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THE PARISHES OF ST MARTIN AND ST NINIAN'S WHITHORN, (with the Sacred Heart, Wigtown), OUR LADY AND ST NINIAN'S, NEWTON STEWART, ST PETER’S,
DALBEATTIE, and ST ANDREW’S AND ST CUTHBERT’S, KIRKCUDBRIGHT, (incorporating the former parish of St John’s, Castle Douglas, and the now closed
Church of the Resurrection, Gatehouse of Fleet.)Diocese of Galloway Registered Charity No. SC010576
Parish Priest: Fr William R. McFadden,Parish Address: St Andrew’s and St Cuthbert’s, High Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6
4JWTelephone Number: 01557 330687
Priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham: Fr Simon Beveridge, 01988 850323.Emeritus Deacons: Rev. Peter Marks (01671 830395) and Rev. Bob Simpson (01671 402770).Parish Pastoral Assistant in Kirkcudbright: David Preston (01557 330650).
Parish Websites: www.catholicchurchgalloway.org.uk; www.rckirkcudbright.org.uk;
Parishes Email Addresses: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Sunday 28 February 2021 – 2 nd Sunday of Lent Year B
LOCKDOWN CLOSURE OF CHURCH BUILDINGS
With the announcement from the First Minister advising that all places of worship be closed for public worship, except for funerals and weddings with restricted numbers, the churches in our parish
communities are now closed for public worship.
Parish Co-Ordinators : When we are able to re-open our church buildings, those with the responsibility for overseeing the task for ensuring Covid-19 regulations are met are:Dalbeattie – Terry Craig ([email protected])Kirkcudbright – Celia Dearing ([email protected]); Pauline Logan ([email protected])Newton Stewart/Wigtown – Gerry McCabe ([email protected])Whithorn – Fr Simon ([email protected])If you have any concerns or anxieties about what is happening in our churches during this Covid-19 pandemic, please contact any of the above people who will be able to provide reassurance and advice.
Pastoral Support during Lockdown: Fr William is available for phone, email, and video link communication for anyone wishing to engage with him during these days of lockdown. To arrange a meeting simply get in touch via phone or email and a suitable time can be arranged for a private conversation.
A Year of St Joseph: In an Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis marks the 150th anniversary of Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To celebrate the anniversary, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” beginning on the 8th December 2020 and extending to the same date in 2021.
Amoris Laetitia Family Year: Pope Francis has announced that from 19th March 2021, the fifth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, on the joy and beauty of familial love, we will celebrate the Year “Amoris Laetitia Family,” which will conclude on 26 June 2022. During this year The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is proposing spiritual, pastoral and cultural initiatives to accompany families in the face of contemporary challenges. For information go to www.amorislaetitia.va
Sick and Housebound: Please pray for the sick and housebound, including Nan Rossi.
Livestreaming of Masses & Dial-a Mass: Livestreaming of Masses, including from St Teresa, Dumfries, and St Andrew’s, Dumfries, is available online.
Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention for March: Sacrament of Reconciliation - Let us pray that we may experience the sacrament of reconciliation with renewed depth, to taste the infinite mercy of God.
Ongoing Communications: During this time of restrictions communication continues through the parishes website on www.catholicchurchgalloway.org.uk. Please share this information, including the bulletin/newsletter, with those who are not online as best you can.
Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Fratelli Tutti”: The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has announced a new, intuitive website dedicated to Pope Francis’ encyclical "Fratelli tutti". To access go to www.fratellitutti.va.
Recent Dead: Please pray for David Lyons RIP (Whithorn), Tessa Ellison RIP (Dalbeattie), Ian Houston RIP (formerly Kirkcudbright)
Anniversaries: Please pray for those whose anniversaries are at this time, including Stephen Rossi.
Lent 2021
Stations of the Cross:
There will be an opportunity to join as parishes for a virtual Stations of the Cross on Friday of thios week, 5th March, at 19.30. Click on the link below to access:
meet.google.com/pkk-ykai-rpu
SCIAF’s Stations of the Cross: Will be livestreamed on SCIAF’s Facebook page on Fridays during Lent at 19.00.
Sunday Morning Prayer Experiences with Fr William:
Fr William will lead short times of prayer and reflection at 11.00 on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of lent: 7th, 14th and 21st March. These will be based on the Lenten Sunday Gospels of Year A. To join in these virtual prayer experiences please send an email to [email protected] requesting the link. It will then be sent to you for each session.
Thoughtful Lenten Reflections: A series of short presentations is available by Archbishop Christopher Prowse called “Silence: From Isolation to Encounter.” They can be found by clicking on the link www.catholicvoice.org.au/catholic-faith/ The box at the top right of the image gives you the 16 presentations on offer. Each presentation only lasts around 20 minutes
Lent Zoom Sharing group; It would also be good if people were to get together in virtual groups to share their Lenten journeys, and to support one another as we journey during the ongoing pandemic restrictions. Anyone wishing to do this should send an email to [email protected] and say they are interested in this. We’ll then try and help people to get together virtually at least.
Scottish Laity Network Lenten Journey 2021: This series of presentations can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gMXSlBKYsSrrPZ6EK_BU9M2v8cCarI17/view?usp=drive_web
Drumalis Retreat Centre: They are offering virtual Ignatian prayer experiences: See the posters below.
Walk of Thanksgiving and Praise by Sr Thelma Hall RC: See below for this prayer experience.
Knowing Jesus: Online Retreat for Lent: Offered by the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Glasgow. Go to www.onlineprayer.net
Recommended Reading for Lent:Spiritual reading can be a good Lenten discipline. Some possibilities are: David Crumm, Our Lent: Things We Carry, (Kindle edition available from Amazon); Pope Francis, Let Us Dream, Simon & Schuster, 2020; Tom Wright, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and its Aftermath, SPCK, 2020. Luigi Gioia, Say it to God: In Search of Prayer, Bloomsbury, 2017; Interesting article by Rev James Hunt: https://www.stpetersbw.org.uk/james-blog/the-church-of-the-past-and-future/
Walk of Thanksgiving and Praise by Sr Thelma Hall RC
(Why not invite another person to go for a walk with you and use the reflection below for some spiritual conversation)
Some of God's richest gifts to us we tend to accept as standard equipment, somehow rightfully ours as fully equipped human beings. It may prove a revelation to consciously cancel this presumption in this experience of "A Walk of Thanksgiving and Praise" and to rediscover the unique gifts of life he has made to us, in each of our five senses.
A walk of about 20 - 30 mins is suggested. Begin as you would any period of prayer, taking a few moments to alert yourself to the gift of union with you which God has bestowed in his loving, living presence, always within you. For you are a "temple of the Holy Spirit".
As you step out of doors take a deep breath of fresh air ...... Reflect on this air as the sustainer of your life, day and night ....... And reflect on the unceasing providence of God whose love holds you in existence, and is continually creating you.
When you have walked on a bit - pause to consciously experience your five senses.
SIGHT - use your vision to revel in, caress, enjoy, discern - colour, shape, depth, texture, movement, etc, in everything around you. Reflect upon all that sight has contributed to your life experience - beauty, non-verbal communication with others, knowledge through reading and observation, protection, happiness, pleasure and so on ....... Try to imagine how different your life, and you, would be, had you been born without this sense gift, or had you lost it. Recognising in all these reflections the loving gift of God - express aloud to him your thanksgiving and praise.
HEARING - stop for a while and really listen - even to the seeming silence which is, in all reality teeming with sounds. Again reflect upon all that this sense of hearing has contributed to your life experience -
the sound of human voices, music, and so on ...... And upon how different your life, and you, would be without it. Recognising in these reflections another loving and personal gift of God - express aloud to him your thanksgiving and praise.
TOUCH - the same - consciously experience the feeling of the sun and air on your skin, the texture of clothing, grass, trees, stones, the pull of gravity through the pressure of the ground under your feet, your sense of balance through this. Reflect upon the use of touch in expressing affection, in physical work, in playing musical instruments, writing, and so on. Imagine your life without this gift of God - express aloud your thanksgiving and praise.
TASTE - as above ..... express aloud to God your thanksgiving and praise.
SMELL - as above ...... express aloud to God your thanksgiving and praise.
SCIAF LENT WEE BOXES BIG CHANGE 2021 APPEAL
Since it may not be possible to distribute the Wee Boxes for SCIAF’s annual Lent Appeal, we are encouraged to sign-up to receive a Wee Box directly to our homes, and to make our Wee Box donations online. Please go to www.sciaf.org.uk for details.
The annual World Day of PrayerWill take place on Friday 5th March. Starting on Tuesday 23rd February and every day until The World Day of Prayer on 5th March, a series of articles about the island of Vanuatu will be published on the World Day of Prayer Scotland FaceBook Page and on the World Day of Prayer Website: www.wdpscotland.org.ukOn Friday 5th March Augustine United Church, Edinburgh, are hosting a virtual World Day of Prayer service, written this year by the women of Vanuatu. There will be participation by women, men and young people from all over Scotland and it will be led by musicians of Augustine United Church.For joining details see the website above.
‘Living in Faith in the age of COVID-19’:
A newsletter has been published by the Bishops’ Pastoral Ministry Working Group. It provides information about resources to support the observance of Lent, experiences of faith and ministry during lockdown, and practical advice on creating video for use in parishes.A copy of the newsletter can be found on the website: https://www.bcos.org.uk/COVID19/COVIDResources
Ecumenical Prayer During Corona Pandemic: Prayer for Sunday 28th February at 19.00
We are invited to join with Christians throughout the country in praying together every Sunday at 19.00. The prayer for this week is as follows:
“There are times in the Gospels when it is clear that the disciples of Jesus have real difficulty in understanding his teaching. On one such occasion, Jesus speaks openly about what lies before him and afterwards Peter ‘took him aside and began to rebuke him’. (Mark 8: 31-32) Peter is clear that death and resurrection are not part of that future and, as he speaks, it is equally clear that he has not yet understood the way that Jesus must take.“There are times in the past months when all of us have had real difficulty in understanding the challenges faced within our society and across the globe. We have been unclear as to what the future holds and the path to be taken. In all of this, we have not been alone.“As the Gospel account unfolds, Jesus gathers the crowd around him and invites them to ‘take up their cross and follow me’. (Mark 8: 34)“As we journey into the future and follow the path taken by Jesus, we know that we are not alone. We journey in the way of the cross and in the hope of the resurrection.”We pray:God of hope,Be with us as we journey into the future that lies before us.Be with us through Your SonWho has journeyed in the way of the Cross.Grant to us grace and faith that we might follow Him.Lord, in Your mercy,Hear our prayer.
God of hope,Be with us as we journey into the future that lies before us.In all we face,Be near to us, and all whom we love,And guard us safe in Your presence.Lord, in Your mercy,Hear our prayer.
God of hope,Be with us as we journey into the future that lies before us.Be with those who fear this dayAnd who struggle to see the future.Lead us from the darkness into Your light.
Lord, in Your mercy,Hear our prayer.
God of hope,Be with us as we journey into the future that lies before us.Be with those who grieve this dayAnd who feel bereft of comfort.In Your compassion, be near to them.Lord, in Your mercy,Hear our prayer.
God of hope,Be with us as we journey into the future that lies before us.In all that is faced by our society today,Grant wisdom, insight and understandingTo those who are called to govern our nation and act on our behalf.Lord, in Your mercy,Hear our prayer.
God of hope,Be with us as we journey into the future that lies before us.Be with us through Your SonWhose journey in the way of the CrossYields the hope of the Resurrection.Lord, in Your mercy,Hear our prayer.
A Message from Mary’s Meals on the humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia.
Dear friends, in recent weeks you may have heard something of the grave news from Tigray in northern Ethiopia. An armed conflict between the federal and regional governments has escalated into a shocking humanitarian crisis. We are hearing harrowing reports of tens of thousands of families displaced from their homes and that as many as 4.5 million people are without access to basic food, medical and sanitary supplies across the region! We have been working in Tigray for many years where our trusted partners the Daughters of Charity normally serve over 24,000 children Mary’s Meals. We are now working with the Daughters of Charity to respond to this crisis and provide support to children and
families affected by this crisis. As people of faith, we are asking you to partner with us by holding the people of Tigray and the emergency work we are doing there in your prayers. To find out more about this appeal please visit https://www.marysmeals.org.uk. Thank you.
Reflections for the Second Sunday of Lent, Year B by Stephen Bradley
Mk 9, 2-10: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Pater spoke to Jesus. ‘Rabbi’, he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for
Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came covering them in a shadow; there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came down the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.
Peter, James and John were something of a “core group” among the apostles. It seems that the Lord’s plan, as presented by Mark, is to convince these three, then He and they would convince the others, that the Messiah will triumph through suffering. Elijah the prophet and Moses the lawgiver had both suffered because of their fidelity to their God-given mission. Jesus is the new and ultimate prophet, who not only speaks God’s word, but IS the word. He has come to fulfil the Mosaic law -“you have heard it said, but I tell you”-(Mt. 5-7) there is only one who has the authority to “upgrade” God’s commandments!The apostles are to tell no-one, because they won’t understand. Then, after his resurrection, the apostles would tell the whole world—the mission of apostles of every age.
Perhaps it’s unsurprising that the three were not entirely sure what “rising from the dead” might mean. There was a strong belief among many of the Jews at that time that resurrection would happen at the end of time. It would not be long before the apostles would meet the risen Christ, though even then Thomas took some convincing, the disciples on the road to Emmaus were (mildly, I think) ticked off by Jesus for being slow to understand and when St Paul, speaking to the very learned intelligentsia at Athens, (Acts 17, 32) mentioned rising from the dead, they burst out laughing—these highly intellectual people thought this core belief of Christians was laughable—thank goodness there are none of those people around today!!!!
The voice (the Father’s) from the cloud confirms the identity and authority of Jesus. Mark is telling who Jesus is, and what is his message. He opens his Gospel with: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God”; here, in the middle of the Gospel, the Father calls him his Son; and at the end of the Gospel, the centurian at the foot of the cross makes the outstanding declaration: “truly, this man was the son of God”!
At the transfiguration the Father tells us to “Listen to him”—exactly what we are doing when we read the Gospel.
Fi nancial Support for the Parish and the Diocese
Parish Finances: We recognise that for some families these days can be very difficult financially. We do not expect those struggling to feel obliged to contribute to the parish. However, if you feel able to do so, you can give by using the 'Online Parish Offertory' link. Simply type in the address below and follow the instructions. For St Peter’s - https://tinyurl.com/rcdalbeattieFor St Andrew’s and St Cuthbert’s - https://tinyurl.com/rckirkcudbrightFor Our Lady and St Ninian’s - https://tinyurl.com/rcnewtonstewartFor St Martin and St Ninian’s - https://tinyurl.com/rcwhithornFor Sacred Heart - https://tinyurl.com/rcwigtownStanding Order forms are also available from the parish house. Thanks to those who are already using this method of payment and it is hoped that more people will contribute in this way post-lockdown.
Amazon Smile: The Diocese has registered with Amazon Smile. The prices on amazon smile are the same as on the regular Amazon site. However, Amazon donates 0.5% of spending to the nominated charity. This is a good way for those who use Amazon to support diocesan finances at no extra cost to themselves. The link is: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/SC010576
Give as you Live: This is the link to the join up page: https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/rc-diocese-of-galloway-scotland. When you shop at over 4,000 top stores including John Lewis & Partners, Expedia and Marks & Spencer via Give as you Live Online, they'll turn a percentage of your spend into free funds for the diocese. Simply sign up, search for the retailer and start shopping.
