8th March - 10am - 2pm raising funds for Mearns Kirk Helping Hands, a charity supporting older people and people living with dementia in East Renfrewshire. Come along and grab yourself a bargain! Free entry. Tea, coffee and home baking also on sale. Mearns Kirk Hall - 404 Mearns Road, Newton Mearns G77 5BU

LENT 2025 begins on 5th March - ASH WEDNESDAY - a day of fast and abstinence. Vigil Mass at 6.30pm and Mass on the day at 10am. Please collect a copy of the Times of Services and Masses for Lent (available from the table in the porch). Also, please take a Rosary Prayer Book and a Retreat Book (both free of charge).

Our latest podcast - Yvonne O'Hara speaks to Rolando Streber of the Dicastery for Evangelisation in Rome about what our Jubilee 2025 pilgrims can expect. Listen now at  rcdop.org.uk/podcast or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please like, share and leave us a review!

The St. Andrews Foundation for Catholic Teacher Education is delighted to offer the opportunity for teachers to gain an additional qualification in religious education. The ATQRE course fulfils the academic requirement for applying to the GTCS for professional registration as a specialist Religious Education teacher in the Catholic Secondary school. The course begins in August 2025. For all details including teaching dates and costs -  https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/cpd/atqreforcatholicschools/ The Diocese of Paisley support ATQRE and will pay one third of the fees for any applicants who live in the Diocese and attend Bishop John’s support sessions. For details - https://www.rcdop.org.uk/atqre

14 – 16 March 2025: Fr Matthew Blake, OCD will offer a weekend exploring the life and teachings of Edith Stein, or St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and her indomitable search for truth that led her to the Catholic faith. For more information and to book: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/the-search-for-truth-edith-stein/

Friday 7th March to Saturday 8th March 2025 Conforti Centre in Coatbridge “The role and importance of Interreligious Dialogue in Catholic Peacebuilding Locally, Nationally and Globally.” This is a faith formation opportunity for members of the Catholic community interested in or active in the work of Interreligious Dialogue. Keynote Speaker 2025 Martha Inés Romero. Click the title for more details...

Sundays (term time) 4pm - 5.30pm The Youth Hub will be off on the 16th & 23rd February. It will resume again on Sunday 2nd March. NEW MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO COME ALONG – See you there!

“Even today, in the face of so many violations of human dignity that seriously threaten the future of the human family, the Church encourages the promotion of the dignity of every human person, regardless of their physical, mental, cultural, social, and religious characteristics. Pope Francis’ says: “I appeal to everyone throughout the world not to forget this dignity which is ours. No one has the right to take it from us.” Please write to your MSPs and MPs and ask them not to allow assisted suicide on the NHS in Scotland: https://writetothem.com

Talks continue with ’Sloth vs Zeal’ by Fr Matthew Carlin on Wednesday 26th February at 7pm in the Diocesan Offices. All young Catholics 18-35 are welcome. For more information contact Fr. Joe McGill at [email protected]

The Diocese of Paisley is going to Lourdes this summer from 27th June– 3rd July. Fr. Joe McGill is leading a group of young adults(18-35) as a part of the Diocesan Pilgrimage. If you are interested in joining the group, please email [email protected] by 1st March.

 Society of St Vincent De Paul Scotland are recruiting for two new posts based in the National Office in Glasgow: National Youth Co-ordinator, and Finance and Administration Manager. More details are available on the website www.ssvpscotland.com and on the SSVP Scotland Facebook page.

The Church ardently urges that respect for the dignity of the human person beyond all circumstances be placed at the centre of the commitment to the common good and at the centre of every legal system. Please ask your MSPs and MPs not to allow assisted suicide to become legal in Scotland: https://writetothem.com

“Even today, in the face of so many violations of human dignity that seriously threaten the future of the human family, the Church encourages the promotion of the dignity of every human person, regardless of their physical, mental, cultural, social, and religious characteristics. Pope Francis’ says: “I appeal to everyone throughout the world not to forget this dignity which is ours. No one has the right to take it from us.” Please write to your MSPs and MPs and ask them not to allow assisted suicide on the NHS in Scotland: https://writetothem.com

In this episode, Patrick O’Hara looks at the possible opening of a Cause for Canonisation of Scottish football legend Tommy Burns. Listen now on the Diocesan website rcdop.org.uk/podcast or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Please like, share and leave us a review! To contact the Tommy Burns Cause for Canonisation coordinating team please email: [email protected]

: for spiritual and emotional healing after abortion will be held north of Glasgow on Friday, 21st - Sunday 23rd March.  This confidential, supportive retreat is powerful for anyone who has been affected by their own or someone else’s abortion experience. For more information, please call/text Sr Andrea on 07816 942824 or email at [email protected]. For more details, see www.rachelsvineyard.org.uk  

The Diocesan Youth Commission invites children in P4-P7 to a Lenten Retreat Day on Sunday 9th March from 1.45pm-5pm. The theme is The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The Retreat takes place in St James’s Church and halls on Greenock Road in Paisley (PA3 2LD). It will include Holy Mass. A light dinner will be provided. Registration is necessary: www.tinyurl.com/dpy-lent25. Email Fr Ryan for more info: [email protected].

Sunday 9th February 2025 marks the World Day for Marriage when we are asked to pray particularly for all married couples that God may daily give them the strength and energy to support one another and their families. We especially pray that those who are experiencing difficulties in their relationship may seek help, either from diocesan marriage counsellors Marriage Counselling | Marriage and Family Life or from organisations such as Retrouvaille www.retrouvaille.org.uk

At the start of the Covid pandemic, the Diocese of Paisley set up online giving with PAYA Charity to allow Parishioners to donate to their Parishes while unable to attend Mass in person. Since PAYA Charity no longer provide the same level of service, we have moved to Charities Trust. You can find the new links at https://www.rcdop.org.uk/online-giving The most efficient way to donate on a regular basis to your Parish is by using standing orders, which can be set up using a form or using online banking. The Charities Trust however is a useful additional way of giving to your Parish and allows visitors to Parishes to make one-off donations. Note that the existing QR codes and weblinks to PAYA Charity still work (although we do not have the weblink on the Diocesan website). We will keep these accounts open for now, with a view to closing them in the near future. We will be contacting donors by email to inform them of the change and to explain how to cancel any recurring donations they may have set up with PAYA Charity.

Saturday 1 March. Families are invited to come and see the Little Sisters Home for the Elderly in Greenock or arrange private visits and tours. The Home receives applications either for an independent living apartment or for a room in the Care Home and can facilitate entry without much delay for those whose needs can no longer be met in family homes. This Catholic environment has a resident Chaplain to provide daily Mass and the Sacraments alongside highly trained nursing and care staff, associates and volunteers to meet the spiritual, physical and social needs of each resident in a family environment.