The Season of Lent will begin on Wednesday 2nd March. The distribution of Ashes will take place at Mass on Wednesday 2nd March at 10am and at the Vigil Mass on Tuesday 1st March at 7pm. Provision has been made for the pupils and students of our schools. LENTEN PACKAGE For those who are unable to attend Mass, for whatever reason, a package is available for use at home. Available SUNDAY 27th FEBRUARY from 2pm. Please collect from the SIDE ENTRANCE TO THE CHURCH.

Children in their pre-school year up to and including children in Primary 4 are eligible to attend - Sundays @ 10am Mass. 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 [email protected]), 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 hope to see many new faces too over the coming weeks.

Why not think about taking the short-term pledge for Lent? For further information please contact the National Secretary Susan McBride, 4 Myrtle Drive, Shieldmuir, Wishaw on 01698 375950

The children of primary 4 will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the church on Tuesday 8th March at 7pm (St Clare’s) and Thursday 10th March at 7pm (St Cadoc’s). Please pray for the children and their families as they prepare for this important sacrament of God’s love.

The Bishops of Scotland have established A Day of Prayer for those who have suffered abuse to be marked each year on the Friday following Ash Wednesday - 4th MARCH 2022 - ST. CADOC'S   PRAYERS FOR VICTIMS OF ABUSE  The Annual Day of Prayer will be celebrated in St. Cadoc's Church on Friday 4th March, 2022, beginning at 9.30am, followed by Mass at 10am. Please make every effort to come along to the service. If you are unable to be there, please pray for all who have been abused and their families. Thankyou.  Canon Eddie

The Obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days will be reinstated on the First Sunday of Lent, 6th March 2022.

RCIA & Adult Formation in Faith – If you or someone you know is thinking about becoming a member of the Catholic Church, please come to our inaugural meeting on Monday 28th February at 7pm. If you wish to understand and learn more about the Church’s beliefs and Way of Life, Please, come along – Bring a friend!

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is teaming up with Open Doors to present a panel event on a topic of great importance to both charities: the persecution of women and girls from religious minorities. The event, on Tuesday 8th March 2022, International Women’s Day, will be on Zoom from 11am to 11.45am. Alongside first-hand accounts from survivors of sexual violence and forced conversion, the event will unpack further research into persecution of women from religious minorities and provide policy asks for the UK government. BBC journalist Emily Buchanan will chair a discussion with 3 panellists. We will hear first-hand accounts from survivors of sexual violence and forced conversion. The event will outline research on the topic and propose policy asks for the UK government. We hope you can join us for this collaborative event. Sign up for the event at https://acnuk.org/event/open-doors-and-aid-to-the-church-in-need-event/

You are welcome to attend a meeting  in the Parish hall on 23rd February 2022 at 7pm. to discuss the key themes proposed by the Holy Father and his team for the SYNOD taking place next year. Thank you for your time.

Online Retreat for Lent You are welcome to join a Lenten retreat based on the life of Saint Ignatius Loyola to celebrate the 500 years since his conversion. Each day of Lent the Retreat has an episode from the life of Ignatius with music, art, a reading from Scripture and a reflection. Participants can also join an online group for a weekly meeting with others to share the fruits of their prayer. The online retreat is open to all. For more info please follow link to the website: https://iscglasgow.co.uk/lent22.html

The Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland invite you to a Divine Mercy Mass at 7p.m. followed by Adoration in St Mary’s Paisley on Wednesday 23rd February 2022 which will be celebrated by Monsignor Joe Burke. All are welcome. These devotions will be held on the last Wednesday of every month so please put a note in your diary (please note there will be no Divine Mercy Mass in the months of July, August and December)

You are warmly invited to join a weekly Lent group on Zoom, meeting on Wednesdays at 6.30 for an hour, starting on Ash Wednesday. We’ll be using material for prayer, reflection and sharing provided by the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Glasgow. You can view the material by following the link on the Centre’s website at http://www.iscglasgow.co.uk Please contact Carol Ann at [email protected] for the Zoom link if you would like to join us.’

Healing Service – ‘Forgiveness’ There will be a Healing Service taking place in Saint John The Evangelist Parish, Aurs Road , Barrhead, G78 2RW - Tuesday 8th March at 7PM. Speakers - Father Joe Balmer and Joe Livingston. The theme – Forgiveness (Matthew 9, 1-8). All welcome to attend.

Wednesday 23rd February at 10.30am in the parish hall - St. Mirin’s Cathedral, Paisley. This training session is for Church volunteers who have previously attended Safeguarding Training Part One, or Safeguarding Training Level One, more than eighteen months ago. To register, please visit Eventbrite and search for Diocese of Paisley, Safeguarding Training, or type in the following link on Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/266920525477

The Beginning Experience are holding a residential weekend for those who find themselves suffering the loss of a loved one through separation, divorce, separation or death. The weekend will take place from 25-27th March 2022 in St Mary’s, Kinnoul, Perth. For more info, contact Catherine on 0131 665 3383 or email [email protected]

The Little Sisters of the Poor invite young people to join them for a Taize Prayer and Reflection on Friday 11 March at 7.00pm. This is an opportunity to help discern GOD’s will for your life in light of the Scriptures and the welcome calm of meditation and chant. As life gets back to ' normal' hopefully these prayer evenings will take place on a monthly basis. For information please contact Sr Anna Maria email [email protected] or tel: 01475 722465

March 2022 marks two years since the pandemic hit much of the world. What is God saying to the Church throughout the last two years? What have we learned? As the Catholic Parishes in Erskine, what should be our focus moving forward? As we slowly emerge into a post-pandemic world, we have an incredible opportunity to recommit our energies in bringing the gospel to those around us. But where do we begin? There are important questions we need to consider: • What is the most urgent call for the Church? • What have the past two years revealed about the Church and how she is fulfilling her mission? • What are we being called to repent of, to turn from, and to turn towards? Join us for an online watch party featuring a live conversation with Bishop Robert Barron, Fr. James Mallon (Divine Renovation), and Revd. Nicky Gumbel (Alpha) for a conversation on What is God Saying to the Church? This will be held on the 1st March 2022 at 6pm in St. Bernadette’s Church, Erskine. Join us for pancakes and refreshments beginning at 5.45pm. The evening will close at 8pm. There will be an opportunity to share reflections and ideas among the group following the livestreamed event. To help us about catering it would be helpful if you would sign up but you are still welcome to come along if you don’t sign up. To sign up and join us in-person, please register at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAANAAR54LZBURVlFQkU5OFNFMFIySktRTEFQMUw1VENYMi4u If you would prefer just to join the Zoom presentation, then please register at https://www.divinerenovation.org/events We look forward to seeing you at our watch party as we talk about this important topic in the Church today.

More information at https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get-involved/current-campaigns/Fairtrade-Fortnight/

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 [email protected]