2nd Sunday of Easter (a) – St. Cuthberts and Our Ladys

2^nd Sunday of Easter. (a)

(Divine Mercy Sunday)

Times of Mass and Confession:

Sundays:

Vigil Mass (Saturday) 6.00 p.m. & 10.00 a.m.

Weekday:

9.00 a.m. (Monday – Friday)

10.00 a.m. (Saturday)

Confessions:

After Mass on Saturday morning.

Please remember the following parishioners, relatives and friends in your prayers:

Sick: John McPartland, Veronica Allan, Irene Callan, Elizabeth Brown, Patricia Allison, Bridget Ferry, Pat Carlin.

Died: George Gear, Edith Allan.

Anniv: Margaret Christie, William Currie.

Today: Following on the various meetings, the final cluster report was sent by Father Tony Quinlan, the senior priest of the cluster, to Archbishop Cushley on Holy Thursday. Copies of the report are available as you leave Mass. The next stage is to await the Archbishop’s response. The report follows on below.

Monday: Meeting of the Parish Councils of St. Cuthbert’s and Our Lady’s at 7.00 p.m. in the Church house.

Saturday: Annual Pro-life chain starts with the Rosary at 10.00 a.m.in the Sacred Heart Church, Lauriston. This will be led by Archbishop Cushley. After that we go to Lothian Road (in front of the Sheraton Hotel) from 11.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. Participants are welcome to come to either or both events. More information from Michael Meenan on 444.1659.

Saturday: Spring Fling: Edinburgh Lourdes Hospitalité invites you to a Spring Fling in St Kentigern’s Church Hall at 7.30pm. Entry priced £5 (pay at door). An evening of musical entertainment. Bring your own bottle.

Next Sunday: Ceremony of the Presentation of the Our Father and the Creed to the children preparing for Confirmation and First Communion during Mass.

St. Andrew’s Adoption and Foster Care: There are many children across Scotland who need stable, loving families to care for them on a long term or permanent basis. Their birth families are not able to provide the nurturing or safe environment that would allow them to flourish and become confident and well balanced adults.

Could you provide the stability and love these children deserve? Would you like to hear more about whether adopting or fostering a child could be an option for you?

The Stall has the new editions of ‘Living Faith’ and ‘Day by Day’ for April. If you have ordered a copy please collect it as soon as possible.

Many thanks indeed to all who have made such great efforts to attend the Lenten, Holy Week and Easter Masses and services. Your efforts are much appreciated.

My grateful thanks go to all who have been involved in any way in helping us along the Lenten Journey and now to the celebration of the Resurrection. Many people have given of their time and talents to help in all sorts of ways. Their help is very much appreciated since, without their efforts, our liturgies would be the poorer. The Servers, Musicians, Readers, Eucharistic Ministers and Passkeepers have all played their part. Behind the scenes are the church cleaners, the flower arrangers, typist, sacristans, and those who look after us in the Hall after the Easter Masses. All this work is done in addition to home and family responsibilities. A very big thank you is due to every one of them for their efforts. Thank you also for the Easter cards and gifts. They are much appreciated.

With every best wish and Blessing

To you, your families

and those who are dear to you

Monsignor Tony.

Accompanying Letter and Final Cluster Report.

St. John Ogilvie’s RC Church

159 Sighthill Drive

Edinburgh EH11 4PY

Tel: 0131-453-5035

e-mail: st.jh.ogilvie@blueyonder.co.uk

www.stjohnogilvies.co.uk

12.04.2017

Archbishop Leo Cushley,

Gillis Centre,

100 Strathearn Road,

Edinburgh EH 9 1BB

Your Grace,

CLUSTER PARISHES TOGETHER

You asked for the reports from clusters to be sent direct to you. I have pleasure in submitting the report on behalf of the parishes of Our Lady Mother of the Church, St Cuthbert’s, St John Ogilvie’s and St Joseph’s.

The report follows a series of three meetings which were structured and conducted, as far as possible, in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Cluster Parishes Together Handbook. We found the Handbook very helpful in guiding us though our deliberations, but since we have had very little experience of working as a cluster we had to examine many of the issues on a prospective basis, that is, we looked at what would or could work well as a cluster rather than what does work well.

As suggested in the Handbook, the report summaries separately the substance of each of the 3 meetings, and it makes a number of proposals which we believe are positive, pastorally feasible, and canonically possible. I should add that the report is a concise version and its content does not include much of the detail presented at the meetings. This arises from your expressed hope that reports will be brief.

Yours Sincerely in JC & MI

Tony Quinlan

Anthony Quinlan omi

Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, registered charity No. SC008540

Final Report.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE WHAT DONE TOGETHER IN PASTORAL PROVISION?

Clergy

Sharing of priests and staggered Mass provision could facilitate the success of future cluster arrangements.

Sacramental Preparation

Marriage preparation could take place on a cluster basis to avoid duplication of resources.
RCIA provision could also be provided within the cluster rather than in individual parishes.
Sacramental preparation for children could, in some cases, be delivered on a cluster basis, where children do not attend Catholic schools, e.g. if Confirmation was to take place in one church only within the cluster. This would enable all parish catechists and clergy to work together to ensure each participant felt equally included.

Combined Faith Events

Retreats, pilgrimages and prayer services/groups could be organised within the cluster rather than duplicated across all parishes. This could prove more viable, in terms of cost, where applicable, and numbers attending
Certain parish ministries could be carried out on a cluster basis, e.g. Bereavement Group, Music Ministry for cluster events, Justice and Peace and Ecumenical Groups.
Sharing of priests and staggered Mass provision could facilitate the success of future cluster arrangements.

Joint Parish Events.

Social events are a means of enabling parishioners from each cluster parish to come together and build community, dispelling any feelings of “them and us.”
Ongoing participation in projects such as Mary’s Meals, St Catharine’s Homelessness Project, SVP and Justice and Peace could continue across the cluster.
Cluster parishes currently have very vibrant community life, essential to evangelisation and outreach.

WHAT SHOULD CONTINUE WITHIN INDIVIDUAL PARISHES?

The consensus of opinion from Parishioners from each of the four cluster parishes was that each parish community must be retained as each has a strong, individual identity and a rich, vibrant community and pastoral life. This was emphasised at each cluster meeting.

Each parish should have at least one Sunday/Vigil Mass, to continue to enrich their faith and enhance the spiritual life of each community. This is essential to allow continued access to Mass for those parishioners faced with travel restrictions, often due to issues of age, infirmity or financial demands.
Individual parish provision should continue for Children’s Liturgy within Sunday Mass
Funerals, weddings, baptisms, special feast days and celebrations such as Easter and Christmas are an essential part of the spiritual life of each parish community.
Each parish should have its own Parish Pastoral Council. A new forum could be established to enable these PPCs to meet, together, on a quarterly basis.
Eucharistic Ministers, visiting sick and housebound, should also operate on an individual parish basis.
Eucharistic Services could be promoted and developed within each parish, to be held in the absence of a priest.
Where possible, Deacons and Pastoral Assistants should support parish life.
Parishioners should be encouraged and trained to undertake duties which do not need to be carried out by a priest, e.g, conducting Eucharistic Services, funerals, finance, maintenance etc.
Continue to encourage and support positive links with local schools, St Augustine’s, St Cuthbert’s and St Joseph’s.

SIGNS AND DEVELOPMENT OF VIBRANCY WITHIN CLUSTER PARISHES

Clergy Our Cluster is in a unique position as two of our parishes are served by Religious Orders, Oblates of Mary Immaculate and Augustinians, who relieve the Archdiocese in servicing these parishes. The other two are served by one Diocesan priest, while the resident Redemptorist priest in Our Lady’s, Currie, is chaplain to two hospitals, the Western General and Royal Victoria, and assists in saying Mass in the parish. Heriot Watt University Chaplaincy is also served from within the cluster.

People: Parishioners are seen to be the most valuable resource in the cluster. Numbers in all parishes are healthy with a trend towards growing attendance at Sunday Mass. A considerable number are active within their own parish communities, in a wide range of groups and areas of service.

Evangelisation and Outreach: Active groups within the cluster parishes are major forms of evangelisation. Currently, a range of groups operate, including Mary’s Meals, SVP, Justice and Peace, Eucharistic Ministers, Liturgists, Catechists and Music Ministries. Parishioners also volunteer with projects such as St Catharine’s Homeless Project, support liturgical services and work with refugees.

Within the cluster, there is an enthusiastic Justice and Peace team which, in addition to other activities, encourages all parishioners to become involved in projects such as Fairtrade, Fresh Start, SCIAF, Foodbanks and environmental issues. The lives of many local people benefit from the group’s work, which is seen by the local community to be “the Church in action.”

In 2016, within our cluster, one parish hosted the world – renowned Notre Dame Folk Choir, which enabled all cluster parishes and other denominations to support and share in an overwhelming, week long evangelisation experience through music, faith and, above all, joy. The choir enabled people throughout Edinburgh to participate in a unique experience of evangelisation while inspiring renewed interest in liturgy among young people and, indeed, all ages.

Leadership: Parish groups are perceived as a continuing strength and the foundation for future leadership within each parish in the absence of a resident priest.

Catechesis: Sacramental Preparation, both for adults and children, is paramount. Engaging children, together with supporting parents, should be consistently emphasised. Children’s Liturgy is a prime example of ongoing engagement.

Stewardship: Encouraging people to use their skills and talents is an effective way of developing the cluster community. Acting as responsible stewards of God’s creation is a clear indicator of parish vibrancy.

PASTORAL GOALS FOR CLUSTER TO WORK IN SPIRIT OF MISSION AND EVANGELISATION

Youth Development

Set up a Cluster Youth Ministry Team to encourage and enable young people to re-engage with church communities.
By empowering young people in a practical way, provide the opportunity for individuals to continue their journey of faith.
Encourage and support young people to assume leadership roles within parish communities.

Lay Development

Develop strategy and training for lay leadership. This is essential to ensure future survival of parishes and to promote and support evangelisation.
Development and expansion of role of laity in partnership with clergy to support pastoral life and growth. As numbers of ordained clergy dwindle, it is essential that the laity be prepared to assume a more prominent role in ongoing pastoral work.
Set up a Cluster Prayer Group to support ongoing spiritual development.
Establish Cluster Parish Pastoral Council to bring together strengths of individual PPC’s, providing a forum to share ideas and resources, where appropriate.
Programme of joint services, to share and grow together.
Cluster involvement in ecumenism, connecting with and reaching out to other churches in fellowship.
Engage with other clusters to learn from one another.
Continue to develop existing resources and parish groups in order to reach out and serve more people.