Cluster News

2/3 October

Next deadline for news inserts

Wed 6 October 12pm 

Dedicated Cluster contact number:

07877 121 402

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,

The Season of Creation draws to a close this Monday 4th Oct but our care for our Common Home, the planet we share, continues throughout the year. Jesus asks us to model ourselves on children: have faith like a child, wonder at creation like a child, live simply like a child, have a sense of justice like a child.

Fr Alex

Prayer Resources:

27th Sunday B

Children's Resources:

27th Sunday B

Online liturgy now monthly

Many thanks to all who completed our survey on returning to Mass and the online "lockdown" liturgy. Please go here to read the results of the survey. Having discussed the results, we have come to the following conclusions which you can read using this link

Communion Services will resume at St Gregory's every Wednesday at 9.30 am. Details will be taken for Test & Protect.

Cha(t) time in all three parishes

Having gathered round the table of the Lord, what about gathering around a table in the hall? Spread the love, and have a catch up!

Fairtrade teas, fairtrade coffees and carbohydrates will be available on 2nd Oct (St Gregory's) and on 3rd Oct (St John Vianney's and St Catherine's).

See the next notice for what is happening at St Catherine's this Sunday.

Come along for soup and a sandwich!

This Sunday 3rd Oct everyone in the Cluster is warmly invited to come along to St Catherine's church hall after 11am Mass. Ahead of our Prayer Afternoon starting at 2pm a soup and sandwich lunch will be available, prepared by our very own Michelin Chef Fr Alex and the fantastic hospitality team. Not to be missed! Enjoy a delicious lunch in excellent company. You are then welcome to join the Prayer Afternoon for as long or as short as you like.

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. 

Bereavement Service

Sat 9th October @ 9.30am in St Gregory’s

You need not book in advance but your details will be taken for Test & Protect purposes on arrival. 

Candles are lit for family and friends of the cluster who have died in the last month or if there’s an anniversary of a loved one please say when you arrive. Teas and coffees will be available from now on after the service in the church hall. If you would like more information, email Jacinta or phone her on 664 5581.

The Ladies Guild will restart next Tuesday 5 October, 2021 7.15 till 8.45 pm.

Because of Covid restrictions we will have to keep a register of all attending. You will need to supply us with names, addresses and telephone numbers. The register will be filled in on a weekly basis. Masks will be required. Tea making guidelines are that only one person is allowed in the kitchen at any time. One person only should make the tea, one person collect crockery and one person to wash up. Dishes should be left to drip dry.

Hope to see you all next week. 

Maureen Wallbanks

Pope Francis' prayer intention for October

'May all Christians be missionary disciples'

In this short video Pope Francis tells us what he means. Watch out for magic!

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.

ACTA - A Call To Action

The ESV - Lost and Found in Translation

Thu 7 Oct @ 7-8.30pm. Speakers are Henry Wansbrough OSB, editor of the New Jerusalem Bible, and author Nicholas King SJ. Register here. The commissioning of a new translation of Sacred Scripture will always raise key questions about how much any translation can meet the requirement to be faithful to original texts and, at the same time, aware of cultural needs. A series of talks on Zoom from Scripture scholars to explore some of these issues.

For a synodal Church: Communion - Participation - Mission

Solemn opening of the Synod 2021-23

The synodal path will begin at the Vatican, in the presence of the Pope, on 9 and 10 Oct and in dioceses all over the world on 17 Oct. This marks the start of the first, diocesan phase of synodal consultation giving everyone a voice, especially those who find themselves on the margins. 

Watch our diocesan delegates Sr Anna Marie McGuan and Fr John Deighan explain the Synod basics in this short video. 

What next, after the Season of Creation?

Monday 4 October, the feast of St Francis, marks the end of the Season of Creation.  Thanks to the gifts of those who write the prayers of the faithful for Mass and the online liturgy for the Cluster, each week we’ve had brilliant bidding prayers related to this Season. We have prayed about the crises of the Earth and the poor who suffer from climate and other environmental emergencies (pollution, ecosystems being disrupted; soils depleted),  these being caused by the excesses and consumerism of the “developed world.” We have been praying that we come to see the Earth through the eyes of faith, and grow in care for our common home. These are the sorts of prayer to which saying “Amen” or “Lord graciously hear us” to can start us on an adventure!  

See   So what happens after this Season draws to a close? If the Season has had the effect desired by Pope Francis, it will have helped to deepen our world view in a way that will colour everything, all aspects of life. We will be more alert to issues of justice affecting the ways humans live on the Earth. We may be growing in delight at nature of which we are part. We might be changing how we live. We might be more politically engaged.


Reflect   There is a danger in wrongly feeling we can do nothing, merely being angry and anxious for the future, but not using those feelings to go deeper. The Spirit may help us to see that we too can change; that life more linked with the Earth is more joyful as well as just.  Science and faith both tell us we can have a vital effect by making changes. Treading lightly on the Earth is less a trudge than a ceilidh dance, in which hands touch hands and paws, flowers and branches in reels with all Creation.

Let us pray.

Creating God, 

for this wonderful Universe

and this beautiful Earth of which we are part.

We praise You.

For the gift of being alive

we praise you.

For the 14 billion years of grace,

from the beginning to this moment,

we praise you.

Suffering God, You revealed Yourself in the flow and beauty and pain of life on Earth.

Humankind has so failed to care for the Earth that the poorest of the world are suffering, ecosystems and other species are depleted and we now threaten our own future with climate disruptions

For our avarice

in depleting resources, damaging lives, and despoiling the earth,

Christ have mercy.

For our apathy

In observing the harm without taking urgent action,

Lord have mercy.

Redeeming inspiring God

Open our eyes, ears and minds

to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.

Open our hearts

to have empathy with all the Earth.

Inspire us so we help to re-green the church,

and to sustain our common home.

Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Act   This reflection is influenced by recent Eco-Circle meetings. Do join us. We will be spending the next few weeks reflecting on a book that explores how we move from anxiety to hopeful action. “The Future We Choose” – a book by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac. Christiana was an advisor on Laudato Si’, and former head of the UN climate change convention, where Tom was her political strategist. (Video of Christiana) A review is in the Guardian. The Eco-Circle meets for 45 minutes, each Tuesday on zoom at 5:30. Email me, mike.mineter@gmail.com for information. (Don’t be put off by the time – it was convenient during lockdown and can be amended.)

The Vatican calls us to prepare the future (not for the future), and has a new initiative.

Recordings of two recent webinars are now online:

You are held in prayer

Those who are unwell

and in need of our prayers:

Eammon McKelvey, Bridget Coyle,

David Smith, Mary McConville,

Nancy Barta, Alex McGinnity,

Belén Rodriguez, Patricia Simmons,

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,

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:
George Lewis

Charlie McAuley


Anniversaries

St Gregory’s:

Jimmy Docherty

St Catherine’s:

Joe Andrades

Nancy Murray

St John Vianney's:

Andrew Phillips, David Mann,

Mary Anne Jane McDonald, James Flynn,

John Quigley, James Morrison,

Charles H Kivlin,

Annabella Tait (or Keenan),

Francis Nixon, Maggie Oliver,

Catherine Clark, Agnes Wilson,

Walter Smith, Elizabeth Coyle,

Reg Walter, John Fyvie.

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.

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

clare.roller@icloud.com

The relevant food bank for the cluster is:

47 Southhouse Broadway EH17 8AS     

Phone number 664 9353     

Email: edinburghfoodbank@blythswood.org

Needed this week:

  • Pasta 'n' Sauce,
  • Super Noodles,
  • Mayonnaise,
  • Tomato Ketchup,
  • Chocolate Treats,
  • Sponge Puddings,
  • Microwave Rice,
  • Crisps,
  • Fray Bentos Pies,
  • size 4/6 nappies.

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

  • Wednesday 6th October 2021
  • Wednesday 10th November 2021
  • Wednesday 15th December 2021 
  • Sunday 26th December 2021
  • dates in 2022 to follow

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

What help are you entitled to?

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.

  • If anyone would like to give a gift then there are three ways this can be done:

    1. Use Online Banking:

    Account name - R.Arch of St A St Cath 2

    Account Number - 00693806

    Sort Code - 80 02 73

    Reference - Father Fallon

    2. Use a special collection offertory envelope and leave in collection box - marked, Father Fallon

    Use any envelope and leave in collection box - marked, Father Fallon

    3. If none of these are suitable for you then please contact Fred McConnell - fredmcconnell@btinternet.com or 07901 964 100 for alternatives.

    Please make sure that it is clearly marked, Father Fallon.

Pupil Councils School Foodbank and the Lottery

It is very much political party conference season just now, with all the major parties gathering together to discuss the big issues of the day.

St. Catherine’s has been in this spirit too and we now have completed our class elections for our Pupil Council of 2021/2022. These pupils will represent the views and requests of their classmates in our meetings and the group is a really valuable part of our school’s ethos.

Just a reminder that our school foodbank collection point is open again. If you are able to pop in to school, you can drop goods off or leave them at the collection point at the back of the church.

The result of the October Lottery is here.

Let’s all keep doing what we do, every small bit done separately, when put together makes such a huge difference.

God Bless,

Mr. Hunter

Sacraments: important dates for the diary

Please see below the dates of the Sacraments and the parents’ meetings. Further information will be shared later in the session. If you have any questions in the meantime then please get in touch with the school at 0131 6641742 or admin@st-johnvianney.edin.sch.uk

P3-Reconciliation

Sacrament of Reconciliation 17th March 6pm

Parent Meeting 1 Thursday 20th January at 6pm

Parent Meeting 2 Thursday 3rd March at 6pm


P4-First Holy Communion

Sacrament of First Holy Communion:

Saturday 11th June St Gregory’s 6pm and

Sunday 12th June-St John Vianney's 9:30am

Parent Meeting 1 Thursday 3rd February 6pm

Parent Meeting 2 Thursday 26th May 6pm


P7-Confirmation

Sacrament of Confirmation:

Tuesday 17th May St John Vianney's at 7pm

Parent Meeting 1 Thursday 3rd February 6:45pm

Parent Meeting 2 Thursday 5th May 6pm

Maths Week

This week has been maths week across the school, pupils have been engaging in aspects of maths across the curriculum such as learning about famous mathematicians. 

Please see picture below of P7’s art work linked to maths week.

The Lord’s Prayer

Primary 6 have been learning about Jesus’s role as teacher and healer.  They have been examining Bible passages linked to this.  As part of this work, they each created their own version of the Lord’s Prayer.  Please see below Rinnah’s own prayer, she has done an excellent job.

A Prayer by Rinnah

Our Father who loves us dearly. Thank you for caring for us and guiding us. Help us to not

fall into traps of temptation but see good from evil. Help us to ask when we needed and 

to not be afraid. Help us to follow your plans for our lives and not to worry. Please 

continue to guide us and keep us safe.       Amen

Compiled by Aisling Christie