.
The sessions are led by Fr Jeremy Milne, Vicar Episcopal for Marriage & Families, and presented by clergy and married couples.
If you have any issues, please contact Fr Jeremy Milne on 0131 334 1693 or vemarriage@staned.org.uk
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