Blog Archives - St Andrew's RC Church Bearsden

Catholic Social Teaching Thought for the Week - 30 August

29/8/2020

Catholic Social Teaching Thought for the Week - 30 August (Nearest Sunday to World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation (1 September))

The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things. Laudato Si’, para 223

A Message Especially for All P4 & P5 Parents

22/8/2020

Just to let you know that a new video has been uploaded to the "Supporting Sacramental Preparation at Home" page:
Understanding the Mass:https://www.rercglasgow.org/sacramental-preparation-at-home.html
https://youtu.be/4kGabVqqqo4

Wednesday 19th August 2020

19/8/2020

A few words...

Hope all’s well.

I meant to send to you last Sunday these words of Pope Francis at the foot of the page.

You know you are welcome anytime to call into the grounds for a Hail Mary before the statue of Our Lady.

The funeral Mass for John Brannan will be on Friday at 1pm. Just to say there will be no 10am Mass on Friday. Permission has been given for John’s Mass to be live streamed.

John had been in St Andrew’s for the past twenty years, and had been a member of SPRED. May God give him eternal rest and peace in the kingdom of light. Our deepest and most prayerful sympathies to John’s carers.

I’ll be taking a fortnight’s break as from Sunday. There will still be a live streamed liturgy though each morning at 10am, apart from Saturday morning, and grateful to Deacon Tommy and Fr Bradburn for that.

Good seeing the numbers at Mass increasing steadily. Our church on Monday was full to the new normal capacity. I am deeply grateful to all the volunteers for all their good work and for the way in which they are generous with their time ensuring that all the Masses are well covered.

Take care.

Fr Mackle

Why not get yourself a coffee and reflect slowly on these lovely words of Pope Francis on Our Lady

On the Assumption of Mary into Heaven

"The feast of the Assumption of Mary is a call to each of us, especially those who are
afflicted by doubt and sadness, and live with their gaze turned down, unable to raise their glance.

Let us look up. Heaven is open. It does not inculcate fear. It is no longer distant because on the threshold of Heaven, a mother, our mother, is awaiting us. She loves us, she smiles at us and she
thoughtfully assists us.

Like every mother she wants the best for her children and she says to us: ‘You are precious in God’s eyes; you were not made for the small satisfactions of the world, but rather for the great joy of heaven’.

Yes, because God is joy, not boredom. God is joy. Let us allow Our Lady to take us by the hand.

Each time that we hold the Rosary in our hands and pray to her, we are taking a step forward, towards the great destination of life."

Pope Francis, Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Preparation for First Confession & First Holy Communion

19/8/2020

The archdiocesan RE Office has now sent the Reconciliation supplementary learning materials to all schools and it can easily be emailed to parents on request. Email : [email protected]

For First Communion, class teachers will more or less pick up where the previous teacher left off with some revision of prior concepts. The RE Office is happy to direct parents to other resources which are also available, if they wish.

Also, direct contact numbers for the RE Office will be posted in the coming days on their website so that schools, parishes and parents can contact them directly. Plus, they will continue to add video content to the supporting sacramental preparation materials on their website here on this link.
https://www.rercglasgow.org/primary.html

Elvis Presley January 8th 1935 – August 16th 1977

16/8/2020

nToday is the anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley and St Andrew's parishioners were asked for their favourite Elvis hymns. Below are the ones chosen.

One Pair of Hands

The Wonder of You

He Knows Just What I Need

Peace In The Valley

His Hand In Mine

The Old Rugged Cross

How Great Thou Art

Saturday 15th August 2020

15/8/2020

A few words....

Hope all’s well with you as we slowly ease ourselves out of lockdown into this new form of normality.

Happy Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(although in Scotland, celebrated liturgically tomorrow)

No singing at Mass these days, as you know, unfortunately, but you might want to sing this lovely hymn to Our Lady at home. Goes to the familiar tune of Dear St Joseph.

I do long for the day when we can sing again the parts of the Mass and hymns at Mass.

We’ll announce details this week regarding First Confessions and First Communions. The archdiocese is working on arrangements for Confirmations.

Although there is still no requirement to go to Mass, and our numbers still need to be limited, the First Confessions, First Communions and Confirmations families might want to come along to Mass even just now and again to help the children in their preparation for the Sacraments, and it’s always good that they be given experience of prayer, Mass and liturgy.

Remember, though, if you haven’t already registered for the booking system for the vigil and Sunday Masses, you would have to do that on this link. And don’t forget to bring your face covering with you.

Have a safe and happy Saturday.

Fr Mackle

Monday 10th August 2020

10/8/2020

A few words....

Hope all’s well.

Teachers are returning to school today after a long time at working at home, and I know this will be challenging. Thoughts and prayers are with them and with the pupils who start back this week.

Great that we can begin to get First Confessions & First Communions arranged. We hope to have more details about these soon. Still no information yet about Confirmations.

There has been a steady increase each week in bookings for weekend Masses, which has been good to see. Our upper hall overflow area with the big screen needed to be used at all the Masses this weekend, and it’s great having our 10am daily Mass live streamed.

I am very grateful to all who have volunteered to be part of a media ministry team to operate live streaming, and training for this ministry will begin this week.

Without the good work of all the volunteers, we would not be able to have a full schedule of Masses. Sincere thanks to them all. For weekday Masses, there is no booking required. Just turn up.

As our private prayer time on Wednesdays 2pm - 3pm has had so few folk over the past weeks, we may need to review this.

A couple of notices to bring to your attention.

Solemnity of the Assumption: Although this coming Saturday, 15th August would normally be the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Bishops of Scotland last year altered the rules for Feasts and Holy Days of Obligation. Because of this, the 15th is an ordinary day and the Assumption is celebrated this year on the 16th at all our Sunday Masses.

Confessions : Many of you have been asking about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The current rules, unfortunately, prevent us from using the Confessional. We are looking, though, at making arrangements for Confessions in the main church, especially for Primary 3’s First Confessions. In the meantime, if you require the Sacrament, please phone or email in advance and arrange a suitable time for this to take place.

Elvis’ anniversary this Sunday.

If you have a favourite gospel song of his that would be good and spiritually uplifting for us in these times, send it in and we’ll be happy to post it on our social media.

Take care, and have a good week

Fr Mackle

Latest Update from the Archdiocesan Coronavirus Coordinator, Canon Gargaro

8/8/2020

Halls

Our advice just now remains that halls should not be used (except for the limited purposes previously allowed). Many activities – dancing, exercise classes, bingo, etc. remain prohibited – and even those things that are permitted risk distracting our volunteers from the ongoing work of keeping churches open in accordance with the cleaning regime. The Government previously stated their plan to allow some more activities later this month – although whether recent events will change that remains to be seen. We would hope to update parishes further on the possibilities of using halls later this month, if the Government goes ahead with loosening these restrictions.

Schools

Some schools have approached parishes to ask about the First Confessions and First Communions cancelled from earlier this year. These can go ahead at any time as long as the children are suitably prepared. All the same precautions that apply at Sunday Mass apply for these celebrations (social distancing, face masks, hand sanitising, cleaning afterwards etc). Enforcing the 50 limit is essential, which might prove challenging especially at First Communions, and so these celebrations can only go ahead if the parish priest is sure that they can be done in full compliance with the Guidance for celebrating Mass.

There is no update yet on Confirmations.

New Government Restrictions

The First Minister announced a number of steps today:

Visors will no longer be considered as sufficient face coverings, and people who have hitherto worn visors must now wear a facemask as well or instead.

Face coverings will become mandatory from August 8 in church (and in many other places). We have, of course, already required this in our own Guidance, but from August 8 it will become a criminal offence not to comply (apart from those who are exempt from wearing face coverings – the rules on exemption have not changed). As previously explained in our Guidance, priests (or other persons leading services) do not need to wear face coverings except for times when they must come within 2m of others (principally Communion time, but perhaps also other times such as entrance/exit processions, doing baptisms, etc.). Again, from August 8 it will be a criminal offence for a priest not to wear a mask if coming within 2m of other people inside church (unless there is a solid partition between the priest and the other people).

Social Distancing from August 8 it will be a criminal offence for a “person responsible for a place of worship” (i.e. the parish priest) not to take measures to enforce the 2m distance between individuals/households, both inside church and whilst queueing outside. This should, of course, already be in place under the earlier guidance.

We have seen the condemnation rightly being faced by certain pubs in Aberdeen and by Aberdeen FC and we need to do all we can to make sure that no-one can fault our adherence to best practice in keeping our churches safe. The introduction of these new criminal offences should not affect us, because we should be diligently taking these steps already, but it does highlight the importance that the Government places on these measures to help protect us and our communities.

With best wishes,

Canon Paul Gargaro

Diocesan Coordinator

Flourish August 2020

8/8/2020

The new August edition of Flourish is now online.

In this month’s copy – which is free to download and read – you can catch up on:

The re-opening of parishes round the Archdiocese for public Masses.
The final chapter in the story of St Peter’s Seminary, Cardross,
Why the Archbishop is encouraging us to write to our MSPs to protect freedom of speech
The amazing wartime memories of the late Mgr Gaetano Rossi which explain the background to the much-loved Italian Cloister Garden adjacent to St Andrew’s Cathedral.
The new John L Allen column from Rome
Art of the Month
The latest news from parishes across the city and beyond.

Click here to read https://www.flourishnewspaper.co.uk/downloads/Flourish-August-2020.pdf

Catholic Social Teaching Thought for the Week - 9 August

8/8/2020

"If the consciousness of universal brotherhood truly penetrates into the hearts of men, will they still need to arm themselves to the point of becoming blind and fanatic killers of their brethren who in themselves are innocent, and of perpetrating, as a contribution to Peace, butchery of untold magnitude, as at Hiroshima on 6 August 1945?"

Blessed Pope Paul VI, Message for World Day of Peace, 1967

The remembrances of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August 1945 respectively take place each year. These remain the first, and thus far only uses of nuclear weapons in war.