FOR FAITH LIFE AND PEACE "I want you to know that in this kind of warfare, the battering ram has always been the Rosary" - St Dominic - Rosary Whirlwind British Isles - Join us for daily online Rosary at 8pm. 31st October – National Rosary Rally 9am-9pm. 1st November – Online Rosary led by Bishop John Keenan at 8pm. More information at www.rosaryonthecoast.co.uk

A Conversation on Migration: On Tuesday 27 October, Justice and Peace Scotland will be hosting an evening hearing from inspirational people serving on the frontline of the UK’s hostile border environment. Our speakers include: Clare Mosely, Founder, Care4Calais, Br Johannes Maertens, Founder, Maria Skobtsova, Catholic Worker House, and Alex Holmes from Calais Catholic Worker. To join this online event please register here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/conversation-on-migration-tickets-122206736639

Millennial generation has a Blessed A member of the Millennial generation, fifteen-year-old Carlo Acutis was beatified in Assisi on Saturday 10 October 2020. Carlo's motto: "The Eucharist - my highway to Heaven" He was a normal teenager who strived to be the best version of himself, living the ordinary in an extraordinary way. Before his death from leukemia, Acutis was an average teen with an above-average knack for computers. He put that knowledge to use by creating an online database of eucharistic miracles around the world. Born - London  - 1991              Died - Milan  - 2006               Feast Day: 12 October Patron of the internet.

We invite you to join us in prayer for persecuted Christians throughout our world. Archbishop Philip Tartaglia and Bishop John Keenan will celebrate Mass at St. Andrews Cathedral. Please join us for our ACN Mass and digital showreel event featuring a talk by guest speaker Cardinal Coutts of Karachi. Start: 13 Oct 2020 19:00 End: 13 Oct 2020 20:30 Live Streamed Mass from St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Archdiocese of Glasgow

4th OCTOBER: This year Stella Maris (formerly known as Apostleship of the Sea) is celebrating 100 years of its support to seafarers, fishers and their families. To mark the beginning of our centenary year we will be holding a live-streamed Mass celebrated by Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow. We would be most grateful if you could kindly invite your parishioners, through your parish newsletter and e-newsletter this coming weekend, to join us online to share in this very special celebration on Sunday 4th October at 3pm. The Mass will be streamed live at www.stellamaris.org.uk/centenarymass We hope that you can join us online for this historic occasion.

"After celebrating Mass at St. Francis’ tomb on Saturday October 3, the eve of the saint’s feast day, Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship,” on the altar under the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, source of the document’s title and inspiration. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Mass was described as “private.” Only about two dozen people were in the small crypt chapel: they sat socially distanced and they wore masks.Several Franciscan sisters were present, as were the ministers general of the main Franciscan orders of men: Father Michael Perry, minister general of the Franciscans; Father Roberto Genuin, minister general of the Capuchins; and Father Amando Trujillo Cano, minister general of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. The encyclical was released to the public in Rome on Sunday October 4 just after the Angelus (midday). This is Pope Francis’ third encyclical letter, after “Lumen Fidei” in 2013 (a text largely prepared under Pope emeritus Benedict XVI) and “Laudato Si” in 2015. It is by far his most comprehensive; a social and political testament and an encapsulation of his entire papacy. Perhaps the best overall way to frame the encyclical is as an extended meditation on political and economic life in the early 21st century, including the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Pope Francis sees a contest between two flawed alternatives: privileged individualist indifference and blind, nationalist populism. Instead, Pope Francis’ “third way” is a social ethic of human fraternity, rooted for Christians in the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan. Pope Francis’ proposed remedy is human fraternity: care for the elderly; combatting racism and sexism; compassion for immigrants; debt forgiveness for impoverished nations; a strong role for the U.N. and for regional alliances; and abolitionist positions on both war and capital punishment. More than anything else, the specific issues treated in “Fratelli Tutti” appear to be illustrating an ethic of fraternity - one which begins with rejecting aggression as a means of relating to others. The tendency to aggression, he believes, has been made significantly worse by the coronavirus and the shift to increasingly “virtual” relationships." Jessica Easthope and Cindy Wooden (Currents News Staff) and John L. Allen Jr. (Adapted)

“Paisley diocese and our parish welcome the special responsibility we have for all children, young people and vulnerable adults in our community. In our Church there are two posters. The first reaches out to survivors of abuse in the Church and invites them to contact our safeguarding team confidentially if they feel able. The Church has confidential and independent professional counselling services available to survivors of abuse within the Church. We also organised a presentation on Saturday 3 October 2020 by Fr Dominic Allain about the ‘Grief to Grace’ retreat. ‘Grief to Grace’ has helped many abuse survivors to find help and healing, as the testimonies on their website report. https://www.grieftograceuk.org/. If you would be interested in attending a Grief to Grace retreat in Scotland next year, please contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser Mary Kearns in confidence on 07939 486290. The second poster highlights our Safeguarding Manual with the contact details of your Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. Please contact our Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Mary Kearns (number in the previous paragraph), your Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator or Parish Priest if you have any concerns regarding the abuse or harm of any child, young person or vulnerable adult. In 2018 the Scottish Bishops published a new and improved safeguarding manual called ‘In God’s Image’ which includes developments in best practice and implements the recommendations of the McLellan Commission. The Manual will be reviewed next year. If you would like to make any review points, please contact Mary Kearns who will arrange for them to be put forward. Our diocesan trainers deliver ongoing training to volunteers, parish safeguarding co-ordinators (PSCs) and clergy. Since October 2016 they have trained 1,363 volunteers, as well as PSCs and clergy. Training promotes vigilance and ensures those working with children and vulnerable adults know the Church’s system for reporting disclosures or concerns they may receive. Safeguarding involves the whole Church community. It is our responsibility as a community and as individuals to remain vigilant and to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe. Thank you for your support.”

On behalf of the NHS GG&C 5 year mental health strategy, prevention and early intervention sub-group, SAMH are taking forward a mental health improvement capacity building programme across the 6 HSCP areas within Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The virtual training offered within this contract will be Maintaining Wellbeing; Building Resilience; Mental Health in the Workplace – A Guide for Managers; and an Introduction to Suicide Prevention. This training is in addition to existing Mental Health and Wellbeing training offered in HSCP areas. Training courses will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. However, we have other dates available on Zoom. Please see below for more information on dates for the above mentioned courses. To book onto courses offered please email; training@sa mh.org.uk with your name, job role, organisation and HSCP area. If you are based in Glasgow, please specify if it’s the North East, North West or South. For bookings for Introduction to Suicide Prevention, please also provide your managers name and email address in addition to the above. If you have any additional support needs, please advise when booking onto courses. More information also available via www.rcdop.org.uk

If you still have your WEE BOX at home, please hand them iby Monday 28th September or donate your WEE BOX money directly to SCIAF during September via www.sciaf.org.uk/weebox Phone: 0141 354 5555. The Government will match your donation during September only.

Pope Francis and care for creation: “No to plundering, yes to sharing” The new “Pope Video,” in the context of the Season of Creation, calls upon us all to take care of the planet’s resources responsibly, and to share them fairly and respectfully. (Vatican City, August 31, 2020) – The new Pope Video has been released the day before the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, with the prayer intention that Pope Francis is entrusting to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (which includes the Eucharistic Youth Movement – EYM). The theme for this month is care for the planet’s resources. In the context of the Season of Creation, which is celebrated from September 1 to October 4 (in which people can participate by using the hashtag #SeasonOfCreation), and in the 5th anniversary year of Laudato si’, the Holy Father expresses his concern for the “ecological debt” that is created when natural resources are exploited. He calls for them to be “shared in a just and respectful manner.” Pope Francis’ message about caring for creation is forceful: “We’re squeezing out the planet’s goods. Squeezing them out.” For this reason, he encourages all people to become aware of the grave “ecological debt” that is being generated, fruit of the exploitation of natural resources and of the action of certain multinationals that “do abroad what they would never be allowed to do in their own countries.” For the Holy Father, this situation is urgent: “Today, not tomorrow; today, we have to take care of Creation responsibly.”

"LIVING IN FAITH! Information, advice and resources from the BCOS Pastoral Ministry Working Group including topics such as: CARING for mental ill-health and SUPPORTING prayer and devotion.

UP-DATE: 24 JULY 2020 By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp As a sign of his closeness to those who were ill, under quarantine, or for whatever reason, were unable to leave their homes, Pope Francis began transmitting his daily morning Mass as Italy went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.  From 9 March to 18 May, the Mass Pope Francis celebrated every morning was transmitted throughout the world. Thousands of people, regardless of religious affiliation, watched or listened through the various Vatican Media channels, and other radio and televisions stations or digital platforms that picked up the transmission. For many, Pope Francis’s Mass became a staple for coping with the adverse effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown. READ ALSO 21/04/2020 Downloadable publication of Pope’s prayers and homilies now available Digital edition of Pope's homilies  Playbacks of the Mass and summaries of Pope Francis’s homilies were made accessible through the Vatican News’s YouTube channel and web portal. The complete texts of his homilies were available as a downloadable digital file, kept up-to-date as English translations became available. Entitled Strong in the Face of Tribulation: The Church in Communion – A Sure Support in Time of Trial, the text also contains blessings and prayers, including the prayer used during the extraordinary moment of prayer with Pope Francis on 27 March; as well as the decrees of the Apostolic Penitentiary regarding the special indulgences granted because of the special circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic. Pope's words are precious Father Giulio Cesareo, editorial director of Libreria Editrice Vaticana (the Vatican Publishing House), underlined how important Pope Francis’s homilies were. “He is a father,” Father Giulio said, “a spiritual guide who accompanied us as we lived that period. His homilies are precious because they are not only valid for back then. We still experience conflicts, shame, difficulties in praying. We were perhaps more receptive and attentive to what he told us back then. But it is important to keep his words with us so as to allow ourselves to be continually nourished by the beautiful things he said that concern life”. Print edition of Pope's homilies Since the suspension of the daily transmission of the Pope’s Mass, the feedback received from many readers was that the .pdf edition be made available in print. Thus, the booklet that “accompanied them as they lived through faith the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic” could also be a concrete keepsake of the closeness of both Pope Francis and our Lord at this devastating time. The digital edition of Strong in the Face of Tribulation is no longer available. The printed edition is available through publishers who obtain the rights to publish it. updated 24 July 2020

Pope Francis has asked believers of all religions to unite spiritually in a Day of Prayer and Fasting and Works of Charity on Thursday 14 May 2020 to implore God to help humanity overcome the coronavirus pandemic. ‘All believers together, believers of different traditions, to pray, fast, and do works of charity.’

Please pray for all Seminarians as they continue their vocational journeys.

Pope Francis is encouraging the faithful to pray the Rosary during the month of May, “when the People of God express with particular intensity their love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary”.

On April 23, the Scottish government published a phased exit strategy from the lockdown, warning that it was “uncharted territory and will need careful navigation.” Archbishop Cushley said “things are not easy these days.” “We’re not getting together to pray the way we would like to; we’re not getting into our churches the way we would like to. This is because of the public health crisis that we now face, and I think all of us are very conscious of that, priests and people alike,” the archbishop said. “But I would just like to reassure you that our priests continue to pray for you. They continue to offer up Holy Mass every day for you even if you can’t always see it or can’t always be present at it. Know that that is continuing and be present as best you can by offering up prayers at the same time, or praying the rosary, or making a spiritual communion, reading the readings of the day. All of these things can be done so that you can be part of that worshipping community, whether it is seen or unseen round about you,” he continued. He called on Catholics to pray that churches can be opened safely. “Let’s pray for that, and hopefully we will all be able to get together to pray and to offer up the sacrifice, as we love to do as Catholics on a Sunday, as soon as possible,”

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. "The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development…Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded. (Laudato Si’ 13)

Congratulations to Rev. Joe McGill who was ordained a Deacon on 19th April 2020 by Bishop John in St. Cadoc's, Newton Mearns in a private ceremony. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues his vocational journey.

This book is intended to be a little help offered to all, so as to know how to discern and experience God’s closeness and tenderness in pain, in suffering, in solitude and in fear. Of course, faith does not eliminate pain; ecclesial communion does not eliminate anguish. Rather, it does illuminate reality and reveal that it is pervaded by the love and hope based not on our abilities, but on the One Who is faithful and never abandons us. The text is divided into three sections: In the first we find prayers, rituals and supplications for difficult moments. They are texts that originate from various ecclesial contexts and historical eras. For this reason, they can be a further source of sharing at the level of the universal Church. There are prayers for the sick, for liberation from evil, to surrender ourselves trustfully to the action of the Holy Spirit. Then there is a second part, which gathers together the indications given by the Church to continue to live and to receive the grace of the Lord, the gift of forgiveness and the Eucharist, the power of the Easter liturgies even though we are unable to participate physically in the Sacraments. Finally, the third part consists of the words the Holy Father Francis has pronounced since 9 March in order to sustain the entire ecclesial community in this time of trial: they are primarily the daily homilies of the Mass at Santa Marta, and the texts of the Sunday Angelus. Listening to his words helps us to reflect and to hope; it helps us feel in communion with Peter and united to him. This book, which the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication decided to prepare and make available to all, has a fundamental characteristic: it will be constantly updated with new homilies and other interventions made by the Pope, and the “rediscovery” of other treasures from our ecclesial tradition. The book will, therefore, be published on the Libreria Editrice Vaticana website in PDF format, and can be downloaded free of charge. However, several times a week it will be updated and made available to download in the new updated version, with the addition of the new texts. On the cover there is an image of the Archangel Michael, who protects the Church against evil and sustains us in this difficult trial, so that this evil may not prejudice our trust in the Father and the solidarity among us, but rather become an opportunity to look at what is truly essential for our lives and to share the love received from God among us all, and in a special way with those who are most in need today. Andrea Tornielli

He also announced that on Friday, March 27, at 5p.m.(UK time) he would preside over a prayer service in front of an “empty” St. Peter’s Square, which will include scripture readings and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. At the end of the event, he will offer a special Urbi et Orbi blessing, offering all who participate a plenary indulgence. Traditionally only given at Christmas and Easter, the Urbi et Orbi is a blessing that goes out to the people of Rome and to the world. The decision to offer the blessing outside these two major Catholic feast days is, if not unprecedented, extremely rare. Urbi et Orbi will be broadcast live from the Vatican: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope.html