Advent Confessions - as well as Confessions throughout Sat 10am -11am Holy Hours, there will be Advent Evening Confessions 7-8pm on Mon 20th & Tues 21st Dec.
Children’s Liturgy: each week in the form of a video of the week’s Gospel reading. This is an excellent resource for parents to use until the children’s liturgy at Mass resumes. Available at: https://www.rpbooks.co.uk/celebrate-following-your-faith
Children's Liturgy - As we gradually move towards some semblance of normality, we would like to restore the children's liturgy at the 10am Sunday Mass, hopefully, sometime in the new year. As a number of children's liturgy helpers have now decided to finish with this ministry, and we are very grateful to them for their many years of faithful service in this area of parish life, we are looking for new volunteers. If you are able to help with the children's liturgy, please email [email protected]
Christmas Reachout - will be delivered to around 1300 homes in the parish during the coming weeks. Sincere thanks to the Editorial Team, Messengers, Area Leaders, Messenger Coordinators and Data base manager for all their much appreciated and hard work. If Reachout is not delivered to your home, and you would like to receive a copy, please email [email protected]. It will be posted soon on our social media.
Primary Three First Confession Parents’ Meeting -
13th January 2022 at 7pm in St Andrew’s Hall.
First Confessions will be on Saturdays 12th & 19th March 10am – 11am.
A date will be allocated to each family.
Primary Four First Holy Communion Parents’ Meeting -
20th January 2022 at 7pm in St Andrew’s Hall.
First Holy Communion Masses will be on 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd May at 2pm.
A date will be allocated to each family.
Primary Seven Confirmation Parents’ Meeting –
Thursday 3rd February 2022 at 7pm in St Andrew’s Hall.
Confirmation Masses will be on 4th & 5th June at 2pm.
A date will be allocated to each family.
Remember in your prayers Jacqueline, Rebecca, Jason and Rokas, who are journeying through RCIA. At the 10am Mass on 12th Dec there is the Rite of Acceptance, which involves special prayers for them as part of the RCIA journey.
Advent Appeal 4th & 5th Dec for Christmas Gifts – Soup run volunteers throughout lockdown have been delivering to St Gregory’s foodbank, Aspire and The Wayside. They are appealing for Christmas gifts for the Wayside and Aspire for distribution to homeless in Glasgow.
Your help is needed to make this happen, please. This year, all donations will need to be gift wrapped into one parcel or gift bag and include all the items on the list below.
Gift wrapped parcels or gift bag should be left in a box in the church porch before or after each Mass on Sat 4th and Sun 5th Dec.
Please make clear whether the gift is for male or female.
Please include all the items below:
A hand written Christmas card, small selection box or pack of chocolates, hat, gloves, scarf, socks, underwear, shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush. If ladies gifts can also include sanitary products that would be appreciated.
Many thanks for your support. Veronica & Soup Run volunteers
2020/2021 Levy. One substantial expense, which our parish annually incurs, is the Diocesan Levy. This is a contribution that every parish must make towards the administration of the archdiocese. The Levy for our parish for this year is £43,350. To date, we have paid £24,000 already to the archdiocese, leaving £19,350 still to be paid before 31 March 2022.
The Bishops of Scotland have decided to reinstate the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation from Sunday 2nd January, 2022, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
We should think of this as an opportunity to come together again as a community of faith.
I prefer to think of “obligation” not as something imposed on us, but rather something I feel the need for. I hope that you will feel an interior obligation to give thanks to God for the blessings we receive, and take the opportunity to start coming along to the Vigil or Sunday Mass again to receive Christ, the bread of life, food for the journey, in holy communion.
"In accordance with the common teaching of the Church this obligation does not bind those in ill health or those otherwise impeded from attending Mass. Nor, in the context of Covid, does it bind those showing symptoms of the virus or with underlying health conditions, or those with responsibilities for people in need of special care."
A Pastoral Letter from the Bishops regarding Christmas and the resumption of the Mass obligation is on this link.
bcos_pastoral_letter_221121.pdf
Fr Mackle
The church is now open on Saturdays 10am – 11am. Call in and enjoy the peace and quiet. Confessions available throughout .
Daily Rosary has resumed. Mondays in the church (live streamed 9.30am ), and Tuesday to Friday 9.30am in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
The Year of St Joseph draws to a close on 8th December. Our sleeping St Joseph statue will remain in the grounds. You can write out a petition and place it under the statue. Let St Joseph ‘sleep on it’.
Peer Support Group for Women Of Faith Affected By Separation or Divorce first Friday monthly 6pm St Patrick's, Dumbarton. For information contact 07970928028.
Arrangements for Christmas Masses. This year, we look forward to welcoming as many Parishioners and their families and friends as possible to our series of Christmas Masses. The Masses will be at:
Christmas Vigil – 5 pm
(Early) Midnight Mass – 9 pm
Christmas Day Mass – 10 am (live streamed on YouTube) and 12 Noon
With 25% of the church dedicated to social distancing, our total capacity in the church is between 200 and 225 people. Minimal social distancing in both halls will allow us to accommodate around 190 people. Stewards and Passkeepers will assist in the management of this.
As you will know, Mass at this time of the year can be busy. If you turn up for Mass once these capacities are reached, you will need to either join through live streaming or come to another Mass.
We would also ask that you note that you will not be able to reserve seats for family members and friends who may arrive after you. Consequently, family groups need to arrive together.
We would also ask that those who have mobility issues or need more time to get into the church arrive early to miss the rush and to ensure they get a seat.
We will be using QR Codes to help manage access. So to aid entry to the buildings, please download the NHS Scotland ‘Check in Scotland’ app.
There will also be Stewards available to take your details if you don’t have the app.
We really look forward to welcoming you to Mass at Christmas at St Andrew’s. Come early to make sure you get a seat and also to allow a quiet period of contemplation ahead of Mass.
The Pope's Twitter (@Pontifex) and Instagram (@Franciscus) ~ worth following for topical issues.
Pope’s monthly video ~ a great resource of contemporary commentary by the Holy Father on current issues. Available at https://thepopevideo.org/
Drumchapel Foodbank. Regularly your donations are dropped off at the foodbank by our parish volunteers. Thanks for continuing to give the foodbank your support.
Our soup-run volunteers continue to collect donations from M&S Byres Rd & Milngavie for delivery to Drumchapel & St Gregory’s Foodbanks, the Wayside Club & Aspire.
Parish Website – On the latest page and bulletin pages, click on subscribe for a daily summary of the previous day's posts.
Parish Bulletin: Items for inclusion should be sent in by 12 Noon on the Wednesday before publication. Copies of the bulletin are available on Facebook, Twitter, Instgram, the parish website and on our exterior noticeboard.
Please remember in your prayers those in need, those who are sick and housebound and those in hospital.
Recently Dead: Mary Frances Bruce, Tessa Cassidy, Tom Cloherty, Paul Dynes, Theresa O’Hare, Martin Ryan.
Anniversaries:. Fr John McKelvie.