Would you like to join our Diocesan Choir? The Diocesan Choir are starting their rehearsals on the 27th January, at 7pm in St Mirin’s Cathedral. We would like to extend a warm invitation to anyone who wishes to join our ranks. If you are interested please contact our Diocesan Director of Music, Michael, at director.music@rcdop.org.uk confirming your attendance.

Thinking about Diocesan Priesthood in 2022? The Catholic Church in Scotland is now inviting enquiries from those considering applying for seminary. For more information please contact Fr. John Morrison tel: 01418895056 or email vocations@rcdop.org.uk

The next monthly Pro-Life Mass is on Wednesday 19th January at 7.30pm at Holy Cross, 113 Dixon Ave, G42 8ER. Adoration begins at 6.15pm. All welcome. The celebrant will be Mgr John Tormey.

Canon Benny passed away peacefully today in the Holy Rosary Residence, Greenock. We thank God for the wonderful gift of his holy, priestly ministry among us for over sixty years. We commend him with prayer and confidence to his Heavenly Father and home.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on Tuesday 18th January. Please pray for this intention in your daily prayers. Resources are available at: http://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en/settimana-di-preghiera-per-l-unita.html

“We are pleased to confirm dates for Marriage Preparation courses in 2022. Each course will consist of two 90-minute Zoom sessions and one 3-hour workshop, which will be held in the Diocesan centre or Cathedral Hall, depending on numbers. We piloted this format in September of 2021 with very positive feedback. Should any of these arrangements require amendment due to Covid restrictions we will inform you and the couples of any changes directly. Couples should be directed to register via the Marriage and Family page on the Diocesan website, or by using this link https://rcdop.org.uk/marriage-preparation-day-registration-form The cost for the course per couple is £30 which includes an information pack, CTS booklet ‘Cherish your wedding’ and refreshments during the workshop. Once couples have registered we will contact them directly regarding attendance at the course and will send them a certificate of completion.” John and Liz Holmes, Marriage & Family Office Diocese of Paisley - ALL DATES FOR 2022 ARE ON PARISH WEB.

Catholic Erskine: We will be launching a new Alpha Experience on Wednesday 19th January online from 7.00pm. What is Alpha some of you may be asking. Alpha is a course used for bringing people to a deeper understanding of God in their life. Alpha is a series of 14 sessions carried out over a 10 week period. The format of each session is always the same. Part 1: informal get together; Part 2: watch a video; Part 3; short period of discussion. The topics covered in Alpha are: Is there more to life than this? Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How can I have faith? Why and how can I pray? Why and how should I read the Bible? How does God guide us? Who is the Holy Spirit? Does Jesus heal today? If you are interested in taking part in the Alpha Experience please register on our website: catholicerskine.website or email alpha@catholicerskine.info.

CONSULTATION RESPONSE DATE: on/before 8th APRRIL 2022. We are asked to submit our thoughts by April 8th; this is to give us time to collate and publish our diocesan “answer” before we submit it with the deliberations of the other seven dioceses in the county, so that the national response is ready and published by August. The full text of the Consultation Document is available to read/download on our Parish web – Synod 2023 page/ side columm - Documents section.

Children in their pre-school year up to and including children in Primary 4 are eligible to attend. Children's Liturgy will generally be run as before, except that the children should be brought into the Parish Hall by their parents / grandparents /carers etc. before Mass begins to ensure that all children are settled and we are ready to commence our Liturgy when Mass commences in Church. It will be necessary to register your child's details etc. when you bring your child into the Hall, so that we can build up a register of all children attending. We are looking for volunteers to assist with this special Ministry. If you are interested or wish to find out more about what's involved please contact: Catherine Senior (Tel. 07555 094304 or c.m.senior@talk21.com), for further information. Please give serious consideration to this request as we are always short of leaders and it is a good way to be involved in our Parish community. It should be noted that anyone working with children in the Parish must be a PVG scheme member and it is also mandatory that volunteers attend a child protection training meeting. This process can be easily arranged through the Diocese. We look forward to welcoming the children back and hope to see many new faces too over the coming weeks.

Mary’s Meals are pleased to announce their Double the Love campaign. From 1st November 2021 to 31st January 2022, all donations up to a total of £1.6 million will be matched by a generous group of private donors. Every little act of love for the hungry children who eat Mary’s Meals will be doubled during this period, so please consider supporting this campaign and praying for its success. There are many ways to donate, including choosing Mary’s Meals gift cards as a meaningful gift this Christmas, or setting a virtual place at your Christmas table – find out more at Home | Mary's Meals UK (marysmeals.org.uk).

On Thursday 13th January, we will mark the first anniversary since the death of Archbishop Tartaglia, the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Paisley. The 10am Mass in St Mirin’s Cathedral will be celebrated by Bishop Keenan on Thursday 13th January 2022. All are welcome to attend. FEAST DAY Thursday 13th January is the Feast of St Kentigern (518-603). His mother, St Enoch, was a Lothian princess who became pregnant because she was raped. Her father had her cast off into the Firth of Forth in a coracle. She landed on the opposite shore at St Serf’s monastic school at Culross. It was he who named him Mungo. He became the first bishop of Glasgow. He was forced out by pagan opponents and spent some time in England and Wales. He returned to spend many years preaching the Word and praising the name. Please remember in your prayers Archbishop Tartaglia, the most recent bishop of Glasgow, on this first anniversary of his death. May he rest in peace.

Pope sends greetings to Taizé youth  Dec. 2021 “The Spirit of God never ceases to work and to give rise to creators of fraternity, solidarity and unity,” writes Cardinal Parolin in a message conveying Pope Francis’ greetings and prayers for young people of the Taizé Community. An eagerly awaited in-person meeting of European youth, led by the Taizé Community, has once again been postponed due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, with the meeting now scheduled to take place in July in Turin. “The Holy Father is praying for this intention,” writes Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, but for the present, “he is united in thought and prayer with all of you who are present online, and sends you his warmest greetings.” In a message conveying the Pope’s closeness, Cardinal Parolin commends the Taizé youth for not “giving in to defeatism,” but instead tackling difficult questions head-on, praying about them and listening to God’s word in order “to shed light on the most complex human situations.” The Spirit breathes when we are together Recalling the events of Pentecost, Cardinal Parolin notes that on that day, the disciples “were all together” – and he reminds young people that “it is when we are together that the Spirit of God breathes in a special way.” He goes on to explain that “with the current synod, the Catholic Church, too, is seeking to make itself more open to the work of the Spirit by inviting Christ's disciples to discover how much we need each other.” The Cardinal tells the young people that by choosing to face “human suffering and the pressing emergencies of the moment,” they have been given “the opportunity to participate in the solutions.” Although there is cause for concern and anxiety, he says that it is nonetheless true “that the Spirit of God never ceases to work and to give rise to creators of fraternity, solidarity, and unity.” He assures them that by opening themselves “to the presence of the Risen Christ,” by allowing Him to unify their hearts, they are preparing themselves to be among them. Cardinal Parolin concludes his letter a benediction from Pope Francis: “The Holy Father asks the Holy Spirit to bless you, the young Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants who are joining the European meeting in thought and prayer, and he entrusts you to the protection of the Virgin.”  Christopher Wells

The bishops of Scotland have postponed the planned reinstatement of obligations for Sundays and Holy Days amid concerns surrounding the Omicron Coronavirus variant. "At the beginning of Advent the Bishops of Scotland looked forward to welcoming the faithful back to Holy Mass and anticipated that the restoration of the Sunday Obligation might be possible as we begin the New Year. Sadly, there has been a serious worsening of the situation and the restoration of the obligation will be postponed until a more favourable time. For us, Sunday is always a Holy Day and we invite those who are unable to be with us in person to continue to join with us in prayer and spiritual communion either by personal or family prayers or by online celebrations of Mass. We ask everyone to continue to pray for a speedy end to the Pandemic and for the good health of you and your loved ones in 2022. We also pray for all those who passed during 2021 and those who grieve. May Our Lady Health of the Sick pray for us and may Saints Andrew and Margaret protect us." - The Bishops’ Conference 

Paisley Diocese is looking for a counsellor (self-employed) to provide counselling sessions for clients using the service. The applicant will be a therapist with proven expertise in working with couples. The service supports couples married in the Catholic Church, and the service is underpinned by the Christian tradition. Closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Tuesday 30th November. See our website for full information on this post.

St. Conval’s in Linwood, through the generosity of local Parishes, has managed to send out 100 meals each week and a way of supporting local families in the St. Benedict’s Cluster who are in need. We intend again to provide 100 Christmas Dinners cooked in our Hall Kitchen and a goody bag of toys and Gifts also and so we appeal for your support. Any donations of food, toiletries new Toys or Cash will be gratefully received (Outer door of Church House Porch is unlocked and donations can be left in the Porch). Any we cannot use ourselves we will pass on to local Foodbanks. Thank you for your support!

The Catholic Church in Scotland has appointed The Hon Lady Rita Rae QC as the first Board Chair of the new Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (SCSSA) which will operate as a private company. Lady Rae will begin to recruit SCSSA Board Members in January 2022. For more information, visit: Diocese of Paisley | Church appoints Chair of Independent Safeguarding Agency | Paisley, UK (rcdop.org.uk)

The next monthly Pro-Life Mass is on Wednesday, 15th December at 7.30pm in Holy Cross, 113 Dixon Ave, G42 8ER. Adoration begins at 6.15pm with Confession available throughout. All welcome. The celebrant will be Fr Ben Mournian.

R.I.P. Bishop John Cunningham Reception of Bishop John’s Remains will take place in St. Mirin's Cathedral on Sunday 12th December at 6pm The Vigil will be livestreamed: Vigil for the Reception of the Remains of Bishop John Cunningham - YouTube Requiem Mass will take place in St. Mirin's Cathedral on Monday 13th December at 1pm The Mass will be livestreamed: Requiem Mass for Bishop John Cunningham - YouTube

Following on from our successful evening for the Year of St. Joseph, we invite all men of the Diocese to join us for an Advent Holy Hour in St. Mirin's Cathedral, on Thursday 16th December at 7.30pm, followed by socialising over appropriate refreshments in the Diocesan Centre! To assist us in preparing for the evening, please register at https://rcdop.org.uk/mens-advent-holy-hour

The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation will be reinstated from Sunday 2nd January, 2022 - The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord