Cathedral Roof Appeal
Thank you to so many of you who have contributed so generously to our roof appeal! To date, we have raised an amazing £19,500! – and remember that we have a very generous donor who has offered to double everything that is donated for this appeal. Again, this week, we will have a second collection at all Masses today. To donate, visit https://www.stmaryscathedral.co.uk/roof or contact our Finance Office, finance@stmaryscathedral.co.uk We are making great progress!
Please Note:
No 7:30pm Mass on New Year’s Eve
Mass on New Year’s Day at 11:00am
Next Sunday, 31 December (New Year’s Eve) Masses will be 9am and Noon only. Please note there will be no 7:30pm Mass next Sunday. The following day, Monday, 1st January, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and New Year’s Day, Mass will be at 11:00am at the Cathedral and 11:00am at St. Andrew’s, Ravelston.
No Weekday 10am Mass or Weekday Confessions Until 8 January
Please note there will be no 10:00am weekday Mass or Confessions from Tuesday 26 December to Friday, 29 December and from Tuesday, 2 January to Friday, 5 January. Confession will be available following 10am Mass on Saturday 30 December, 10.30am-12noon and 5.00pm-5.45pm. The weekday 10am Mass will resume Monday, 8 January.
Click here for Mass times between Christmas and New Year
Young Adults Talks on Christian Friendship Begin Tuesday, 16 January
Fr Thomas Thérèse Mannion, OP, The Young Adults Group meeting will resume on the 16th January. The next session of talks will be on Christian friendship in a secular world. Our first talk is with Fr Thomas Thérèse Merrion OP at 63 York Place from 7.30pm. The talk will be followed by Night Prayer and time to discuss in the pub.
Confirmation Classes and Parents’ Meeting
Remember there will be a short meeting on Monday, 22 January for the parents of those children who will be preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2024. The classes begin, for those who do not attend St Mary’s Primary School, on Sunday, 28 January at 5pm in the Parish Rooms at St Andrew’s, Ravelston. Please keep an eye on your e-mails for the Zoom link to join the meeting.
Parish Youth Group (P3-P7) Returns Sunday, 14 January
The Youth Group returns on at St Andrew’s, Ravelston on Sunday, 14 January. All P3-7's are welcome to join the group which meets between 6 and 7.30 at St Andrew's, Ravelston. As always come to learn about the faith, socialise and the tuck shop! There is a one off £1 registration fee for the year.
Cathedral Flower Arranging
We are still short of Flower Arrangers!! If you are interested in flowers and would like tom join one of our teams, or just find out more, please contact Elizabeth Andrews at Elizabeth@rhandrews.plus.com; telephone: 0131 553 1510.
Friendship Group Coffee Afternoon
The Friendship Group Coffee Afternoon will resume as normal on Tuesday 9th January 2024. A huge thank you to the wonderful staff at Coffee Saints for making us feel welcome, see you all in the New Year.
Fabric Matters
It has been a trying period of a number of heating, hot water, electrical and roof issues both in the Cathedral and York Place. The heavy rain has continued to cause a proliferation of buckets in Sacristy 1 and the Octagon skylight has started to leak from the centre onto the new piece of furniture there. The rain has also tested the roof at York Place – a test it failed. Works are planned, but they require slightly improved weather! The failure of a pump on the boiler for 63 York Place led to a chilly week for occupants and users of 63, who had only just begun to enjoy hot water again after a period without due to the need to replace a malfunctioning fan on that boiler. The café has also experienced some hot water and heating issues. Annual portable electrical appliance testing has just taken place and next year we need to conduct a number of electrical circuit safety tests within the Cathedral and Café and Bookshop area. This will unfortunately mean that there will be no 10 o’clock Masses on a number of Wednesdays as the electrician works his way around the Complex.
When not dealing with this kind of problem, health and safety matters have taken up a certain amount of time. The safe conduct of any candle lit Masses requires a bit of forethought as to how to mitigate the risks involved. We have also had our Fire Risk Assessment review, which flagged up the number of improvements we have made over the last year, but inevitably did not give us a totally clean bill of health. More positively, the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that the Victorian replica of Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece which sits in the south aisle of the Sanctuary and has been away for repairs, has returned. This had been missing the images of Adam and Eve and these have been digitally produced to scale and now give the appearance of completeness. It is good to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, by having the stable outside the Cathedral again. I hope yours is a Happy Christmas and New Year wherever you are spending it and a huge thank you to all those who have helped me out this year. It is much appreciated. Alice
Children’s Catechism Classes: Dates for your 2024 Diary
For children registered for First Reconciliation in 2024:
Sunday, 7 Jan - First Reconciliation Classes at St. Andrew’s, Ravelston recommence
Sunday, 14 Jan - Rite of Illumination: 9am Mass (Cathedral); 10:30am Mass (St. Andrew’s, Ravelston)
Monday, 29 Jan, 7pm - Final Parents Meeting on Zoom
Sacrament of First Reconciliation services:
Monday, 5 Feb after 6pm evening Mass (St Andrew’s, Ravelston)
Tuesday, 6 Feb at 6pm (Cathedral)
For children registered for First Holy Communion in 2024:
Monday, 19 Feb, 7pm - Initial Parents Meeting on Zoom
Sunday, 25 Feb, 9:30am - First Holy Communion Classes start at St. Andrew’s, Ravelston
Enrolment Mass: 9am Mass (Cathedral)
10:30am Mass (St. Andrew’s, Ravelston)
Sacrament of First Holy Communion Masses:
Saturday, 8 June - 11:00am Mass, St. Andrew’s, Ravelston
Sunday, 9 June - 11:00am Mass, Cathedral
2024 Marriage Preparation Courses
Our next Marriage Preparation courses will be in 2024 on the following Saturdays 2nd March, 1st June 24th August and 23rd November at St. Andrew’s, Ravelston, 10am-5pm, with presentations by married couples from the parish. Please email cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk to register.
Holiday Hours for Coffee Saints Café
Every time you make a purchase at the Cathedral’s award-winning Coffee Saints café you support some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people. Plan ahead for 2024 and book online through itison for a Coffee & Traybake or Brunch for two or an Afternoon Tea at https://bit.ly/CoffeeSaintsDeals. The café will be closed 24th, 25th and 26th December, and 1st and 2nd January, and will reopen for normal hours on 3rd January, 9am-4pm. Coffee Saints is social enterprise partnership between the Cathedral and the Grassmarket Community Project.
St Pauls Bookshop: Hours for Christmas and New Year’s Season
Shop St Pauls Bookshop for cards, Catholic books for children and adults, Bibles, rosary beads, holy images, Catholic calendars, medals, statues and lots more. Holiday Hours:
24 Dec 2023 — 10 am to 4 pm
25 & 26 Dec 2023 — Closed
27 to 31 Dec 2023 — 10 am to 5 pm
1 Jan 2024 — Closed
2 Jan 2024 — 10 am to 5 pm
3 Jan 2024 — Closed for Stock Taking
Normal hours resume from 4th January, 10am-5pm
After Christmas No 6:00pm Masses at Ravelston Until 8th January
Please note that there will be no weekday 6:00pm Masses at Ravelston after Christmas until Monday, 8th January.
Hogmanay Holy Hour at St. Andrew’s
The Religious Sisters of Mercy will host the Hogmanay Holy Hour at St Andrew’s Church, 77 Belford Road, Edinburgh EH4 3DS, beginning at 11:00 pm on Sunday, 31 December. Fr. Robert will preside at Holy Hour with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Office of Readings will be chanted and the Sacrament of Confession will be available. Benediction will be offered about 11:55 p.m. A reception follows in the parish hall.
Parish Project
Thank you to all of you who cast your vote for the new Ravelston parish project 2024-2027. Your votes have now been counted and there has actually been a tie for ‘first place’. Fr Binu’s seminary in India drew with Edinburgh Direct Aid. This is an unprecedented result so it is proposed that in order to honour your votes, these two charities will become joint ‘Parish Projects’ for the next 12 months, with effect from 1st January 2024. We will then hold another vote (as this year) at the end of 2024 between these and another(s) charity to take forward from 2025. Therefore, all amounts raised and donated for the benefit of the church’s Parish Project 1st January to 31st December 2024 (incl.) will be split equally between these two beneficiaries. Any amounts received on or before 1st January 2024 will, however, be given to Fr Binu in full as our current project.
Religious Sisters of Mercy 2024 Open Houses and Holy Hours
On Saturday, 13 January, the Religious Sisters of Mercy at St. Andrew’s Convent, Ravelston will host an Open House from 4:15pm, including a Holy Hour 5:15pm-6:15pm with Vespers as part of their 50th Jubilee Year events. Additional Open Houses & Holy Hours are on the following Saturdays: 9th March, 20th April, 11th May and 24th August. Please RSVP: edinburgh@almamercy.org 01313433380. Come along!
New Year Dates for Your Diary
We are delighted to team up with St Margaret’s, Davidson Mains to host the Burns Supper on Friday 26th January in the Parish Hall at St Margaret’s. Tickets will be available from the 6th January at £15 per person. This includes a 3-course meal, please bring your own bottle. As this is a joint effort with the parish at Davidson Mains we are looking for some volunteers to toast the haggis and other Burnsian activities. If you are interested in taking part, please speak to Marie McQuillan over the next weeks.
Our St Andrew’s Talks will resume on Monday 26th February when we’ll welcome Anne-Marie Clements, the Catholic Social Teaching Officer of Justice and Peace Scotland to St Andrew’s. Anne Marie will speak about the work of Justice and Peace as well as address specific issues that Justice and Peace are dealing with.
Diploma in Catechetics 2024
Explore the richness and depth of our Catholic faith – all from home – with the Diploma in Catechetics from the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh, led by Sr Miriam Ruth Ryan RSM. Tune in each Thursday at 7:30pm for an expert-led Zoom Webinar (or watch the recording at your convenience), and further enjoy guided readings, regular one-to-one support, and an in-person retreat. The Diploma in Catechetics begins on Thursday 25 January 2024. Concessions available. Registration and info at bit.ly/archdiploma2024. Questions? Email srmiriam.ruth@staned.org.uk
Mass with Archbishop for Feast of the Holy Innocents
Join Archbishop Cushley, priests and people of the Archdiocese to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents at midday Mass on Thursday, 28 December at St Margaret’s Chapel, The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road Edinburgh, EH9 1BB. Please register to attend at bit.ly/archprolifeevents