Cathedral Works Next Week
The exterior of the Cathedral and the steps will be cleaned next Tuesday and Wednesday which will mean that only the Octagon entrance will be available. Then, during working hours on Thursday and Friday, the Octagon will be cleaned, which means that entrance and exit to the Cathedral will only be up the steps and through the main front doors. If disabled access is required from the Little King Street side the cleaners will be very happy to facilitate this. Thank you for your understanding of this inconvenience.
Eddie McManus RIP
It is with sadness that we heard of the passing of Eddie McManus recently. Eddie was a great help around the Cathedral for many years, turning his hand to lots of different jobs over many years at St Mary’s. He was a regular at Mass too until later years when, as a result of the failing health of his sister, he attended parishes closer to his home in Leith or Restalrig, whilst he cared for her. Eddie’s funeral will be on 1pm at St Ninian & Triduana on Marionville Road and thereafter at Seafield Crematorium at 2pm.
Young Adults Summer Event: Pilgrimage to St Andrews
The next Young Adults pilgrimage will be to St Andrews on Saturday 19 August. This trip will again be by train. Meet at Edinburgh Waverley outside WHSmith at 0915 for the train departing at 0930. We will walk to the ruins of the Cathedral where will celebrate Mass. Then, after lunch and a chance to explore the town some more we will return for the train back to Edinburgh, returning to Waverley for 1725. For more details e-mail frrobert@stmaryscathedral.co.uk.
Festival Mass at Noon Sunday 13th August
The new Apostolic Nuncio, HE Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, will be the main celebrant at the annual Festival Mass at Noon on Sunday 13 August 2023 at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. Archbishop Cushley will concelebrate and preach the homily.
Festival Music Event – Paul Mealor’s Sacred Choral Music
Join the Schola Cantorum of St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday 14 August at 7:30pm for a unique performance of Paul Mealor’s sacred choral music along with an interview with the man himself. It's a unique opportunity to hear from one of the world's most performed living composers. Tickets £16 (under 16s £5) available from the Fringe Box Office, Eventbrite, or on the door.
Over Sixties Coffee Afternoon
Please join the Over Sixties group for our Coffee Afternoon in Coffee Saints on Tuesday 25th July, 2pm-4pm. Meet new friends and join us for a cuppa and a chat!
Parish Retreat 22-24 September: Last Few Places Remaining
There are still a few places available for the Parish retreat in September. The Friends of the Cathedral have organised the retreat for the whole parish on 22-24 September in the idyllic surroundings of St Mary’s Monastery in Kinnoull (near Perth). The theme of the retreat is Allowing Jesus to Love You, and it will be led by Fr Charlie Corrigan, CSsR. Why not devote some real time to getting to know the Lord better? Friends have sent booking information to all of those who have booked so far. To book please email: ppccathedral@stmaryscathedral.co.uk.
Summer Sacraments Classes for Adults Begin 16th August
Are you an adult who has not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation, or have you been baptised but have not received First Confession, First Holy Communion or Confirmation in the Catholic Church? Consider joining us this August, when the Cathedral will be offering a sacraments course for adults. Meetings will be held weekly in Cathedral House on Wednesdays at 7:00pm from 16th August to 27th September (Zoom meetings on 30th August and 20th September). Those participating will be prepared to receive the sacraments they need. Adult Confirmation will take place at Mass on Saturday, 30th September at 10am Mass in the Cathedral. To register or for more information, contact cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk.
New Stock in the St Pauls Bookshop
A range of “Cathedral stock” is now available in the St Pauls Bookshop. The range of items includes everyday biro pens or fountain pens for the special occasions. There are notebooks and keyrings, a water bottle keeps your hot drinks hot or your cold drinks cool – by means of some sort of new-fangled technology which nobody understands, but it does work! As well as these new items, don’t forget the range of six Cathedral notecards with beautiful images of the church available for £2.99, or the latest copy of the Friends of the Cathedral magazine, Crux. The history of the Cathedral book published on the 200th anniversary of the Cathedral has been reprinted following high demand and is now available along with copies of the incredible CD from our Schola Cantorum, With Angels and Archangels. Visit the shop, open Tuesday to Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm.
Searching for Jesus in the Gospel of Mark’
With Professor James Edwards, 23-27th October
Get to know Jesus better in our mini-course on the Gospel of Mark! The event will be 7pm-9pm in the Cathedral from 23rd October to 27th October. If you haven’t signed up yet – why not think about it? Register on Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/Jesus-in-GospelofMark. Learn more about it in a 30-minute preview with Fr. Patrick and Sr. Anna Marie on the Archdiocese’s YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/PreviewGospelofMark.
Help Needed!
St Andrew’s is blessed to have had great volunteers for a long time – many of whom continue to give of their time and energy so willingly - but it is also important to pass-on the baton to the next generation. Our congregation is changing and we need new volunteers. Please do think about giving of your time to help with the smooth running of our lovely church. There are many 'behind the scenes' roles such as sacristan, altar linens, fire warden and committee work along with the better-known and more visible roles. The parish needs you, so please speak to Mary Buchan before / after Mass about helping out or email the Parish Office at cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk.
BBQ Stall Donations Needed: Book, plant, bric a brac & bottle tombola
In advance of our Parish Barbeque on Sunday 3 September, we are looking for donations for our book stall, plant stall, bric a brac stall and bottle tombola. On the day itself, donations of cakes of all kinds for those who want a slice with a cuppa would be most welcome. For the bottle tombola, donations of anything in a bottle would be gratefully received: wine, whisky, sauce, jam, etc. At the BBQ, draw a number and win anything in a bottle. Donations can be left in the parish room before or after Mass. Alternately speak to Phil, or email philg0dfrey@hotmail.com to arrange collection.......and remember...save the date! PLEASE NOTE: Barbeque starting time will now be 1:30pm, not 12:30pm.
Each Wednesday 5.00pm Adoration & Confession
Don’t forget to make some time to come before Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration at St Andrew’s, Ravelston, every Wednesday evening from 5pm. Confession is available too. This is an opportunity to allow yourself some quiet, peaceful time to pray. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament can take many forms, you might want to pray the rosary or read and meditate on Scripture, it can even just be a brief visit as you pass by. Our Lord is waiting for you, so come and see Him!
Save the Date: St. Andrew’s Talks Restart in August
The popular St Andrew’s Talks will return in August. The talks will be moving to the last Monday of every month and the first one, on 28th August will be entitled, ‘Roamin’ Catholics’. The talk will be by Fr Robert and Matthew McCafferty, a seminarian for the archdiocese, and will look back on the Rome pilgrimage from June of this year, with a recap of the places we visited and an insight into some of the other treasures of the Eternal City. Come to Mass at 6pm and then join the talk from 6.45 in the Parish Rooms. Soup and sandwiches will follow afterwards when you can discuss and share your own memories.
St. Mary’s Football Club
St Mary’s FC are looking for new players. Started in 2013 we are an amateur football team playing in the Edinburgh Churches Football League. If you are over 18, have played football before and are free Saturday mornings this could be for you. The league, is played with a Christian ethos, is made up of 14 teams with a church connection, with games usually 10am on Saturdays, August through May, for more details please call Brian on 07860 648301
Voting Rights for Church Representatives
Edinburgh City Council is considering a proposal to remove voting rights of Church Representatives on its Education, Children and Families Committee. If passed, it means school reps won’t have a say in decisions affecting faith schools. The vote on this issue was postponed and is expected to take place in August, so there is still time to contact your councillor to help ensure the Church has a voice in Catholic schools. Postcards are available at the back of the church. Find your councillor: https://www.writetothem.com/.
Live Online Coverage of World Youth Day in Lisbon
World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal will be held 1-6 August where millions of young people will gather with Pope Francis. Live coverage of the event will be broadcast on http://shalomworld.org/wyd2023.
African & Caribbean Mass
The next African & Caribbean Mass takes place at St Cuthbert’s, 104 Slateford Road, Edinburgh at 2pm on Sunday 6 August.
Study Theology in Edinburgh
The MA in Applied Catholic Theology is offered by St Mary’s University in Scotland and begins in September 2023. The course provides a thorough grounding in key aspects of Catholic theology and develops the skills to apply that theology to the challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world. A generous donation has led to the launch of a new bursary that will contribute £500 towards fees on the two-year Master’s Degree. The University itself will match each successful bursary application with a further £500. To apply for the course visit https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/edinburgh/about.aspx or contact Susan Longhurst, Course Lead, susan.longhurst@stmarys.ac.uk, 07773 689535.
Carfin Pilgrimage to Pray for Peace
The Annual National Pilgrimage to Carfin takes place on Sunday 3 September with Mass at the Grotto at 3:00pm. Join Archbishop Cushley and Bishops from across Scotland to pray for peace, particularly in the Ukraine.
Don’t forget to Visit Coffee Saints Café Today – All Day Brunch!
Our very popular Coffee Saints café is a social enterprise partnership between the Cathedral and the Grassmarket Community Project. This means that every time you make a purchase at Coffee Saints you support some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people. Browse the full menu, including All Day Brunch, Lunch Stuff and delicious Thick Shakes, Smoothies and Coolers at https://www.coffeesaints.co.uk/. All kids meals £5.75 plus a free Fruit Shoot! Of course, there are coffees, teas and even Superfood Lattes. The café is open 7 days a week 9:00am-4:00pm! You can book online through itison for a Coffee & Traybake or Brunch for two at https://bit.ly/CoffeeSaintsDeals.
Many Options Available to Support St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish
We are very grateful to all our parishioners who generously donate to help St. Mary’s Cathedral parish. We have a variety of options available for supporting the parish:
Contactless: We have two contactless donation devices in the Cathedral, which you may prefer to use instead of handling notes and loose change.
Gift Aid: Gift Aid is another way of raising money for the parish. It is a government-led initiative whereby UK taxpayers may register for Gift Aid with the Cathedral and/or with St Andrew’s such that the government will give an additional 25% of the value of donations made during the year to the charity, at no additional cost to the donor. Many of you are already registered, but if not, do contact our finance officer, Caroline, on finance@stmaryscathedral.co.uk if you are interested.