Cluster News

28/29 May

Next deadline 1st June

southedclust@btinternet.com

Cluster contact: 0131 563 8391

Our Weekend Masses

For details see the section in this week's news and go to our dedicated page.

Sisters and brothers.

In this week's Gospel, Jesus expresses what he would like to see in us, his disciples: that we all be one, with his love in our midst. This loving unity is sometimes mistaken for uniformity, where differences are not tolerated. However, St Paul reminds us of the complementary gifts that we are each given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the community. So let us rejoice in our diversity and let us work to be "a family where all belong and care, where all are needed and share their gifts" (from our Vision Statement).

Fr Alex

Prayer Resources:

7th Sunday of Easter C

Children's Resources:

7th Sunday of Easter C

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

Celebrating Fr Alex's Silver Jubilee

With our Cluster community life closer to normal now, we are at last able to celebrate Fr Alex's Silver Jubilee of his Ordination which was postponed last year. His Jubilee Mass will take place on Sunday 26 June at 2 pm at St John Vianney's. The whole Cluster is invited to come together in thanksgiving for Fr Alex's 25 years of faithful service (actually 26 now).

Following the Jubilee Mass, there’ll be a party in the church hall and garden (weather permitting) with food and refreshments, to which everyone is invited!

Please note that there will be no 9.30am Mass at SJV on the day. The 6pm Vigil Mass at St Gregory's and the 11am Mass at St Catherine's will take place as usual.

Altar Servers at St John Vianney

Now things are becoming more normal we invite any children in Primary 4 and above to become Altar Servers. They will be asked to attend training after Sunday Mass for no more than an hour per session. There is no commitment to attend every Sunday, we welcome servers as and when they can attend to accomodate family arrangements.

Any of the pre-Covid servers are very welcome to return. Please speak to Sr Ninian or Michael McKeen at any Sunday Mass.

Michael McKeen

Did you enjoy being part of SEECAT's Holy Week?

All these events don’t just happen - they involve a lot of planning, publicity and organisation. There are many people from all the different churches who help in many ways, but SEECAT’S office-bearers bear the responsibility of making sure everything is in place. SEECAT has its AGM in September and will be looking for both a Vice-Chairperson and a Programme Secretary.

We believe it is vital in today’s world that we are seen by our communities to work and witness together, united in our faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. We need people committed to the concept of the churches working together, with computer and organisational skills, and a good sense of humour. The Programme Secretary’s Job Description is available from Pat Thomas (email pat.jax10@icloud .com).

Hover over the small pictures to select one, then hover over the selected one to see more detail by zooming in.

Edinburgh Fringe 2022: Saltmine Theatre Company The Liberator

17–20 Aug @ Palmerston Place Church. In a city just like yours, hope is in short supply. Politicians are corrupt, power overthrows justice, and hypocrisy and cynicism seem to be in the very air and in the bloodstream. Yet when a strange man comes to town, peculiar things start to happen: the sick rise from their beds, the dead live again, and the oppressed glimpse a life worth living. But who is he? And how long before the powers that be crack down on this subversive, this radical, this ‘Liberator’?
A passionate retelling of the Gospel of Matthew. Told in a modern idiom, this is a gospel at once faithful and utterly fresh. More information here. To book go here.

Justice Matters: Co-creators with God

We have been celebrating Laudato Si’ Week, recalling the publication of that document in 2015 by Pope Francis.

SEE In essence, it says that the earth, our Common Home, is not our private property we can treat as we wish. Whilst we seem to have grasped the inter-relatedness of all forms of life in the natural world – an integral ecology – we don’t include ourselves in that world, preferring instead to seek ways to control and manipulate it for our own personal advantage.

This is not God’s plan for our created world where we are caretakers and gardeners rather than robbers of our global environment. The call to personal conversion and love of neighbour goes much wider than simply the human race – the whole of nature is our neighbour and needs our love too. This is ecological conversion where nations, communities and individuals recognise their inherent need to co-operate and collaborate for their Common Good with each other and with the natural environment.

REFLECT Nature provides us with many examples of “bio-diversity” where various plants and creatures not only live in harmony but promote each other’s wellbeing. As we learn how to re-introduce bio-diversity into the natural environment, let’s also use that model for human relationships as well. Anything built on domination will never prevail – it is the recognition that differences in culture/creed/colour can bring a vital spread of viewpoints and skills that will lead to our survival – indeed our human flourishing. In this week’s gospel Jesus speaks of his desire for himself and the Father and us to be one; it is a foretaste of that unity-in-diversity which lies at the heart of the evolving universe.

ACT Laudato Si’ Week draws to a close but its message remains very relevant to our everyday living. There are lots of things you can do which are listed in the Celebration Guide. Right on our doorstep, St Gregory's book and CD sale on 4 June after Mass is a fine example of a circular economy where a product's lifecycle is extended rather than it being thrown out - so do come along. During Lent, we provided ideas through SCIAF’s Acts of Hope. Take another look at it here. Finally, there is a weekly opportunity to join in an Eco-circle group which meets on Zoom every Tuesday at 5.30 – 6.15pm.

Stuart Holden

You are held in prayer

Those who are unwell

and in need of our prayers:

Anne McKain, Joe MacDonald, Rose Ross, Camilo Rodriguez, Edison Villabona,

Gloria Camargo, Anne-Marie Davie,

Joe McConnell, Carolyn Larter, Christine Knox, Patrick Phelan, Sheila Ross, Ellen Salvona, Nilsa de Rodriguez, Belén Rodriguez,

Rudy Deras, Dawn Adams, Helen Haddow,

Bill and Marlene Bonnar, Stevie Donald,

Kathy Duffy, Mary,

Verdiana and Donati Kweka (Tanzania),

Mary Thomson, Eammon McKelvey,

Nancy Barta, Alex McGinnity,

Patricia Simmons, Elizabeth Napier,

George Pringle, Sr. Veronica, Katharine, John, Jennifer, Christopher Mackinnon,

Maureen Lawson, Bailey Bruce McCann,

Betty Dickinson, Annette, Catherine Hart,

Karen Devlin, Scott Fraser, 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, 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:

Pat Hogg,

Frank Smith,

John Norman.

Anniversaries

St Gregory's:

George Ritchie

St John Vianney's:

William Glenwright, James Stritch,

Father Gerard Prior, Ian McDonald,

Doreen Nettleship, Susan Reynolds,

Joseph Glenwright, Peter Murty,

John Greeney, Owen Naughton,

Nancy O’Donnell, Mary Martin, Stan Walker, Thomas Finlay, Mark Thompson.

Please join us in Contemplative prayer

on Tuesday afternoons 2.40 to 3.45 at Liberton Northfield 280 Gilmerton Road EH16 5TT

Entrance through Red side door. Buses 3, 8, 29 stop right outside. The format is:

short introduction followed by
30 minutes silent prayer
then 10 minutes of intercessory prayer.

If you prefer you can join us on Zoom or just pray with us while you are at home. Contact Clare Roller

Boxes for our local foodbank

Please bring items listed below to any of our church buildings or either of our Catholic Primary Schools for the foodbank - or take them to:

47 Southhouse Broadway EH17 8AS

Phone number 664 9353

Email: edinburghfoodbank@blythswood.org

Items requested for this week:

Super noodles
Diluting juice
Crisps
Tinned Custard/Rice
Tinned meat
Tinned Carrots

New opening hours for the Food Bank are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10am until 1.30pm

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.

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.

St Catherine's PS News

Apologies to you all for the lack of updates from us in recent weeks. We are currently in the middle of our National Assessments and collation of the data for this. A very busy time indeed.

Last week, I was very proud to have been part of this year’s Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation with our P7 pupils and many of those from St. John Vianney’s. Celebrated by His Grace, Archbishop Cushley, St. John Vianney’s Parish were our most gracious hosts. It was such a lovely occasion and one made even more special by the fact it was celebrated in a ‘normal’ way again! Thank you to everyone in both schools and Parishes who helped make this such a beautiful occasion.

Look out for our end of term raffle tickets appearing at the back of the church at St. Catherine’s. We have lots of prizes for the draw and all the money we make stays in the school to help our pupils and families.

Money and stubs can be handed in to the school office or given to one of our parents to hand in. Thanks in advance for any help you can give us.

Many thanks for all you do. God Bless,

Mr. Hunter

St John Vianney's PS News

Sacraments

Please see the photo of our pupils who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last week. Congratulations!

It is just over two weeks away until we celebrate First Holy Communion with our pupils, thank you to all those parents/carers who joined us on Thursday evening at St Gregory’s for our final meeting. If you have any further questions then please get in touch with us here at school or with the Parish. Thank you to all those from St Gregory’s and St John Vianney Parishes for supporting us with the meeting.

A week of Sports

This week some of our Primary 6 and 7 pupils took part in the Edinburgh Schools Cross Country race at Saughton Park. They all did a fantastic job-well done! Please see our schools Twitter page for photos.

Our P7s also had a day at Liberton High School on Wednesday for an Active Schools Transition event. They were working with children from other primary schools for a day of sports. They had a great time.

Aisling Christie