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Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings and peace to you, and I hope, a message of practical and spiritual support to you in our present circumstances. Following recent instructions from the Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Masses are not be celebrated in public with effect from Fri 20 March 20. The Church will remain open at our usual times for private prayers, eucharistic devotions and for access to a priest for consultation/confession: Saturdays from 1800 until 2000, Sundays from 0900 until 12noon and Thursdays 1800 until 2000. Also please be assured that priests continue to celebrate Holy Masses although in quieter ways – you can still participate in the spiritual fruitfulness of the sacrament. Perhaps more inwardly, more in the ‘spirit and in truth’ of what Mass truly is; it can help us to remember that Mass is primarily the action of Christ and as such it belongs to the supernatural order of grace. Fr James Bell, the Dean of our Highland Deanery has written us an encouraging letter in which he invites us all to make the most of the challenges we face so that this time is not wasted but indeed serves a good outcome of this unprecedented situation: “Although this is an involuntary ‘eucharistic fast’ this can be an opportunity for further self-scrutiny, a time to deepen our obedience to the will of the Father, and to discern what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. It will be fruitful if we share our insights with each other, by whatever means. Please make acts of ‘Spiritual Communion”, especially when at Exposition, when listening to Mass on radio, or watching & listening to it on television, or your smart ‘phone or computer. You may find these links helpful: The Eternal Word Television Network has a daily Mass on the homepage of its website. It can be accessed directly at www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings. Some Scottish Churches are offering televised Masses [live streaming]- google ‘mcn media’. You will find that there is a daily celebration of Mass from St Francis Xavier’s Parish in Falkirk, and from the Catholic Cathedral in Glasgow, as well as other venues at home and abroad. Similarly, you could explore ‘Daily Mass Today’ on ‘google’, where you should find several possibilities. As well as all the splendid modern high-tech gizmos there is however another system, ‘wonderfully made’ – your mind! Your own imagination and memory are powerful tools for recollecting Masses and imagining the sights and symbols of faith. When accompanied by careful attention to the weekday and Sunday Mass readings we can find nourishing spiritual food. This is a time to extend our knowledge, strengthen our will, and deepen our understanding- let the desert flourish. All of us should say The Lord’s Prayer more frequently, and the petition ’Give us today our daily bread’ might be pondered and reflected upon, indeed ‘marked, learned and inwardly digested’.” Much food for thought indeed – Dear Brothers and sisters: let us use this time well, let us renew our life of faith and re-invigorate our devotions, particularly to the Eucharist. Once again I ask you not to give up on your catholic habits – our rites make us into who we are. There is still much of what we can do: family rosary, spiritual conferences on-line, Masses streamed on-line, reading something on the lives of the saints and so on. Also please unite yourself spiritually with me as I offer our Parish Mass at usual time – you can lift up your thoughts and prayers. I will keep producing and printing this newsletter and Mass Accompaniment sheet every week, offering some reflections on Sunday readings in the context of our situation, updates on the Church’s position and guidelines, and possible resources to use at home. Should you know of someone wishing to receive the sacraments – either at home or in the church please do let me know – usual channels of communication: landline – 01349 863143 , mobile 07749732781, e-mail: catholicdingwall@gmail.com May God bless you and keep you, Fr Andrzej LINKS TO VARIOUS MASSES STREAMED ONLINE
Glasgow Cathedral EWTN St Francis Xavier Church Falkirk Mass of All Ages ( traditional rite) OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES Aberdeen catholic YouTube Channel Spiritual Resources
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