BULLETIN                29 MARCH 2020

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT IN YEAR 1


SERVICES AND GATHERINGS
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, public Church services and gatherings are suspended till further notice.
Father Duncan will celebrate Holy Mass privately every day and assures you of his prayers for you and your family.

A READING FROM THE PROPHET EZEKIEL - 37:12-14
The Lord says this. I am now going to open your graves. I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you and you will live and I shall resettle you on your own soil and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this. It is the Lord who speaks.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE ROMANS - 8:8-11
People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN - 11:1-45
There was a man named Lazarus who lived in the village of Bethany with the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill. It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent this message to Jesus, 'Lord, the man you love is ill.' On receiving the message Jesus said "This sickness will end not in death but in God's glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples "Let us go to Judaea." The disciples said "Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews wanted to stone you. Are you going back again?" Jesus replied "Are there not twelve hours in the day? A man can walk in the daytime without stumbling because he has the light of this world to see by but if he walks at night he stumbles, because there is no light to guide him." He said that and then added "Our friend Lazarus is resting. I am going to wake him."
The Gospel continues the story of the raising of Lazarus.


MASS AND PRAYER TEXTS ONLINE
During this challenging time, we are unable to attend Mass. We can go through the Order of Mass on our own at home. Mass is being streamed live from some of the Churches in our Diocese. Please visit GallowayDiocese.org.uk for live stream details and access to other spiritual resources in this time of isolation. Also, Magnificat is honoured to provide complimentary access to our online version to help people pray from home. You can access morning and evening prayers and the full texts for the daily and Sunday Masses on www.Magnificat.com/free.

HOLY WEEK SERVICES
Please join us at home for the Holy Week services at the same time that they are being celebrated in Church. We can be connected spiritually, although we cannot come together as a Parish Family at this time.
Palm Sunday - 5 April 2020
Palms and a copy of the latest bulletin will be available in the porch of the Parish house. If you can, please come along and collect palms. You do not need to ring the doorbell.
Holy Thursday - 9 April 2020
The Mass of the Lord's Supper will be celebrated at 7.00pm. As Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, we pray especially for all those in the front line services who are 'washing the feet' of their brothers and sisters as they support them in so many ways during this crisis.
Good Friday - 10 April 2020
The Good Friday Service will be celebrated at 3.00pm. An extra petition for deliverance from the Coronavirus will be added to the traditional ten petitions. The Crucifix will be placed in front of the altar in the sanctuary in Church. "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Saviour of the world".
Easter Vigil - 11 April 2020
The Easter Vigil will be celebrated at 7.30pm. We pray that the Light of Christ comes into our world. Christ's Resurrection will change everything.
Easter Sunday - 12 April 2020
We wish each other a Blessed and Happy Easter in these difficult times. The Easter Candle will remain lit all day in Church, in the middle of the Sanctuary, for the Parish and for all our families and loved ones.

CORONAVIRUS AND PRAYER
I know this is heartbreaking. The Catechism affirms that 'the Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life' - making this a particularly difficult day in an already difficult time. Whether you live alone or with family, you will still be gathering with Catholics around the world to worship God, keep his day holy, and receive the grace of an act of spiritual communion. A prayer card is available on our parish website. Holy Mass is celebrated in various Churches throughout the Diocese for the foreseeable future, not only on Sundays, but every day of the week, so please join with them each day or as often as you can. Holy Mass is also celebrated every day in Saint Peter's without a congregation. Please continue to pray for all those impacted by Coronavirus. I include you all and all your families and loved ones, every day in the Holy Mass in in my prayers. Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us! Saint Peter, pray for us!

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The financial support and upkeep of the Parish is also drastically affected by the present situation. Please try and hand in your Offertory envelopes to the Parish Office when you can or better still, consider taking out a Banker's Order for Saint Peter's as the social isolation will probably impact us for the next months. Banker's Order and Gift Aid Declaration forms are available in the Parish Office and on our website. If you would prefer that we email you or post the forms, please let the Parish Office know. If you require any assistance in completing the forms, please contact George at the Parish Office and he can speak to you by phone. Thank you for all you do and for your solidarity and generosity. In these difficult financial times, there is no obligation to give to the Sunday Collection. If, however, you feel able to, you can donate by text message to an account set up by the Diocese of Galloway. It is not possible to nominate a particular parish so all text-giving donations will be shared among parishes. To donate, text the word SUNDAY to 70085 followed by the number of pounds, from 1 to 20. For example, SUNDAY 5 to 70085 gives £5. This message would cost £5 plus one standard rate message charge. Thank you for all your commitment and support.

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Every day, Father Duncan will celebrate Holy Mass privately, focusing on these Thoughts for the Day.

A message from Father Duncan on Sunday 29 March 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish, key workers and their families. This Is the Lent God our Father wants us to have. God in Christ is the Lord of history. He's in charge. His providential plan for our salvation and happiness cannot be defeated. If he has permitted us to have to be for a while without our public celebration of the Holy Eucharist and our usual Lenten devotions, his Spirit offers us other means to prepare ourselves for Holy Week and Easter. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Monday 30 March 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish, key workers and their families. No Time Is without its grace. Christ’s death and rising is a grace that should shape every day of a Christian’s life and above all in these days. In this time of trial we are called to seize the grace of showing ourselves, by the power of the Spirit of Christ, to be, like Christ, filled with faith in God’s care for us. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family
.
A message from Father Duncan on Tuesday 31 March 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish, the sick and those who care for them. It's still about living the gospel. Right now all of us, are focused on responding to the Coronavirus pandemic. Yes, but that doesn't mean that living out our faith has been abandoned - quite the contrary. We still must be about evangelisation. That's always our mission. This is a providential time for us to witness to our sure confidence in Jesus as Lord of history, to manifest to the world that we face this challenge with unshakeable trust that the Lord will sustain us. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Wednesday 1 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and those mourning loved ones. Now Is The hour Of the Domestic Church. The Christian family, as the Domestic Church, has to be at the centre of the New Evangelisation. In these days when our large public gatherings for prayer and catechesis are suspended, the Domestic Church is all the more clearly 'ground zero' for our response. Now it falls squarely on families to make their homes places to hear the Word of God, and to offer him praise, especially in acts of Spiritual Communion and entrustment to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.

A message from Father Duncan on Thursday 2 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and for those who have died due to Coronavirus. We are called to accompany our neighbours. Each of us, especially in our families, faces fears about what the future holds as the spread of the virus unfolds. The pains caused by the pandemic will fall particularly hard on the poor, the elderly and the chronically ill. We Christians have a particular duty to care for them. One simple but much needed work of mercy will be to stay in touch - by phone? - with the elderly who are quarantined. We should be sure that social distancing doesn't result in losing spiritual closeness. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Friday 3 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and that the Church continues to guide and lead us. Our First 'Touchstone' Is Spiritual Communion. During this time when the public celebration of Holy Mass has to be suspended, we need the graces of the Eucharist more than ever - for these are the graces whereby the Holy Spirit works in our lives that dying to self and living for the Father that is Jesus's Paschal Mystery. These graces can be available to us through Spiritual Communion. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Saturday 4 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, on Our Lady's Day, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Annie and Andrew Murphy. Our Second 'Touchstone' Is Our Lady's Protection. From the cross, Jesus gave us his Mother to be ours. In every age - from the days before Pentecost until today - the Church has been blessed through the Mother of God interceding for us, from her being close to us with her care and protection. Let us renew our commitment to 'fly to her protection'. I invite you to join with me in praying the Memorare every day to commend, not only the Church, but also our country - indeed the whole world - to the loving care of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.

LOCKDOWN
Lockdown, a stirring poem penned by a Capuchin Franciscan brother in Ireland, is giving respite to millions of people worldwide who are in lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. Richard Hendrick, a friar in the Roman Catholic order, shared the poem on Facebook on 13 March as Ireland announced stringent new measures to combat the spread of the virus. It acknowledges the 'fear' and 'isolation' of the global public health crisis that has now killed more than 10000 people. It goes on to remind readers, however, that there 'does not have to be hate' or 'loneliness'.
Lockdown
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But, they say in Wuhan after so many years of noise you can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet, the sky is no longer thick with fumes but blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi, people are singing to each other across the empty squares, keeping their windows open so that those who are alone may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know is busy spreading flyers with her number through the neighbourhood so that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples are preparing to welcome and shelter the homeless, the sick and the weary.
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting.
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way.
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality to how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that yes there is fear but there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation but there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying but there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness but there does not have to be disease of the soul.
Yes there is even death but there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen behind the factory noises of your panic the birds are singing again the sky is clearing,
Spring is coming, and we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul and though you may not be able to touch across the empty square, sing.

HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY
If a member of your family or a friend is sick, please let us know and give us the details. Deacon Bill Corbett (01292 521208, 07904 248948, Rev.BillCorbett@btinternet.com) is the Chaplain to Crosshouse Hospital and is assisted by the Priest on call each week.

ADVERTISER SUPPORT
Our advertisers would welcome your support. We are grateful for their continuing sponsorship. We are grateful for the support of Mr and Mrs Sohal, Nisa Stores, Glasgow Street for the weekly donation of tea, coffee and milk for the Sunday teas.

PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS - MISSION STATEMENT
The Catholic Church in Scotland is concerned with the lives, safety, wholeness and well-being of each individual person within God's purpose for everyone. It seeks to safeguard the welfare of people of all ages who are involved in whatever capacity
with the Church and its organisations. As a Church community, we accept that it is the responsibility of all of us, ordained, professed, paid and voluntary members, to work together to prevent the physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults.