Our Weekend Masses
For details of days, times and how to book please go to
our dedicated page.
Live streamed Masses here
Brothers and sisters,
Let us ask Jesus to calm the turmoil of our pride. Jesus, you grant us to no longer live for ourselves and you offer us faith to overcome all threats. The peace of Christ is the answer to every storm, let us praise God and thank the Lord for his goodness to us.
Have a happy and restful weekend, especially all you fathers!
Fr. Alex
Lockdown Liturgy:
12th Sunday B
Children's Liturgy:
12th Sunday B
The one phone number for the Cluster: 07877 121 402
With one parish priest serving the South Edinburgh RC Cluster, of St Catherine’s, St Gregory’s and St John Vianney’s, we now have a single new phone number which will act as the first point of call for all three parishes. It is now live.
The old numbers for the parishes will be decommissioned, with the exception of the Mass Booking numbers which will continue meantime.
Fr Alex's Silver Jubilee
On Monday, Fr Alex will celebrate his Silver Jubilee of ordination to the priesthood, which took place in his home parish of St Mary of the Assumption, Bo’ness.
We know that his wish is to delay marking and celebrating this milestone until Covid restrictions have eased and we can have a proper liturgical and social celebration with him. We felt, though, that it is important that we take few moments today, to mark the event.
We are sure that when he served in St John Vianney’s as a Deacon back in 1996, he did not imagine he would be back serving the three parishes as he celebrates his 25th anniversary of ordination. Today we give thanks to our God for those 25 years of service to people across our Archdiocese, including St Mary’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Muirhouse, St Margaret’s Davidson’s Mains, Our Lady of Lourdes Dunfermline and The Holy Name, Oakley (and those who make the pilgrimage to Lourdes each year) – we hope we haven’t missed out any of them!
We think also of all the people he has helped on their journey in his role as Vocations Director. We thank God for all the lives that his ministry has touched and the part he has played in the ongoing faith journeys of so many people. His hospitality is legendary and, in so many ways, epitomises the way he places humble service of the people of God at the very heart of his life and ministry.
We are so grateful that he has come to minister to and share in the lives of the people of our parishes. We thank him for continuing to lead us on our journey from maintenance to mission, for each week breaking the Word of God and the bread of the Eucharist for us. We thank him for walking alongside us during the good and the difficult times in our lives, and through all our “ordinary time”. We thank him for encouraging and enabling us to grow as individuals and faith communities.
And we look forward to that party when we can properly celebrate this special moment in his ministry!!
Please accept warmest congratulations from everybody in our parishes!
It's Fr Alex's birthday as well, so double congratulations and many happy returns! If you would like to wish him all the best, please use southedclust@btinternet.com
Minnie Vinnies
Our P4 pupils have been working on a Minnie Vinnie project over the past few weeks please see the piece written by one of our P4 pupils Natalia about this.
Moving On
As the end of term approaches, our pupils are preparing for transition and moving on. This is an exciting time but can also cause some worries. We will continue to support our pupils and families during this time. Our P7 pupils had their 3 day virtual transition this week with their new High Schools. Next week all our other pupils will get to meet their new teachers. Due to Covid restrictions this will take place via Teams.
We are all excited about our last week of school which is going to be a very busy one. We will share more about this with you next week.
Communions/Confirmations
Next week, we'll have special pages for each school with their Communion and Confirmations photos!
Justice Matters: Responding to COVID and the Climate Emergency
“Climate change” used to be seen as something vague and in a misty, ill-defined future. Vision has sharpened, and we now know the climate emergency is real, already happening and demands urgent response. Pope Francis writes of the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. (Laudato Si'). A recent report to Westminster, from the Climate Change committee assesses the risks for the UK.
See In the traumatic time of COVID we have seen that: a) changes that involve society, governments and commerce can be radical and fast, to an extent greater than was previously seen as plausible; b) science contributed enormously to drive these changes; c) the language of risk and statistics has become more routine: for example the R rate is part of daily news broadcasts. We might now be more able to assimilate the facts of the climate emergency, and realise it concerns us all and is fundamental to sustaining (or for some gaining) quality of life.
Reflect November’s COP26 meeting in Glasgow is widely seen as a critical event in safeguarding the Earth. Perhaps a risk is that we will abdicate responsibility for what we can do ourselves, cross our fingers and leave it all to COP. Better is to Cross ourselves, pray for how to focus our energy, and ask God to act through all of our efforts.
COVID has given us a chance to reset how we live as part of the earth – will we “build back better”? It is not too late to rebalance how we live as part of this precious, still beautiful earth – but the clock is ticking, the ice melting and the atmosphere changing.
Act As we approach the COP, we can pray that it achieves real change, and be alert to possible ways for us to act for change – in our own lives and communities so we live with integrity; in joining campaigns that call for climate justice; in growing in awareness.
Eco-Congregation Scotland, Justice & Peace Scotland and SCIAF are among 60 organisations in the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition which is sharing open events in the run-up to and during COP26.
It is helpful to navigate all this in company, with people seeking to grow in understanding and in response. That is why a group formed the “eco-Circle”, to meet and support each other, each week - and why we invite you to join us. Email mike.mineter@gmail.com
Please remember in your prayers
those who are sick:
Christopher Mackinnon, Gilmour Forrest, Ashley Hammond, Maureen Lawson,
Danny Smith, Bailey Bruce McCann,
Grettel Calvo Mendez, Leah Gunn,
Betty Dickinson, Annette,
Peter Robinson, Catherine Hart,
Karen Devlin, Vo Van Tu,
Scott Fraser, Thea Maung,
Maureen McEvoy, Helen McCann,
Anne Doig, Sr May Lewis,
Jessie and George Ritchie,
John Skinner, John McGinley,
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 Avigliana, Italy, in Algorta, Spain and in Dalkeith
We remember in love
Those who have died recently:
Monsignor Tony Duffy,
Lynn Richardson.
Anniversaries
St John Vianney
Janet Froude, Susan Tinney,
Ellen Wallace, Desmond McCann,
Nancy Clarke, Margaret Radin,
Madge Calvey, Charles Quigley,
James McDaid, Joe Stewart,
Thomas Marron, David White,
Catherine Hanlon, Frances Gibb,
Isabel McManus, William Pryde,
Annie Hughes, Jenny Smith,
Sheila Todd, Kate Ferry,
Kathleen (Kay) Lyall.
St Catherine
Joyce Flynn.
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
The relevant food bank for the cluster is: 47 Southhouse Broadway EH17 8AS
Phone number 664 9353 Email:
edinburghfoodbank@blythswood.org
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.
The Fund has been set up to help Fr Eugen in Romania. If anyone would like to give a gift, click on the
down arrow
above for details
Maria Skobtsova House of Hospitality in Calais
I’m walking from Iona (Scotland) to Lindisfarne (Holy Island, England) to highlight the work of St Maria Skobstova House of Hospitality in Calais.
I‘m looking upon it as a pilgrimage in solidarity with those who have to abandon their homes in order to find peace, and yet are often subjected to inhumane treatment in Europe. The pilgrimage starts on Sunday 26th June and is due to finish on Friday 16th July.
St Maria Skobstova House offers accommodation to refugees many of whom have travelled thousands of miles in the hope of finding sanctuary. The House caters primarily for women and children but also reaches out to the Eritrean refugee community who live in temporary camps that are often vandalised and destroyed by the authorities.
A friend who regularly volunteers at the House describes with amazement the hospitality that he receives from the refugees (in the form of tea/coffee and whatever food they have) in their makeshift camps as opposed to the reception they receive from the Authorities. His statement that Europe is ’experiencing a crisis of hospitality’ struck me profoundly, and the fact that these vulnerable people have something to teach us, or remind us, about hospitality rings true.
Please help provide these people with the necessities of life through the hospitality of St Maria Skobstova House by donating through this link. Thanks, Fr Jim Walls
For more information on St Maria Skobstova House of Hospitality please check out this website...
Pilgrimage for COP26
A walk and learning journey working with cultural, community and interfaith organisations to reimagine what it means to be ecological. The pilgrimage commences in Dunbar on 18 Oct to arrive in Glasgow on 29 Oct – with events taking place in Glasgow on 30 and 31 October. Pilgrims are invited to join at any point during the journey. If you would like to take part together with other parishioners please contact southedclust@btinternet.com
