Ash Wednesday Mass Times
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence, which means that all of us are obliged to abstain from meat on Wednesday and all ages 16-65 who are able are obliged to fast. Mass times at the Cathedral are 8am, 10am (school Mass), 12:45pm, 6:00pm (Polish), and 7:30pm; and at Ravelston 6:00pm.
Confession in Lent
Archbishop Leo Cushley encourages us to make a good confession in Lent as we prepare for Easter. For those of us who have not been in a while he highlights a forthcoming Archdiocesan event called RETURN. He said: "Lent is a special time when we're reflecting upon our sins and doing penances and getting ready for Easter, purifying ourselves. If it's been a while since you've been to confession an event called RETURN will help you reflect upon the importance of confession and you can take up the opportunity to get back to this very important, very beautiful sacrament which reconciles us with God and with his mercy and love. I hope that as many of you as possible will take this great opportunity." RETURN takes place at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, on Saturday 8 March. Register at bit.ly/return2025
Confession at the Cathedral is Monday-Friday, 1:15pm-2:00pm and Saturday, 10.30am-12noon, 5:00-5.45pm.
Lenten Eucharistic Adoration and Stations of the Cross
Every Friday during Lent, Eucharistic Adoration will be held in the Cathedral from 10:30am-12:30pm, followed by the 12:45pm daily Mass and afterwards we will pray the Stations of the Cross.
Daily Rosary for Holy Father
During this time of illness of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, we will have a daily Rosary for the Pope after the 12:45pm Mass. Please join us in prayer at the Lady Altar.
Buy Bouquets of Flowers to Support Cathedral
Anne McAulay and our volunteer flower arrangers are selling beautiful flower bouquets after Masses this weekend to support the Cathedral Roof Appeal. Why not surprise someone who you love with a gift of flowers today?! Suggested donation £10.
SCIAF Lenten Wee Boxes for Colombia
SCIAF’s Wee Box appeal this Lent is for communities in Columbia to help provide shelter, food and water for those caught up in violence, provide safe havens for children affected by the war, and help communities rebuild their lives. Pick up a Wee Box today at the back of church. Use your Wee Box to make a big change! £18 can provide a simple warm blanket, which can be the difference between life and death for the most vunerable, £40 can provide a safe and warm shelter for a family at risk during times of crisis. Learn more at https://www.sciaf.org.uk/get-involved/appeals
Edinburgh Seven Hills Pilgrimage
Join us for the Edinburgh Seven Hills Pilgrimage on Saturday 5th April. Taking in the summits of Arthur's Seat, Blackford Hill, the Braids, Easter Craiglockhart Hill, Corstorphine Hill, Castle Rock and Carlton Hill, the whole route is around 27km starting and finishing at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral. Whether you want to join us for the whole event or meet the group along the way, this is a perfect opportunity to offer Lenten penance, pray for the city of Edinburgh and conclude with worship together at the 6pm Vigil Mass and prayers at the Jubilee Cross at the Cathedral. More details to be confirmed soon, but register your interest now at bit.ly/sevenhillsapril
Lenten Book Club: Faith, Hope & Charity
Now available in St. Pauls Bookshop is Faith, Hope, & Charity by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher to the Papal Household, which we will read in our Lenten Book Club —a great opportunity to enrich our understanding of the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity received in our Baptism. We will be offering five sessions each week both online and in person lead by one of the Pastoral team at the Cathedral commencing the week of 10th March. To register for an in-person or on-line meeting for the book club, register: https://bit.ly/LentBook2025 Questions? Please email archivist@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
New Recordings of the Schola Cantorum
Thank you to everyone who came along to the Schola Cantorum's "Hope Eternal" concert in Musselburgh on 17 February. There was a great turnout on the evening, and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces from the Cathedral parish. As part of the ongoing fundraising efforts, the Schola Cantorum has recorded some new audio tracks — the first professional recordings of the ensemble since 2020. The new recordings will be available to listen to online for free shortly. For those who wish, there will also be an opportunity to make an optional donation towards helping the choir to sing at the Scots College Ordinations in Rome on 10 May, when the singers will represent St Mary's Cathedral and the Archdiocese. Look out for details soon about how you can access the recordings and lend your support!
Main Sacristy Works and 10am Mass Cancellation
In anticipation of the roof repairs to the Sacristy this summer, we need to remove the asbestos found in several places within the Cathedral complex. Work in the Sacristy will commence on the Monday, 10 March and is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday, 19 March. From Monday, 10 March to Wednesday, 19 March, the 10:00am Mass will be cancelled. The Main Sacristy and the Sacristy behind the St. Andrew’s Altar will be off-limits to parishioners and volunteers due to the health and safety protocols of the works being done. Mass will still be offered weekdays at 12.45pm with Confessions to follow. Once the St. Andrew's Shrine work begins on the Monday, 17 March through Wednesday, 19 March, Confessions will be held in the Main Sacristy, just as they were during Covid. There is no change to the weekend Mass schedule. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.
Parish Group Attending 29th March ‘Courage to Be Catholic’ Conference in Glasgow
Come along with Fr. Jeremy and our parish group to the Courage to Be Catholic Conference in Glasgow. This is an exciting, first-of-its-kind event here in Scotland. Discounted group rate: £22.50 per person. Tea, coffee and lunch included. For parish group registration contact 0131 556 1798, cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
The event will be held on Saturday, 29 March at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 9:30am - 4:00pm and is sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Speakers include:
Bishop William Shomali from the Holy Land and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe from Makurdi, Nigeria who will speak about how our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters bravely live out their faith.
Dr Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, Executive Director of Global Mission for Divine Renovation UK and co-author of Why Catholics Leave, What They Miss and How They Might Return, will discuss evangelisation in the modern Church and how we in Scotland can spread the Gospel.
Reverend Father Remigius Ihyula, Head of the Foundation for Justice, Development, and Peace in the Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria
Caroline Hull, National Director of ACN UK
William More, Aid to the Church in Need Manager of Operations in Scotland
John Pontifex, Head of Press and Public Affairs for ACN UK
Visit exhibitor stalls from all over Scotland, trading stalls, time for socialising and sharing. Mass at 5:00pm at St Aloysius to follow. If you do not want to join the parish group but want individual tickets please register at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/EHSR
Registration Open: Children’s First Holy Communion & Confirmation
Registration is open for First Holy Communion classes and Confirmation classes. Please register online at
First Communion registration (P4): www.stmaryscathedral.co.uk/first-communion
Confirmation registration (P7): www.stmaryscathedral.co.uk/confirmation
If you have already registered, you do not need to re-register. All classes held at St. Andrew’s, Ravelston (EH4 3DS). First Holy Communion classes from Sunday, 9 March, 9:30am; Confirmation classes from Sunday, Sunday, 16 March, 4:30pm-5:30pm. Questions? Fr. Robert at frrobert@stmaryscathedral.co.uk
Young Adults Group Meets Next Week
The Young Adults Group is on break this week, but will meet up again next week on Tuesday, 11th March for a new series of talks on St. Paul the Apostle and his writings, beginning with Sr. Miriam Ruth Ryan, RSM who will speak about “Who was Paul?” Come along for 7:00pm teas/coffees and the talk at 7:30pm.
From the Holy Father’s Message for the Jubilee Year of Hope
“Patience, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, sustains our hope and strengthens it as a virtue and a way of life. May we learn to pray frequently for the grace of patience, which is both the daughter of hope and at the same time its firm foundation.” (Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, Spes Non Confundit, 3) The Jubilee Cross is at the National Shrine of St Andrew here at the Cathedral. The Holy See has granted permission for the Jubilee Cross to carry a plenary indulgence. All are encouraged to visit the cross in this Jubilee Year. Prayer cards are available at the cross, as well as a QR code for ‘Click to Pray’ for the Prayer Intentions of the Holy Father, also available at https://clicktopray.org/
‘Little Ireland’ Book
Now on sale in St Pauls Bookshop is Pat Dishon’s second book – ‘Little Ireland’ by Patricia Delaney Dishon and Michael Delaney. It tells the factual story of their Delaney family and the lives of the Irish diaspora in St. Patrick’s, Cowgate in the 19th century. The book includes accounts of Canon Edward Hannan and the founding of Hibernian Football Club, Little Ireland born James Connolly and Charles Stewart Parnell’s visit to the parish. Pick up your copy today!
Online Ignatian Retreat for Lent - Free Books Available
Pick up your free Lenten Retreat book at the back of church to accompany the online Lenten Retreat run by the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Glasgow, Ash Wednesday, 5th March to Easter Sunday, 20th April, 2025. Visit https://www.onlineprayer.net/fruits-of-the-spirit/ and to join an online Lent group visit https://www.iscglasgow.co.uk/lent-groups
Next Sunday: Rite of Election at Noon Mass
His Grace, the Archbishop, will celebrate the Noon Mass on Sunday, 9 March with the Rite of Election in which he will accept those preparing to be received into the Church at Easter. Please pray for them.
Wednesday Adoration, Confession and Stations of the Cross
Draw closer to Christ in Lent! At St. Andrew’s on Wednesdays during Lent, beginning on 5 March, we will have Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions 5:00pm-6:00pm, followed by 6:00pm Mass. Immediately after Mass, we will pray the Stations of the Cross. Come and join us! You are also welcome to walk and pray the outdoor Stations of the Cross around the lovely garden path at Ravelston anytime.
Youth Group Today for P3-P7
The Youth Group returns today Sunday, 2nd March from 2:30pm-4:00pm here St. Andrew’s, Ravelston, and thereafter on the 6th April and 4th May. All P3-P7’s are welcome! Parents please register children at https://bit.ly/ParishYouthGroup Registration. Fee: £1.00.
St Andrew’s Fundraising Run/Walk for Parish Project
We are going to be “ running” this event again this year every Sunday during Lent – commencing on the 1st Sunday of Lent, 9th March after Mass. The walk/run is 5 kilometres to the Cathedral and back. Please support this event as we fundraise for our Parish Project, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund.
Today: Remembering Service for Those who Have Lost a Child
A prayer service will be held today Sunday 2 March 2025 at 5.00pm in St John the Baptist RC Church, Corstorphine, 37, St Ninian’s Road, Edinburgh, EH12 8AL for those who have suffered the loss of a child.
High School Pupils: Rise in Faith, Live in Hope
The Archdiocese invites high school pupils to 'Rise in Faith, Live in Hope' at St Francis Xavier's Church, Falkirk, (a short walk from the Grahamstown train station), 11am-3pm on Saturday 15 March. The event will provide encouragement and inspiration to help our young people grow in their faith amidst the challenges they face. Includes Mass with with Archbishop Cushley. Register at bit.ly/archyouth
Coffee Saints: www.coffeesaints.co.uk, 0771 970 5809, hello@coffeesaints.co.uk
8.30am to 4.00pm, 7 days a week
St. Pauls Bookshop www.stpauls.org.uk 0131 510 4260 edinburgh@stpauls.org.uk
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