Blog Archives - St Andrew's RC Church Bearsden

Friday 31st July 2020

31/7/2020

A few words...

Hope all’s well.

So it looks like no changes to numbers at our Masses and liturgies, or our halls reopening until possibly mid September?

Still 50 maximum in our church for Mass, 50 for baptisms, 20 for funerals and 20 for weddings.

We are very fortunate, though, to have our two halls rigged up with large screen TVs which allow us to have up to an extra 50 for our weekend Masses. Plus, 10am Mass is live streamed daily, and we’re currently forming a media ministry team to operate our live streamed Masses.

Louie Walton’s baptism tomorrow, thankfully, will be the first of our baptisms since lockdown.

Instead of Sundays, when the church will now be getting sanitised after the 12 noon Mass, baptisms will, for the foreseeable future, be celebrated on Saturdays.

Through to mid October, as we cannot celebrate more than one baptism at a time, there will be a celebration of a baptism almost every week. Great the signs of parish life again as we move into this post lockdown new normal.

The greatness of God is all around us. That’s a gospel message we can take from today’s Mass.

When the people of Christ’s hometown heard him talk, they were taken by what he had to say, but the fact that he was one of their own didn’t allow them to take him seriously.

They had Jesus in front of their very eyes. They had the one true God in their midst, and they couldn’t see it. In the ordinariness of the situation, God was there, but they couldn’t appreciate that truth.

The truth is that the greatness of God is all around us in the here and now situation, in the ordinariness of our lives.

The challenge is for us to see that and to appreciate that truth with faith.

Today is the final day of the daily A few words...but not the final A few words...., as I do hope to be penning A few words... occasionally.

Hope you have a safe and happy weekend.

Fr Mackle

Thursday 30th July 2020

30/7/2020

A few words...

Hope all’s well.

Phase 3 is being reviewed today, I understand. Just need to wait and see if there will be further easing of measures regarding numbers at liturgies.

The message from the prophet Jeremiah (First reading for today’s Mass) is not too dissimilar from last Sunday’s message with St Paul to the Romans.

God can bring good out of things unwanted, out of brokenness in life. He can bring good out of our pain and our suffering.

Jeremiah’s image of God as potter is a very comforting reminder that God can take what comes out wrong in our lives and reshape, remodel it into something good - if we let him, if we trust him to do so.

God can turn everything to the benefit of those who trust in him.
The cracked vase might no longer hold water, but place a candle in it and it can let the light shine through.

Remember the lockdown snake queues? I was doing a bit of shopping yesterday and I thought ‘gosh they are all no more’. The masks seem to have put paid to them. Again, more of the new normal.

Talking of new normal, with Sunday and weekday public Masses having resumed, thankfully, and with 10am Mass each day now being live streamed, I have decided that the lockdown A few words...will move from being daily to become occasional.

I have to say, I have really enjoyed writing A few words...daily over the four months lockdown period, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them.

Tomorrow will therefore be the last of the daily A few words...

Hope you have a good day

Take care.
Fr Mackle

Little Sisters of the Poor Robroyston, Glasgow

30/7/2020

Donate to the Little Sisters of the Poor

Dear Reverend Father,

I hope this email finds you well and that you are getting back to some normality. It is a great blessing to have our Churches open once again despite the constraints.

Here at Saint Joseph's Home we continue to do all we can to ensure our Residents are receiving the best possible care.

I would like to thank you first of all for putting our justgiving page on your bulletin.
We are doing very well although we have not yet hit our target. But we are so grateful to all who have donated. It has been a huge help during this very challenging time.

I am coming to you once again with a small request for help. Would it be possible please to post our attached short advert for staff on your parish bulletin if it's not too much trouble.
(Posted below this window.)

We have been struggling for quite some time now to get nurses and carers and there may be someone in one of the Parishes that might feel this is an opportunity for them.

We have already advertised in the usual places for these posts but are getting nothing back whatsoever, especially for nurses.

Thank you so much for your help with this Father. We are most grateful to you.

Assuring you of our prayers for all your intentions and for those of your Parishioners.

Yours in Christ.

Sr. Marie Claire

Little Sisters of the Poor
14 Cumnock Road
Glasgow
G33 1QT

JOB VACANCIES:

ST JOSEPH’S CARE HOME, ROBROYSTON
Run by Little Sisters of the Poor

QUALIFIED NURSING STAFF
CARE STAFF

Various shift patterns available.

If you would like to apply for above posts and join our dedicated staff please contact:

Jacquie Moeller, HR Manager on:
T: 0141 558 5114 ext. 400
E: Jacquie.moeller@lspscotland.com

Donate to the Little Sisters of the Poor

Gift Aid

30/7/2020

New Gift Aid Envelopes, which were delayed due to lockdown, are now being delivered to parishioners who use the envelope system for Gift Aided offerings. I am very grateful to all who have offered to assist with the delivery. If you are a taxpayer and would like to sign up to make offerings via Gift Aid, please speak with one of the Fabric & Finance team or email standrew@rcag.org.uk

Giftaiding your offering means that the parish can reclaim the tax you have paid on your offering at no extra cost to you. Our parish benefits by around £15,000 a year from the gift aid scheme.

Wednesday 29th July 2020

30/7/2020

A few words...

Hope all’s well.

Our sincere thanks to Deacon Tommy for being celebrant at yesterday’s liturgy.

And again, a huge thanks to all our volunteers on Sundays and weekdays for signing folk in, leading them to their designated seats, and ensuring that after all our Masses and liturgies our church is sanitised and safe. All this voluntary work could be required for months, and without our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to have public Masses.

Along with the regular Foodbank donations which are uplifted from the house porch daily for delivery, were 30 Asda Boxes of essential cupboard items, which were delivered this week. So, again, a huge thanks also to all who contribute to and volunteer to ensure support continues to Drumchapel and St Gregory’s Foodbanks and the Wayside Club.

There’s a wonderful dialogue in the gospel that takes place between Martha and Jesus. It’s St Martha’s feast day today. Martha’s brother has died, and Jesus said that her brother will rise again on the last day. He states that he is the resurrection and the life and asks Martha, ‘Do you believe this?’

‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ’ she says.

We are called to imitate Martha’s response. When we come along to Mass, whenever we pray, when we hear the Word of God, when we marvel at nature, we are called to echo Martha’s words and say ‘Yes, Lord, I believe’.

It’s good just to repeat these words every now and again quietly to ourselves.

When out driving, gardening, walking, shopping, working, or whatever or wherever - ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the one who was to come in to this world’ is good to say. Little lines like that, phrases, truths of our faith are good to repeat for our spiritual lives.

St Martha, pray for us. Martha, you served our Lord. Volunteers serve. St Martha, pray for all volunteers.

Remember, the new time for the church being open today is 2pm - 3pm. Don’t forget your face covering.

Hope you have a good day.

Take care, and remember you need to register for the booking process for weekend Masses. No booking required for weekday Masses.

Fr Mackle

Tuesday 28th July 2020

30/7/2020

A few words....

Hope all’s well.
If someone’s talking to you, sharing a problem or worry, there’s obviously listening required.

If instructions or directions are being given, and there are a lot of those in this new normal, we need to listen.

Sometimes we’ve got to listen to what our bodies are saying, if we’re maybe tired or run down. 

There are many ways in which we’re called to listen, advised to listen.

And listening requires effort. It can’t be taken for granted.

‘Listen anyone who has ears’ is God’s word, and to truly listen in the spiritual life, in our life of faith, what is so vital is silence.

There was a great poster in St Nicholas’ Primary in one of the classes - ‘Listen’ is an anagram of ‘silent’

By the way, so is ‘tinsel’ and it’s only 150 days to Christmas.

Remember, the church is open tomorrow for private prayer from 2pm to 3pm.

Hope you have a good day.

Fr Mackle

Monday 27th July 2020

27/7/2020

A few words.....

Hope all’s well.

Well, that’s another weekend of new normal weekend Masses under our belt, and all continues to go well, thankfully. Remember, you need to register for the booking process, if you’re thinking of coming along to Mass.

Remember, too, there’s still no requirement to attend. It’s okay and fine to stay at home and say your prayers, or if you can, you can get 10am Sunday and weekday Masses live streamed.

We would not be able to have all these public Masses without all our volunteers to steward, to passkeep, and to sanitise the church. A huge thanks to all for being so generous with your time.

There are so many mustard seed size gestures - like the simple hello, or the offer of help, or the phone call or email to a friend, or the little initiative.

Whatever mustard seed size gesture we do, and it may not seem much in our eyes or in the eyes of others, can bear fruit in ways that we could never have imagined at the time.

We should never underestimate the way in which God can work powerfully through our mustard seed size efforts, if they are done out of love for Him.

Think of the mustard seed size gestures you could do today.

Hope you have a safe and a good week.

Fr Mackle

Catholic Social Teaching Thought for the Week - 26 July

26/7/2020

All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.

Laudato Si' para. 14

Message From Archbishop Tartaglia

26/7/2020

Phase 3 of the route-map out of the Covid-19 lockdown has allowed us to resume the public celebration of Mass and the Sacraments. After four months without the Sacraments and without Holy Communion, this development is a matter for thanksgiving.

At the same time, the resumption of public acts of worship has not been without its challenges. As you know, there has been a focused effort of planning and preparation on the part of our parishes. I want to thank everyone who is contributing to that effort and especially the volunteers who are helping to steward the Masses and to sanitise our churches so that everyone can be safe.

Saturday 25th July 2020

25/7/2020

A few words....

Hope all’s well.

Many congratulations and welcome to Yvonne and Jen. Last night they were received and celebrated becoming full members of the Catholic Church at a Mass with family and friends from RCIA. Their journey and wait was longer than usual, due to the lockdown, but last night it was a great joy and delight to welcome them into the parish family. Please keep them in your prayers.

Once restrictions are eased even more and we get the green light for parish meetings, we’ll look at dates for next year’s RCIA. However, even at this stage, if you or someone you know isn’t baptised or baptised in another Christian tradition and would like to enquire about becoming Catholic, please get in touch.

So it’s just after 6 this morning when I’m typing this. With my favourite chair at an open window, coffee in hand and with the peaceful sound of the pattering of the rain on the leaves and ground, it’s as peaceful and relaxing as being in a quiet chapel.

Happy feast day to Monsignor and all the James, Jims and Jimmys our there. Today’s the feast of St James.

Great line from the gospel for today’s Mass - ‘the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve...’

Being a disciple, sharing in Christ means having the will to serve.

The world sees the great ones of this world as the ones who are served.

The real great ones in this world, in the kingdom, are the ones who serve.

Really we are no disciples of Christ is we don’t rise to the no easy challenge to serve.

Did you get a chance to take a look at the daily gospel reflections website, Word on Fire. Worth signing up for.

Remember, weekday Masses are Monday to Friday. Only Mass today is the 5pm vigil.

I look forward to seeing you, if you’re coming along to Mass this weekend.

Still no requirement though at this stage to attend, and remember, if you want, you can catch Mass live streamed tomorrow Sunday 10am.

Have a safe and happy Saturday

Fr Mackle