Newsletter

Fourth Sunday of Lent

March 15th 2026

 

My dear parishioners,

A very happy Mother’s Day to all the Mums in our parish!

Today is SCIAF Sunday and Bishop Brian McGee, Bishop President of the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund has sent the following letter:

 

“On this fourth Sunday of Lent, I write to you, on behalf of all the Bishops of Scotland, to thank you for your continued support of SCIAF, our Church’s own relief and development agency. In the year that follows SCIAF’s 60th Anniversary, we give thanks for the countless lives that have been transformed through your prayers and generosity. For six decades, the Catholic community in Scotland has shown love in action – reaching out to our sisters and brothers living in the world’s poorest places and showing that faith truly changes lives.

 

This Lent, SCIAF’s WEE BOX Appeal focuses on Ethiopia, a country that has long worked hard to build a better future. Families have been growing stronger, children have been going to school, and communities have been full of hope. But now, much of that progress is being undone. Years of conflict, drought, flooding, and cuts to International Aid have left millions struggling to survive.

 

In the northern Region of Tigray, the church has been a steadfast presence. Even when war and violence drove others away, I can personally witness that the church remained, serving those in need. As Fr. Abraha from SCIAF’s local partner, explained: “The Church is a voice for the voiceless. When everyone else left, the Church stayed: to serve, to speak, to give people courage. We serve all human beings, whatever their faith. With no water, there is no life -, yet, little by little, we are helping people survive.”

 

Through your generous support, SCIAF and its church partners are providing clean water, food and shelter, and helping families rebuild their lives – restoring not just livelihoods but also hope. Fr. Abraha went on to say: “I appreciate and would like to thank the Catholics of Scotland for what you have done for us, for our people and our community. We are very grateful for what you have done and what you will do in the future. The Scottish people are our pillars – and today you are still helping us.”

 

In his Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that “love for the poor, whatever the form their poverty may take, is the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God.” This Lent, we are called once more to live out that love through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Your support of SCIAF’s WEE BOX Appeal can help families in Ethiopia – and across the world -access clean water, grow food, and find stability and peace. From Scotland to Ethiopia, your compassion keeps both water and hope flowing.

Thank you for your continued generosity and for the love you show to our sisters and brothers around the world. Together, as one family of faith, we can make a difference and build a world where all God’s children can flourish.

May God bless you and your families this holy season of Lent.

Bishop Brian McGee

Bishop President of SCIAF

 

A Second Collection will be taken up next weekend to support the good work of SCIAF

 

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Schedule for the Daily Liturgy:

 

Monday March 16th: Mass at 10am

Rosary at 9,40am; confessions at 6.30pm; Novena at 7pm

 

Tuesday March 17th: Mass at 10am (St. Patrick’s Day)

Stations of the Cross at 9.40am; confession after Mass

 

Wednesday March 18th: Mass at 10am

 Rosary at 9.40am; adoration until 2.30pm

 

Thursday March 19th: Mass at 10am

 Feast of St. Joseph; Rosary at 9.40am; confession after Mass

 

Friday March 20th Mass at 10am

Stations of the Cross at 9.40am                                    

 

 

The church’s daily liturgy is a wonderful way of making the Lenten journey in the company of others; the daily Eucharist offers us the opportunity to contemplate the great mystery of Christ day by day; we can be a source of encouragement to one another. Please join us if you are free.

 

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First Reconciliation: on Tuesday Evening at 6pm pupils from St. Paul’s Primary will celebrate their First Confession; pupils from St. Mary’s Primary will celebrate their First Confession on Wednesday at 6pm.

 

RCIA: please remember our six candidates in your prayers, Hannah, Yvonne. Reece, Paul, Robert and Andrew, who will be presented with the Our Father at the 10.30am Mass next Sunday; this is a further step on their journey to becoming a member of the Catholic Church at Easter. We meet as usual on Thursday at 7pm.

 

Recently Deceased: Mary Fitzpatrick, Lina Pakevecute, John Cornish, Sadie Green, Loraine O’Neill, Walter Scott, Geraldine McAuley

 

Special Remembrance: Philip Wilson, Christine Zambonini, Kay Clancy, Nessie Lynas, Kathleen Tiernan, Bridget and Maria Lynas, Annie Doherty, Christine Coyle, Elizabeth and Joe McCafferty, Mary and Frank McAteer, William Miller, Winnie Maxwell, Fiona Seal, Ines and Tommy Maxwell, Peter and Ida Maxwell, Angelina DiMarco, Bella and Owen Currie, and our deceased  relatives and friends and the benefactors of our parish.