Appreciation for Fr. Jamie – Retiral Collection
As you know, after a number of months diligently working both parishes, Fr. Jamie will be leaving us at the end of the month to take up his new position as Parish Priest of Davidson’s Mains. As an expression of our appreciation, there will be a retiral collection for his farewell presentation after all Masses this weekend. After four years and an enormous amount of achievement in our parishes, please consider a gift to express your gratitude for his time here.
Want to Become Catholic?
If you or someone you know would like to become Catholic, you can sign up to learn about the teachings of the Catholic Church in preparation for receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at Easter 2023. Invite a friend to join you! The Cathedral’s Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) group meets between September and April each year. For more information, call the parish office at 0131 556 1798 or email cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
Christian Meditation
Re-discover an ancient tradition that is a part of our Faith. Experience how silent contemplation in a group leads you to the joy of God´s healing. We meditate in person at 63 York Place on Fridays at 7.30 p.m. Afterwards you are welcome for refreshments and to socialize. On Wednesdays at 7 p.m. we meditate online on Zoom. The up-to-date schedule is here: https://www.meetup.com/Christian-Meditation-Group/events/ please contact Maciej Zurawski at maciej.m.zurawski@gmail.com
Legion of Mary – Students & Professionals Group
The Legion of Mary is a lay association of Catholics which seeks to help its members grow in holiness through devotion to Our Lady and by carrying out works of mercy. All are welcome to join. Our presidium name is Our Lady Cause of our Joy. We meet every Monday at 7:00 pm at 63 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3JD. We are a group of mixed male and female members, students and professionals and from different countries, cultures. For more information contact phone number: Monika - 07751213612, Atama – 07832903514
Cathedral’s Coffee Saints Café: Support Edinburgh’s Most Vulnerable
Café Open 7 Days a Week 9:00am-4:00pm
Come and enjoy a superb coffee and cake, or a delicious breakfast or lunch at our Coffee Saints café, in which all profits go to charity! The café is a partnership between the Cathedral and the Grassmarket Community Project, which supports Edinburgh’s most vulnerable citizens, including those dealing with homelessness, mental health problems, poverty and more. It is a totally unique café in the St. James’ Quarter where your purchase directly supports those in need! To see the full menu, visit https://www.coffeesaints.co.uk/
Over Sixties Club: Coffee, Cinema & New Thursday Book Club
Join the Cathedral’s Over Sixties Club for our weekly coffee afternoon on Tuesday from 2.30-4pm. Anyone over 60 years of age is very welcome! The next cinema outing for the over 60’s will be Wednesday 20th July. The film will be ‘Top Gun Maverick’. Meet upstairs at the Omni at 2.50pm. Additionally, a Thursday Book Club will be starting! Our first meeting will be Thursday 21st, 2.30pm-4:00pm. If you are interested, please contact Graham 07568 202 547 or graham@grassmarket.org
Over Sixties Information Technology Clinic Last Thursday of the Month
The Over Sixties Club offers an Information Technology (IT) Clinic that can help you with your questions about how to use your mobile phones and laptops. Stop in for IT help at Coffee Saints 11.30am - 1pm. Join us on the last Thursday of each month!
2022 Marriage Preparation Course 27th August
A Marriage Preparation course will take place on Saturday, 27th of August, with presentations by married couples from the parish. To register, email cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
New Volunteers Needed for Cathedral Flower Arranging Team
As we hope you have noticed, we always have a beautiful display of flowers in the cathedral… These displays are prepared by wonderful teams of volunteers who take it in turn to meet on a Friday to arrange the flowers in preparation for the weekend Masses. To ease the burden of the current volunteers and to cover holidays/other absences, we are looking to recruit more volunteers to join our teams. There are currently four teams, who meet either mid-morning/early afternoon on a Friday and each team is led by an experienced volunteer, so lack of experience is not a barrier. If you would like to join team of flower arrangers, please contact Elizabeth Andrews at Elizabeth@rhandrews.plus.com
Cathedral Cleaning Volunteers Needed
The Cathedral cleaning team meet every Wednesday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm to clean the church. We are seeking to recruit more volunteers to join the group. If you cannot attend every week, helping once or twice per month would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to join the group, or find out more, please contact Elizabeth Andrews at Elizabeth@rhandrews.plus.com
Choir Holiday and Rehearsals
On Sundays 17 and 24 July the Schola Cantorum will be on their well-earned summer break. Following this, the choir will rehearse for a special concert of the music of Sir James MacMillan in the Cathedral on Monday 15 August. The rehearsal sessions will happen on the mornings of Sunday 31 July and 7 August, and so there will be no choir at the 12pm Mass on those days. See below for more details about the exciting event.
Save the Dates! Schola Recital and Festival Mass
Monday, 15th August: Mark your diary for ‘Schola Cantorum sings MacMillan,’ a recital 7:30pm on Monday, 15 August, the Cathedral's Patronal Feast of the Assumption. Sir James MacMillan is Scotland’s most distinguished composer, and Patron of Music at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral. Sir James will discuss the relation between faith and music with Michael Ferguson, Director of the Schola Cantorum. All proceeds from the concert will go directly towards supporting the future of music at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral. For details, visit http://www.edinburghsacredartsfestival.org/festival-2022.html Tickets are £15 and are available at the door or from the Fringe Box Office: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sacred-arts-festival-music-at-st-mary-s-catholic-cathedral Come along and support the Cathedral!
Sunday, 21st August: Festival Mass: At Noon, His Grace, the Archbishop, will celebrate the Festival Mass at the Cathedral followed by a reception in Coffee Saints café. Plan to join us for this special event!
World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly
World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly is on Sunday 24 July. Next weekend especially, take some time to show gratitude for their gifts and contribution to parish and family life. We warmly thank all grandparents, the elderly and their families for their ongoing commitment to our Parishes and the Church.
Pregnancy Support, Adoption Help, Abortion Recovery Care
There are a number of free, confidential, and non-judgemental resources available to women with unplanned pregnancies, or women who have had an abortion. To find out more or get involved, consider connecting with Stanton Healthcare (https://www.stantonscotland.org/ ), St. Margaret’s Children and Family Care Society (https://stmargaretsadoption.org.uk/ ), or Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline (https://www.archtrust.org.uk/ ).
A Warm Welcome Awaits You at Our Cafés in the Parish Rooms at Ravelston
Teas & coffees have already returned on Sundays after 10:30am Mass - every Sunday! Additionally, the Friday cafe (10am-Noon) has reopened with delicious home-baking. Please join us for a cuppa and a chat at either or both cafes!
Doctor, Nurse, or Generally Interested in Bioethics?
Want read good, short explanations of various issues in medicine? Visit the Educational Resources page for ‘Bioethics in Brief’ at https://www.bioethics.org.uk/ the new website of The Anscombe Bioethics Centre. Subscribe to its monthly digest for the latest news, events, and accessible briefings on moral matters in medicine at https://bit.ly/ABC-Subscribe
An Oxford-based research institute, the Centre serves the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Established in 1977, the Centre promotes the study of Catholic bioethics in service of the common good by engaging with moral questions arising from clinical practice and biomedical research.
5-Day Icon Painting Workshop at Leith School of Art, Edinburgh
The icon-painter Andrew Paterson will be providing a rare opportunity to learn how to practise the basic traditional techniques of Christian iconography in egg tempera, together with daily slide-talks on the visual language and theological meanings of the icon. No previous experience required. Monday 25th to Friday 29th July 2022. 9.30am to 4.30pm each day. £ 385 (includes all materials). For further details see the website of Leith School of Art: https://www.leithschoolofart.co.uk/course-info/606/icon-painting
Pray Daily with the Monks of Pluscarden Abbey
The monks of Pluscarden Abbey welcome you to join with them in prayer as they livestream Vespers (evening prayer) at 5:30pm weekdays and Compline (night prayer) at 7:50pm weekdays. Tune in daily to pray at https://www.pluscardenabbey.org/live
A timetable of the monks’ scheduled prayers each day is at https://www.pluscardenabbey.org/services Prayer texts are available online: https://universalis.com/ Pluscarden Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery near Elgin, Scotland.
Study Theology at Edinburgh Campus of St. Mary’s University!
St. Mary’s University’s Edinburgh campus offers a Master’s programme in Applied Catholic Theology that provides a grounding in key aspects of Catholic theology while enabling students to apply that theology to the challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world. Classes start in September! Studies include Scripture, Doctrine, Christian Spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching, and Ethics. In case you missed it, a 1-hour video is available at bit.ly/OpenEveningReplay of the 17 May Open Evening for the programme. Enjoy the flexibility of part-time courses on the evening and at weekends! For more information, visit www.stmarys.ac.uk/Edinburgh. Questions? Contact Susan Longhurst, Course Lead, susan.longhurst@stmarys.ac.uk, 07773 689535.
Free2Pray Online Session: Responding to Bill to Ban Public Prayers
The Scottish Parliament is considering a Bill which would ban peaceful prayers and offers of help near abortion clinics. Catholics concerned for freedom of speech and right of assembly are asked to respond to this proposed Bill. The Archdiocese is hosting 30-minute online sessions to help you do this. Register for one of the following dates: http://bit.ly/freetoprayaugust
‘A Viking Summer’ Play Celebrating Life at Edinburgh Fringe
As an Edinburgh Festival Fringe show this year, a pro-life play, ‘A Viking Summer’ will be performed from 8th August to 13th August, 7:00pm-8:30pm. The play follows the lives of several university women volunteering on the island of Iona for the summer, who have a summer romance with young men who are staying on the island. But when romance yields two unplanned pregnancies hard decisions must be made between ideals of youthful freedom and realities of adult responsibility. Tickets are priced £7, and £5 for concessions, available from the Edinburgh Fringe Office at https://bit.ly/VikingSummer The play will be at Mannafields Christian School, Edinburgh EH7 6AE, with access via the car park and the entrance on Restalrig Road South, about 100 yards north of its junction with the A1. Walk through car park to school.
National Pilgrimage for Young People Saturday 24 September
The National Pilgrimage for young people 16-30 takes place on Saturday 24 September in Dunkeld, Perthshire. Join young Catholics from across Scotland, along with priests and bishops, for this one-day pilgrimage. It includes walks to holy sites, talks and Holy Mass. A bus will leave from the Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh at 9:30am (£10). To book your place email yi@staned.org.uk
Children’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Ages 3-7)
Nourish your child in the Catholic faith! The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a program rooted in Scripture and the liturgy of the Church, is offered, free of charge, to children ages 3-7 at St. Columba’s Parish, 9 Upper Gray St, Edinburgh EH9 1SN. Children from any parish are welcome to take part.
Tuesdays: 10:30am - 12:30pm, 3-4 year olds
Fridays: 1:00pm - 2:30pm, 5-6 year olds
Fridays: 3:00pm - 4:30pm, 6+ year olds
To register, please contact Sister Anna Marie McGuan, RSM at SrAnna.Marie@staned.org.uk. To learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, visit http://www.cgsuk.org/
Bethany Christian Trust — Volunteering Opportunities
Bridge to Freedom: Christian Community-based Addiction Recovery
We are looking for volunteers to support the running of Bridge to Freedom, a Christian community-based recovery group for people who are suffering from substance addiction and are looking to establish abstinence. We run weekly 2-hour groups across Edinburgh. Volunteers are required to help at the group by providing a listening ear and encouragement, as well as setting up rooms and providing refreshments.
Passing the Baton: Help Former Homeless Reconnect to Community
Volunteers are needed for ‘Passing the Baton,’ a befriending service for those previously homeless or at risk. Befrienders help individuals reconnect back into the community (we match male-male and female-female) and are in touch with their befriendee 1.5-2 hours weekly/fortnightly, for 6-12 months.
To volunteer, please email volunteers@bethanychristiantrust.com call 07884 537231 or visit www.bethanychristiantrust.com. Bethany Christian Trust is a national charity whose mission is to relieve the suffering and meet the long-term needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Scotland.