Thank You from Mary’s Meals
Edinburgh representative of Mary's Meals, Shelagh McGhee, who spoke on behalf of Mary’s Meals at Masses last weekend, sent her thanks for the generous response to the appeal:
A heartfelt thank you to the parishioners of St Mary’s Cathedral and St Andrew’s, Ravelston, who so generously donated a total of over £2,300 at Sunday Masses last weekend. This will be doubled by the Mary’s Meals Double the Love campaign which amounts to more than £4,600 much-needed cash for the Charity. Thank you also to those of you who have undertaken to set up direct debits for Mary’s Meals and others who plan to support Mary’s Meals work in other ways. We are most grateful for the opportunity given to us to make the appeal and for your splendid response to it.
Sign-up to ‘Watch with the Lord’ for 40 Hours Devotion 28th-30th November – Watching with the Blessed Sacrament
Please sign up on the lists at the back of the Church for an hour to “watch with the Lord” during 40 Hours Devotion, beginning after the 12noon Mass on Sunday, 28th November. We will need at least 2 people per hour to be present in the Cathedral in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament throughout the celebration of 40 Hours.
40 Hours Devotion Schedule
Sunday, 28th November
1pm-4pm Eucharistic Adoration
4pm-5pm, guided Holy Hour with Fr. Scott Deeley
Monday, 29th November
10:30am – 7pm Eucharistic Adoration
7pm-8pm, guided Holy Hour with Msgr. Andrew McFadden
Tuesday, 30th November – Solemnity of St. Andrew
10:30am – 7pm Eucharistic Adoration
7pm-8pm, guided Holy Hour with Archbishop Cushley
Please note that the Masses on 29th-30th will be 9am (Polish), 10:00am and 12:45pm. From November 2021 to November 2022 the 40 Hours Devotion will be celebrated at parishes throughout the Archdiocese, with a full schedule available on the Archdiocesan website’s at https://archedinburgh.org/catechesis-jesus-in-the-eucharist-and-you/
‘Jesus in the Eucharist and You’ Video for 40 Hours – Monday, 15th November
The Archdiocese has put together a series of three videos titled ‘Jesus in the Eucharist and You’ in order to help us prepare for the launch of the 40 Hours’ Devotion. Watch the second video 15th November at 7:30pm on the Archdiocesan YouTube channel bit.ly/ArchYouTube
Young Adults Group - 23rd November 7pm
This week our Young Adults Group is taking a break so there will be no Tuesday meeting. However, next Tuesday 23rd November we welcome a very special guest speaker, the Archbishop, who will conclude our series on discipleship and help us to get ready for the Feast of St Andrew with a talk titled 'St Andrew: Disciple, Apostle, Patron.' The Archbishop is keen to meet the young people of the Archdiocese and is extremely generous in fitting our group into his busy schedule - so do come along! As usual, we'll begin with teas and coffees at 7pm and conclude with Compline and a trip to the pub.
Weekly Bible Study on Zoom – Mondays at 7pm
The Scripture readings for the forthcoming Sunday are our topic of discussion at our weekly Bible study on Zoom. This is always an excellent way to prepare for Sunday Mass! Come along each Monday at 7pm and ask questions about anything that is unclear in the readings. To register, please email frjamie@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
November Lists
November is the month of the Holy Souls when we pray in a particular way for our deceased relatives, friends and fellow parishioners. You’ll find purple sheets at the back of the church on which you can write the names of anyone whom you would like to be remembered in this way. Hand in your ‘November Lists’ to 61 York Place, pass them to the priest at the end of Mass or use the online form
Catholic Education Week: Message from Headteacher at St. Mary’s Primary School
Catholic Education Week takes place each year from the Feast of St Margaret of Scotland (16th November) until the Feast of St Andrew (30th November) and schools and parishes are encouraged to work closely together in order to celebrate the successes of Catholic education. This year the theme of Catholic Education Week is, 'Celebrating & Worshipping'. While St. Mary’s Primary School cannot currently take part in Masses as we are used to doing and we are deeply missing that experience of being with the St Mary's Cathedral community, you are still very much in our minds. Monsignor Patrick and Fr Jamie are our connection to you and we are grateful, as always, to them for their service to our school. We still feel very much part of the community and thank you for your support for our children preparing to receive their sacraments this year. We ask you to remember us in your prayers and we sincerely hope that we are able to celebrate as a whole school and community in the very near future. Very recently we have registered as a Laudato Si' School following Pope Francis' call to be stewards of the earth. All children have been making promises about what they can do to improve the environment or thinking how they can encourage others to make a change, however small. With thanks as always, - Nicola Kehoe, Headteacher
A Beautiful Christmas Gift: 2022 Cathedral Diary
Give the gift of a 2022 Cathedral Diary for Christmas, with all proceeds supporting the Cathedral! It’s spiritual and practical with all the holy days marked, and prayers and quotes from saints included in each month! The diary is thoughtful and meaningful present which anyone would be pleased to receive. Priced at a very reasonable £10 each. Hurry while stocks last!
Enjoy Our Coffee Saints Café 7 Days a Week 8:30am-5:00pm
Our beautiful and friendly Coffee Saints café is open every day 8:30am-5:00pm and serves delicious food and excellent coffee! As you know the café is a partnership between the Cathedral and the Grassmarket Community Project, a charity which supports Edinburgh’s most vulnerable citizens. All profits go to charity. To see the full menu, visit https://www.coffeesaints.co.uk/
Soup Kitchen for the Homeless at Coffee Saints and £5 Pay it Forward Vouchers
A Soup Kitchen for the homeless is held every Tuesday 5:00pm-6:30pm at Coffee Saints and we need parishioners to help to run it! Volunteers do not need to commit to every week but will need to complete basic training before going on the rota. Anyone interested should contact kevin@grassmarket.org. Another way to help is by purchasing a Pay it Forward voucher for £5 – you can choose to give the voucher to someone in need to redeem at the café or to turn in the voucher to Coffee Saints to go towards the Soup Kitchen. Just visit Coffee Saints to find out more or email hello@coffeesaints.co.uk
Second Collection for World Day of the Poor –14th November
For World Day of the Poor on Sunday 14 November, Caritas, Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese will use the Special Collection to support two projects of the Society of St Vincent de Paul: The Furniture Project based in Kingseat and the Caravan Project in Port Seton.
CHRISTMAS GIFT COLLECTION FOR PRISONERS’ CHILDREN – 13TH-14TH AND 21ST-22ND NOVEMBER
As always, we will be collecting Christmas gifts for children of prisoners in Edinburgh (Saughton) Prison over the next few weeks. We ask that the gifts are new, wrapped in Christmas gift wrap, and with a label attached stating whether the gift is suitable for a boy or a girl and the age of the child. Gifts for older children from 11 years upwards would be most appreciated. There will be a collection box at the back of both churches before all Masses for the depositing of gifts over the weekends of Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th and Saturday 20th /Sunday 21st November. Please be as generous as you have been in past years. Many thanks in advance!
Prisoners’ Week Launch Service – 22nd November
A prayer service with Archbishop Cushley for the launch of Prisoners’ Week 2021 will take place at 7pm on Monday 22 November at the Cathedral, followed by refreshments in the Coffee Saints café. The goal of Prisoners’ Week is to encourage support for the over 7,000 incarcerated persons in Scotland. Booking is needed for this event, so please register at http://www.prisonersweek.org.uk/events
Fire Safety Training for Cathedral Volunteers – 27th November
Fire safety training is now scheduled for 10:00 on Saturday 27th of November for all passkeeping volunteers. Please contact the parish office at cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk or 0131 556 1798 to confirm you will attend. Thank you!
Parish Synod Meeting – 2nd December
Parishes are being encouraged to host 'spiritual conversations' so people can contribute their voice to the Synod 2021-2023. Herewith advance notice that the meeting for our parish will be on Thursday, 2nd December, 7pm in 63 York Place.
Current Parish Volunteers: Update Your Record with Safeguarding Officer
The Parish Safeguarding Officer, Chris McCabe, has emailed all volunteers to check whether they are still active and to confirm their volunteer role(s). If you have not had an email and you volunteer then can you please email Chris at Chris.McCabe@staned.org.uk and let her know what you are doing?
More Parish Volunteers Needed!
We really need new volunteers to help in the parish! If you are interested in volunteering, please drop an email to our Safeguarding Officer, Chris McCabe, at Chris.McCabe@staned.org.uk and she will explain what you can do and what each role involves.
Interested in Becoming Catholic? RCIA Meetings Tuesdays 7pm – Join Us!
The Cathedral’s Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) has begun meeting each week on Tuesdays, 7:00pm-8:30pm at Cathedral House until Christmas and then from January to Easter, with a few sessions after Easter. To register to attend, please email cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
Marriage Preparation Course
Are you planning to get married next year? Please contact Fr Jamie as soon as possible to make arrangements for Marriage Preparation. While the Cathedral’s Marriage Preparation course for November is already fully booked, places are still available for the course to be held on Saturday, 29th January. Email Fr. Jamie to sign up: frjamie@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
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