Our Weekend Masses
For details see the section in this week's news and go to
our dedicated page.
Live streamed Masses here
Brothers and sisters,
Welcome to the 3rd Sunday in the Season of Creation!
There is a difference between being childish and being childlike. Today we are called to imitate the simple honesty and transparency of a small child who can sometimes recognise truths that adults have not noticed.
Fr Alex
Online Liturgy:
25th Sunday B
Children's Liturgy:
25th Sunday B
Communion Services will resume at St Gregory's every Wednesday at 9.30 am. Details will be taken for Test & Protect.
Please read my letter to all parishioners
I hope you have received my letter that was emailed on Friday to everyone on the parish registers. Please read it, together with all attachments, as it contains some important information on the financial situation of the Cluster. If you have not received my email, you can read it here.
Children's Liturgy at Mass: Review in October
Our amazing children's liturgists in the Cluster have done a sterling job providing online resources throughout the pandemic and we are very grateful for their faithful commitment. A review is now planned for October to consider the feasibility of resuming face-to-face children's liturgy at Mass.
The SEECAT AGM will be held on Sunday 19th September at Liberton Northfield Church Hall at 2:30pm. Everyone is most welcome to attend. It would be great if we could have some new members who are interested in ecumenism in the area.
Pat Thomas
Our successful Playgroup is starting again on Tuesdays at St Gregory's church hall at 10 - 11.30 am. Ages 0 - 5. It begins on Tues 21st Sept. For further details contact Lauren on 07789934818.
There is an information poster available here.
COP26: What can I do?
Ask world leaders to act now
The countdown to COP has begun. This November, in Glasgow, world leaders have a fortnight to set us on track to solve the climate crisis. With climate change already having a devastating impact on the world’s poorest communities, time is running out.
Please watch the short video above then sign these two petitions.
The first is by
SCIAF to the UK Government and the second is to political leaders participating in COP15 and COP26, facilitated by the
Laudato Si' Movement.
The COP26 pilgrimage from Dunbar to Glasgow will reach Edinburgh on Wednesday 20th October-click for details of the route
A Way Station will then be set up in the capital with a programme of events some of which are listed below.
“The Edinburgh Way Station will have events on the Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun. Thurs will be based in Portobello with a workshop on reworlding and an evening of song on the beach, Fri will be based at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral with a focus on young climate activists followed by a ceilidh cabaret and food, Sat will be an interfaith walk with a focus on climate justice (from New College to Leith), Sun will focus on deep time, with a walk and workshop (close to Arthurs Seat)”
The pilgrimage sets off for South Queensferry on Mon 25 Oct."
Views from the pews
Thank you so much for the work you put into creating our online liturgies - amazing. I have especially appreciated all the different songs we have been introduced to and look forward to hearing more! There is one singer you may like to look up - he has some good songs/music too - David Kauffman.
A big thank you for last week's liturgy on Creation and Laudato Si. I really appreciated this too!
There are some very talented people in our Cluster
Jeannette McGlone
100th Cluster Walk Saturday 2nd October
Since it is our 100th I have decided to re-run our first walk (on 11th February 2011) and make it the Water of Leith from Balerno to Longstone, a distance of 6 miles. If anyone can not manage the full distance then there are cut off points. Bring a packed lunch which we can have at the Water of Leith Centre.
Since it is a special event, in particular for me, I hope we have a good turn out.
We will meet at Kaimes Crossroads at 9.50 am for the Lothian no. 400 Airport bus.
If you are interested, please contact me on (666 2236 or 07871 476297) George McDermid
Prayer Afternoon Sunday 3rd October 2 - 5pm
In keeping with the exhortation and prayers of Pope Francis “to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” the Prayer Foundation are planning a time of silent prayer and reflection on Sunday afternoon 3rd October from 2 till 5 at St Catherine’s.
For reflection we will be using the words Pope Francis taken mainly from his encyclical Laudato Si' to mark the last weekend of "The Season Of Creation"
The 3 hours will be broken into 20 minute sessions, with a five minute lead into each session followed by 15 minutes of silent prayer and reflection.
Brian McLaren
"Maybe it’s not too late for something beautiful to be born.
Maybe the present moment is pregnant with possibilities we can’t see or even imagine" (Brian McLaren)
“We are engulfed by news and images of whole peoples uprooted by cataclysmic changes in our climate, forced to migrate,” Francis wrote “But what effect these stories have on us, and how we respond – whether they cause fleeting responses or trigger something deeper in us; whether it seems remote or whether we feel it close to home — depends on our taking the trouble to see the suffering that each story entails.”
Please drop in to pray and reflect for as long or as short a time as you wish.
Mary's Meals now feeds 2 million children every day! It costs just 15.90 to feed a child for a year.
Journeying together
“The Church of God is convoked in Synod.” Does that sound exciting? So it should because Pope Francis is inviting the whole Church to question itself on synodality: listening without prejudice; speaking out with courage and parrhesia (freely and truthfully); dialoguing with the Church, with society, and with the other Christian confessions. These are the guiding principles for the synodal consultation (starting on 17 Oct), giving everyone a voice, especially those who find themselves on the margins. More details to follow!
The Preparatory Document and Vademecum (handbook) can be found on the Synod website, and short commentaries in The Tablet and the Vatican website.
A Faith-based Challenge to COP 26
Thursday 23rd September
7.00 - 9.00 pm
Fr Seán McDonagh, a Columban priest, has a long history of being an eco-activist and contributed to the research for
Laudato Si’. This is a wonderful opportunity to come together to discern the action needed at COP26. You can register
here.
Where Now for the Scottish Laity Network?
Saturday 25th September
9.30 am - 12.30 pm
Brian Grogan SJ will facilitate a listening and discernment exercise that will seek to establish our priorities and the way forward for the years ahead. This morning is open to all who have previously participated in SLN events and wish to be part of a synodal way of shaping the future of our Network.Register here.
Not listening. Not listening. Not listening….
Today’s gospel paints an almost, comical picture of the disciples trying not to listen to Christ. He tells them that his way of living and serving will bring him to the point of violent death. Their response is to block their ears and argue about their own greatness – they aren’t ready for a message that doesn’t have them in control and aiming to be number one! But - are we any more ready for that message?
See: “For centuries, humans (anthropoi) have ordered our lives and economies according to the logic of markets rather than the limits of the Earth. This false logic exploits the oikos of God, and makes creation a means to economic or political ends.” Why do we we continue to try and control nature and each other, rather than see ourselves as partners who need to work together? Can we learn from previous systems that are now seen as wrong?
Slavery is an example of something we see as evil but took hundreds of years to abolish because those benefitting would not see beyond profit and self-interest.
Today we understand that it was wrong to have a system which lacked justice, respect and compassion. However do we see current systems that fail to meet such standards? e. g. the immigration system; the withdrawal of the Universal Credit cap; the treatment of the Palestinians.
Reflect: Christ points to a different way of living – as servant. A way which doesn’t preach of being number one but says to consider others first. How would that look in real life? Where would leaders come from if adulation and financial gain were not the reward? Would we be comfortable with a leader who models vulnerability and self-denial or is our need to be in control too great? How do our feelings fit with the fact that Christ, also our leader tells us to deny self?
Act: To become a servant is to consider the needs of those you serve – who are they? Christ seems to be saying we are all servants to each other. How can we consider the needs of others?
Tricia Kaminski
You are held in prayer
Please remember in your prayers
those who are sick:
David Smith, Mary McConville,
Nancy Barta, Alex McGinnity,
Belén Rodriguez, Patricia Simmons,
George Lewis, Michael Martin,
Elizabeth Napier, Laurence Friel,
George Pringle, Donna Buchan,
John and Angela Mcintosh,
Jorge Rodriguez, Sr. Veronica,
Katharine, John,
Jennifer, Christopher Mackinnon,
Gilmour Forrest, Maureen Lawson,
Bailey Bruce McCann, Grettel Calvo Mendez,
Betty Dickinson, Annette,
Catherine Hart, Karen Devlin,
Vo Van Tu, Scott Fraser,
Thea Maung, Anne Doig,
Sr May Lewis, Jessie & George Ritchie,
John Skinner, Fr Eugen,
Evelyn Levine, James Duffy,
Ronan Boyle, Hazel Martin,
Mary Boyle, Mary Dias,
Catriona McAuley, Elaine Hepburn,
Marie, Sophie,
Roney Fernandes, Christopher Browne, Xaverina Rodrigues, Anne and Helen,
Sacred Heart sisters in Uganda
I am the Resurrection and the Life
We remember in love
Those who have died recently:
Charlie McAuley,
Olive Meehan,
William Doig.
Anniversaries
St Gregory’s:
Marie Jones, Canon James Nicholson,
James Hannan, Joan Wilson.
St Catherine’s:
Francis Bagan,
Tully Coll and the Coll family.
St John Vianney's:
John Kilbride, Jane McCauley,
Ramsay Sibbald, Rose Murray,
Helen Woods, Jimmy McMillan,
Hilda Bull, Stewart Ferguson,
Jack Haynes, Samuel Fielding,
Anne Calvey, Irene Keir,
James Donlevy, David Radin,
Ronald Gerald Monaghan, Dan McCafferty,
Tom McGeever.
Our Remembrance Gallery is in memory of the loved ones we have lost during the pandemic. If you wish a loved one to be included, go here to find out how. You will also find information on what help our Cluster Bereavement Group offer for anyone who has been bereaved.
For those without internet access
If you know a parishioner without internet access please tell them about our podcast. For the cost of a local call, 0131 357 6463 they can hear our Lockdown Liturgy (available on Sunday).
United in prayer:
Tues 2.45 & Weds 7pm
Our Prayer Foundation invite us all to join in 30 min of silent prayer. For an example of an opening prayer see
here.
For prayer requests email
Ask your MP to stop the £20 cut to Universal Credit
The relevant food bank for the cluster is:
47 Southhouse Broadway EH17 8AS
Phone number 664 9353
Needed this week:
Many thanks for a cash donation. XX
Welcome to our Bethany volunteers from our cluster, including anyone who would be interested in joining the catering team. Below are the dates we have been allocated to cater for the homeless guests. Please contact us if you are able to help on any of these nights.
Many thanks,
Joe Murray and Jane Watson
Joe: 07725582599
Jane:
07787184524
Are you struggling? We are here to help
If you, or anyone you know, is in need of financial support or a friendly telephone chat, call our SSVP in the Cluster:
St John Vianney's 07922 675196,
St Gregory's 07757 845673,
St Catherine's 07539 266411.
If you would like to make a donation go here
Entitlements Page
There are many benefits and grants to which people are entitled. Please check our entitlements page. Let us also know of others. Scottish Child Payment: £10 a week paid monthly for each child under 6.
Meet the Teacher
This week we have had our ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions on Teams. These sessions give parents and carers the opportunity to hear about what their child’s learning will look like and focus on for the coming year. These sessions have been recorded and can be found on your child’s teams account in case you couldn’t make it along to the live session. We really hope that we will be able to do some in person sessions later in the year.
Leadership Week
This week all our pupils have been working on writing and delivering a speech for our Pupil Groups across the school. They have all done a fantastic job-well done! Our P7 pupils have been preparing their House Captain speeches which they will give next week. Good luck to them all!
Bible dramas and Paradise restored
It’s been a busy week, with lots going on in school.
For this first time in a long time, we were so thrilled to welcome back the staff from Bible Alive in school. This is such a lovely way for the children to experience the stories of the Bible in a fun and interactive way. The key stories are brought to life through role-play and drama.
I also wanted to thank the amazing volunteers who answered our call and gave up their own time to transform our school garden back to its former, pre-pandemic glory.
All cleaned and with new bulbs planted. This has made such a difference to the way our playground looks. It’s very apt that this month is Organic September. A month-long campaign which aims to raise awareness of Organic products, and the brands, producers and farmers who bring them to us. Who knows what the future holds for our new garden? God Bless,
Mr. Hunter
Some Synod Scenarios
A View From Rome
Tue 21 Sept @ 7.30pm. Speaker
Sr Nathalie Becquart is the
Under-Secretary to the Vatican Synod of Bishops, the first woman to hold such a role.
Zoom details here.
Pope Francis has called for a ‘Synodal Church’ that listens, learns and shares mission. Synodality is a word that we may not have encountered too often but it simply means ‘to walk together’ and this was a vital component of the early Church.
