Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

Enrolment Mass for First Reconciliation

Sunday is the enrolment Mass at 9:00am at the Cathedral and 10:30am at Ravelston for the children of our parish who will begin preparing to receive the sacrament of First Reconciliation in February. Please keep them, their families and their teacher in your prayers!

Final Call to Register for Sacrament of Reconciliation

If you have a child in Primary 3 or above who has not yet made their First Confession, the registration for this remains open until Sunday 20th October. To register your child please visit the Cathedral website on this page and fill in the details. Classes for those who do not attend St Mary’s Primary School begin today, Sunday 6th October at 9:30am at St. Andrew’s, Ravelston, then resume after the school holidays on the 27th October.

Young Adults Group Talks Series on Tuesday: ‘The Language of the Church’

The Young Adults Group will meet again Tuesday, 8th October for our talks on ‘The Language of the Church. Mother Ostrabrama, SSVM will speak on ‘Mary: Virgin & Mother.’ All those between the ages of 18-35 are welcome to the weekly meetings. As usual, we meet at 63 York Place at 7:00pm for teas/coffees and for the talk at 7.30pm, followed by a short group discussion. Each session concludes with Night Prayer and the chance to meet up at a local pub. Come along!

Farewell for Fr. Patrick

We will have our farewell gathering for Fr. Patrick in Coffee Saints on Thursday, 10 October at 7:00pm. Come along and join us for this evening with Fr. Patrick, including a presentation of our parish gift in appreciation for his years of service at our parish.

Friendship Group: Coffee Afternoon

The Friendship Group Coffee Afternoon is on Tuesday 8th October at 2:00pm-3:30pm in Coffee Saints. Open to all over 60; enjoy a 20% discount during the session time. Please come along and join us!

Catenians Meeting on 16th October

The Catenian Association invites all Catholic men, married or single, to a meeting on Wednesday, 16th October, 7.00 p.m. in 63 York Place. The Association is an international body of Catholic laymen who meet once a month and offer friendship and support to Catholic men at all stages of their lives. For more information contact John Russell at 01555 728032 or membership@thecatenians.com

Marriage Preparation Courses

The next parish Marriage Preparation Courses are Saturday 23rd November and then Saturday 1st March, both at St Andrew’s, Ravelston, with presentations by married couples. To register, please email cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk 

Message from Society of St Vincent de Paul

The Society have an upcoming schedule of events to which parishioners 65 years and over are welcome to attend. If you would like to attend the events or know someone who would like to, please pick up a registration form from any of the SSVP members present after all Masses next Sunday, 13th October. They can be returned to Cathedral House or directly to a SSVP member. The events are by personal invitation, so it is important you register with us. The form includes a data protection agreement. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the parish for their very generous donations when we are conducting collections. We collect most Sundays when there is no second collection. If you would like to volunteer with SSVP, we would be very grateful for your assistance. Either approach an SSVP member or e-mail cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk

St Pauls Bookshop: Month of the Rosary & Kylemore Abbey Gifts

In this month of the Holy Rosary, shop the beautiful selection of rosaries for both adults and children. Renew your practice of this beloved devotion and pray the rosary as a family. Some new items in St Pauls Bookshop include a selection of jams, chocolates and sheep-shaped soaps made by the Benedictine Nuns of Kylemore Abbey in Ireland. Perfect gifts for family or friends! A wide selection of Catholic Bibles and books, as well as holy cards, saint medals, statues and a variety of cards for all occasions are also on sale. Hours: 10am-5:30pm, 7 days a week, 0131 510 4260, edinburgh@stpauls.org.uk

Ecclesiastical Students Fund Special Collection This Weekend

There will be a special collection this weekend in support of those studying for the priesthood. Please support this important fund for our seminarians, remember our seminarians in your prayers and continue to pray for more vocations to the priesthood.

Youth Group This Afternoon!

The Youth Group is back today, Sunday, 6th October! Children from Primary 3 upwards are welcome to join us at St Andrew’s, Ravelston from 2.30pm – 4:00pm. New members are very welcome! Register at https://bit.ly/ParishYouthGroup-Registration or use the QR code. The new registration fee is £1.00. The afternoon has lots of fun activities, time to learn more of our faith and to make new friends, too. Don’t forget the spending money for the tuckshop! Other meetings this year will be Sunday 3rd November and 1st December, so save the dates! Questions? Contact Fr. Robert at frrobert@stmaryscathedral.co.uk

Indian Night Tickets on Sale Today

Tickets are on sale after Mass today for our next themed night in the Parish Rooms at Ravelston on Friday 1st November. All funds raised will go to the Parish Projects! Come along to enjoy some authentic Indian cuisine with a three-course meal on the Solemnity of All Saints from 7:00pm. Bring your own bottle. Tickets are £10 per adult, £25 for a family ticket (2 adults and children). Hurry, though, space is limited! Email cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk to reserve your ticket with the subject ‘Ravelston Indian Night’. Donations for the raffle can be brought on the night!

Rosary in October

During the month of October, we will pray the Rosary after the 6:00pm Mass, Monday-Friday, in St Andrew's, Ravelston. Come along to Mass and join in this beautiful devotion for the month. If you are interested in joining the group of leaders of this devotion, e-mail cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk

Volunteering Recruitment Update and Thank You

Many thanks to everyone who has signed up to volunteer at St Andrew’s. We will be in touch about the required training and paperwork in due course. Don’t forget, though, the opportunity to volunteer is always there - not just in September! If you can offer some of your time to help out in any way, please have a chat with Fr. Robert or email him at frrobert@stmaryscathedral.co.uk and remember there is a role for everyone! If you have made your first Holy Communion you can serve on the altar, if you’re retired you can help with things like passkeeping, flower arranging, cleaning… and if you’re in between we’ll find you a job!

SSVP Recruitment Appeal on Sunday, 20th October

A representative from the St. Vincent de Paul Society will be making an appeal for new members at Ravelston on Sunday, 20th October. This will be an opportunity to learn about the work of SSVP in our parish and how you can sign up to participate. If you would like to get in contact with SSVP to volunteer, please email cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk

Each Wednesday 5.00pm Adoration & Confession

Stop in at St. Andrew’s, Ravelston on Wednesdays and spend some time with Jesus Our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration. Beginning from 5:00pm, we have Eucharistic Adoration, and a priest is available to hear Confessions until 5:45pm. Our Lord is waiting for you, so come and meet Him!

Ravelston Summer BBQ 2024

Thank you again to everyone who came along on the day and supported – in any way – the annual summer barbecue at Ravelston last month. We have collated all the monies and reimbursed the expenses and can confirm we have the fantastic figure of £1581 to support the running costs of St Andrew’s. Thanks again for your generosity and support. One of the things bought for this year’s event were some wine glasses, which are now stored in the rooms at St Andrew’s for future events. But if you have any private events coming up, they are available for rental by donation.

Doctors’ Opposition to Assisted Suicide

A total of 82% of doctors responding to the Scottish Parliament Health Committee’s detailed call for views on proposals to legalise assisted suicide have stated that they are ‘strongly opposed’ to the plans. Please let your MSPs know about this. More information on how to do this at: https://rcpolitics.org/assisted-suicide/

Teens Group for P7-S4

All teens P7-S4 are invited to join the Teens Group at St. Columba's, 9 Upper Gray Street, EH9 1SN which meets on the last Wednesday of every month, 7:00pm-8:30pm in St. Columba's halls. Join us for fun, games, activities, prayer and pilgrimages. Don't miss this opportunity to grow in your faith and meet new friends! Next meeting is 30th October. Cost £25 (per year). Questions? Email Claire at teens.stcolumbaedinburgh@staned.org.uk

Volunteer Lay Minister for St. Thomas of Aquin’s

Announce the Good News of the Gospel to pupils at St. Thomas of Aquin’s High School in Edinburgh and support the school chaplain by becoming a volunteer lay minister. Find out more by visiting https://archedinburgh.org/wp-content/uploads/Lay-Ministers.pdf or by scanning the QR code. To apply, please talk with your parish priest. You must be a practicing Catholic and have experience working with young people.

Romero Lecture 2024

Celebrating the witness and legacy of St Oscar Romero, martyred in 1980 in El Salvador, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Ukrainian Catholic community in the UK will deliver this year’s lecture on 'Romero and Ukraine: Resilience in the Face of Injustice' Friday 18 October at 7pm at Sacred Heart Church, Lauriston Street, Edinburgh. All welcome.

All Souls’ Day

Archbishop Cushley will offer Holy Mass for the repose of all the faithful departed who have died in the Archdiocese in the last year, especially those buried at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Edinburgh. This will take place on All Souls’ Day, Saturday 2 November, at 10:00am in the Cemetery Chapel at Mount Vernon Cemetery, 49 Mount Vernon Rd, Edinburgh, EH16 6JG.

Pilgrimage of Hope: Preparing for the Jubilee Year 2025

Pope Francis declared 2025 a Year of Jubilee. Come along to an Archdiocesan event to explore what a Jubilee Year is in the context of the year's theme: ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. Join us Saturday, 9 November, 10:30am-3:15pm at the Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road Edinburgh EH9 1BB for talks on preparing spiritually for the year ahead! Enjoy a lunchtime photo-showcase on pilgrimage places. Register at https://bit.ly/PrepareJubilee2025

New Lectionary Event on YouTube

Tune into the Archdiocese’s YouTube channel (bit.ly/ArchYouTube) to watch talks from the Saturday, 5 October sold-out “Celebrating the Gift” event in preparation for the new translation of the readings for Mass. Coming this Advent, a new Lectionary will be used at Mass. Find out more about the new translation in this series of talks including “What makes a good translation?”, “Introducing the new Lectionary”, “What will the New Translation look like in practice?” and “What will this mean for ministers of The Word?”

Read the newsletter for 6th October (pdf)