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.
INTRODUCTION
We arrive at the fiftieth day! Today is the climax of the Easter Season when
we remember that moment when the Holy Spirit descended on Mary and the disciples
gathered in prayer. The work of Jesus on earth is accomplished - now it is
the turn of the Church to continue his presence and his mission. We pray today
that the Holy Spirit will inspire all of us in the Church.
A READING
FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (2:1-11)
When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room, when suddenly
they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which
filled the entire house in which they were sitting and something appeared
to them that seemed like tongues of fire. These separated and came to rest
on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.
Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven
and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men
speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. "Surely"
they said "all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that
each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites,
people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and
Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene as well as visitors from
Rome, Jews and proselytes alike, Cretans and Arabs - we hear them preaching
in our own language about the marvels of God.
REFLECTION
Today is the birthday of the Church - that body of people of every race and
nation, spread out through time, who seek to continue the Mission of Jesus,
proclaiming faith in God and a way of life that leads to his Kingdom. It is
the gift of the Holy Spirit that enables us to do this, that allows us to
pray, that ensures the continuing presence of Jesus in Holy Communion, that
ensures we remain true to His teachings as the centuries unfold. In the reading
above, we hear of the miracle of Pentecost, also referred to in the Preface
of Mass today - the Spirit 'brought together the many languages of the earth
in profession of the one faith'. What is the language of the Church? Some
would say Latin, while others would go back further and say Greek or Aramaic.
But the language of the Church must be love - a love which breaks down barriers
and unites all people in God's Kingdom. Let us pray that the Spirit may blow
like a rushing wind through our world today, to fill us with the language
of love in all that we say and do.
CLOSE
OF THE MONTH OF MAY
We will close the special month of May with the Solemnity of Pentecost. We
entrust the needs of the Church and our personal petitions to Mary, the Mother
of God.
NATIONAL ROSARY RALLY
A
National Rosary Rally is taking place on Pentecost Sunday from 9.00am to 9.00pm.
The Diocese of Galloway has been asked to pray the Rosary from 4.00 till 5.00pm.
This will be broadcast on Facebook.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Every day this week, Father Duncan
will celebrate Holy Mass privately, focusing on these Thoughts for the Day
taken from The Holy Spirit by Matthew Kelly.
A message from Father Duncan on Sunday 31 May 2020
Today, I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish.
Have you ever noticed the difference between a person
who is inspired and one who is not? Sometimes when you watch two teams compete
in sports, you can tell one team is inspired and the other isn't. Inspiration
makes a huge difference. For twenty years I have been working with people
of all ages and from all walks of life and one thing that I have noticed over
and over again is that people don't do anything until they are inspired -
but once they are inspired there is almost nothing they cannot do. The disciples
are a perfect example. Before Pentecost they were full of fear. After Pentecost
they were full of courage. What changed? They got inspired. They got filled
with the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn't leave us to face the world alone. He promised
he would be with us and that he would send the Holy Spirit to guide, inspire
and encourage us. Jesus made that promise not just to the disciples. it was
a promise he made to you. Please be assured
of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Monday 1 June 2020 - Memorial of Mary, Mother
of the Church
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Cathie McClintock who died
recently. In the Scriptures God is revealed as the
Father who creates us (Genesis 1), his Son who redeems us (Matthew 1) and
the Holy Spirit who inspires us (Acts 1). The whole history we find in the
Bible is the story of God's ongoing concern for the human family and for each
of us individually as his children. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of
the Trinity. He is the one whom Jesus promised the Father would send to guide
and encourage us. How often in your life do you need guidance and encouragement?
Whether you are aware of it or not, you need these things every day, and the
Holy Spirit is within you to provide them. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Tuesday 2 June
2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Michael Collins at his
anniversary. Are you ready to have that power unleashed
in your life? What will unleashing the Holy Spirit in your life mean to you?
The Holy Spirit will help you find and understand truth, and you will never
have more happiness in your life than you have truth. The more truth you allow
into your heart, mind, and soul, the happier you will be. But if you allow
the truth to be crowded out with lies and deceit, you will find yourself miserable.
The Holy Spirit wants to help you build a throne for truth in your heart.
Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Wednesday
3 June
2020 - Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Theresa McGarvey. The
Spirit of God is within you. This is good news. It means that you have a power
within you that you have not even begun to comprehend. The Holy Spirit will
give you the courage to face difficult situations. The Holy Spirit means that
you are never alone. He is always with you, ready to guide you, encourage
you, comfort you and challenge you. The Holy Spirit is a true friend who always
wants what is best for you. Think about Peter who denied Jesus three times
before his death out of selfish fear - but after Pentecost he literally risked
his life just to let people know about Jesus. The Holy Spirit doesn't change
us into someone else - he just brings the best and the most out of us. The
Holy Spirit will help you know and do God's will. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Thursday 4 June
2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Joseph Gibb who died recently.
The Holy Spirit will allow you to maintain joy even
in the midst of suffering. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. It is
easy to be joyful when things are going well but the Holy Spirit brings us
joy in times of suffering and that is a thing of beauty. Saint Paul is a perfect
example here. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are called
the 'prison' epistles because they were written during Paul's first imprisonment,
mentioned in Acts 28. Throughout these writings he talks about his joy and
all the things he rejoices about. When you think about the fact that he was
in prison for being Christian and you consider the filthy conditions of prisons
at the time, you have to ask yourself - what did he have to be joyful about?
He was joyful even in the midst of suffering because he was filled with the
Holy Spirit. All this is what the Holy Spirit wants to do for you. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Friday 5 June
2020 - Memorial of Saint Boniface
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Mrs Gallagher who died
recently. So, what are the seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit?
1
Wisdom - the ability to discern what is true, right, and lasting. Wisdom enables
us to see life from God's perspective. It helps you to establish the right
priorities in your life, and leads you to think and act in mature ways.
2 Understanding - allows you to look beyond the shallowness of the world and
see the lasting truth in every situation by recognising how God is working
in our lives.
3 Counsel - the right judgment that allows us to see what is right and what
is wrong and the prudence to act accordingly.
4 Fortitude - the courage and strength of will to do what you know you should,
even if that means personal loss or suffering.
5 Knowledge - the ability to see things from a supernatural viewpoint, in
particular, to know what God is asking of you.
6 Piety - A loyalty to God that manifests as generous love and affectionate
obedience. This is the gift that allows you to love and worship God as he
deserves to be loved and worshipped.
7 Fear of the Lord - reverence - helps us to grasp God's greatness and our
dependence on him. As a result, we are filled with enormous respect for God
and we dread above all offending him or being separated from him. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Saturday 6 June
2020 - Our Lady's Day
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Nan Donohoe. You
have another decision to make. Are you going to welcome the Holy Spirit into
your life or ignore and reject him? If you are going to welcome the Holy Spirit,
then prepare yourself to receive him. If you had an important visitor coming
to your home, you would tidy up and make special preparations. The consequences
of embracing the Holy Spirit are peace, joy, order, and purpose.
Please be assured of my daily prayers for you
and your family.
A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF THE MASS - PART 1
Every
Parish has been suffering under a 'Eucharistic Fast' for many weeks because
of the pandemic. Perhaps this is a good time to grow in our understanding
and love of the Mass. Every Sunday, we will take a look at one aspect of the
Mass to enrich our appreciation of its essential significance in the life
of our Parish. "Do this in memory of me". In his book, The Hope
of the Liturgy, Don Gregory Dix, in reflecting on these words of Jesus, writes
'Was ever another command so obeyed? For century after century, spreading
slowly to every continent and country and among every race on earth, this
action has been done, in every conceivable human circumstance, for every conceivable
human need from infancy and before it to extreme old age and after it, from
the pinnacle of earthly greatness to the refuge of fugitives in the caves
and dens of the earth. Men have found no better thing than this to do for
kings at their crowning and for criminals going to the scaffold for armies
in triumph or for a bride and bridegroom in a little country Church, for the
famine of whole provinces or for the soul of a dead lover - and best of all,
week by week and month by month, on a hundred thousand successive Sundays,
faithfully, unfailingly, across all the parishes of Christendom, priest and
people continue to work together in order to carry out this command 'Do this
in memory of me". We can see how important and central the Mass has been
to Catholic life down through the ages - "until he comes again"
(1 Corinthians 11:26). The Mass is the centre of the whole of Christian life
for the Church both universal and local as well as for each of the faithful
individually for in it is found the high point of the action by which God
sanctifies the world in Christ. Through the liturgy, our Redeemer continues
the work of our redemption in, with and through his Church. The Second Vatican
Council defined the Mass as the centre of the Christian community, the source
and summit of the Christian life. The Mass is at the heart of our faith and
life. We should not be taking part in the Mass as strangers or silent spectators
but through a proper appreciation of the rites and prayers, we should participate
knowingly, devoutly, and actively. As we look at he Mass each Sunday in our
bulletin, it may be inspiring to know the following two realities. Firstly.
in modern day Iraq, Catholic families risk their lives to attend Mass on Sundays.
In an interview, one young adult said "Half of my family goes to one
Mass and half to another Mass". When asked why, the young man answered
"In this way, if the Church is blown up by a terrorist bomb, at least
half of my family will survive". Secondly, in many poor countries, Catholics
will walk one or two hours each way to attend Mass - such is their dedication
to the Eucharist. In contrast to the above commitment to the Eucharist, millions
of Catholics who live in nice homes close to a Church and drive nice cars,
find it too much of a 'sacrifice' or too much of an inconvenience to come
to Mass on Sunday. All of us should often pray that the Holy Spirit would
open our minds and our hearts to the tremendous gift God is offering us when
we choose to actively participate in the Mass. Here is a good practice suggestion
- try to get to Church ten or more minutes before Mass begins and remain at
Mass until the end of the final hymn.
MOST
HOLY TRINITY
Next Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. One of the shortest
Christian prayers is the Sign of the Cross - Sixteen words. In the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. It's not
just the way we begin and end prayer. It is a prayer unto itself - and it
contains one of the most sublime mysteries of our faith, the Trinity. The
Trinity is three Persons in one God. We don't worship three different gods,
but one single being who is threefold and yet remains one. Confusing? It should
be a little confusing if we really think about it. But to get us started,
think about water. Water can take different forms - liquid, ice or steam.
It is still H2O; it is just taking different forms. Now, God does not change
from one form to another at different times? God is always three and always
one. Still confused? That's okay. You see, you cannot come to the conclusion
of the Trinity by reason alone. It would not matter how much you thought about
it - you would never arrive at the Trinity through reason alone. And science
cannot prove or disprove the Trinity. We know about the Trinity through Revelation.
If God had not chosen to reveal himself to us we would not know about the
Trinity. This is one of the beautiful mysteries of our faith. You cannot know
everything through reason and science, some things we only know because God
has revealed them to us. And if there were no mystery there would be no need
for faith, because without mystery religion would be simply an intellectual
pursuit - and it is so much more than that.
SPIRIT OF LIFE
The kingdom of God is not a concept, a doctrine or a programme subject to
free interpretation but it is before all else a person with the face and name
of Jesus of Nazareth, the image of the invisible God. Unfortunately, it is
God Himself who is excluded from the horizon of so many persons and when the
discourse on God does not meet with indifference, closure or rejection, it
is nevertheless relegated to the subjective realm, reduced to an intimate
and private event, marginalised from the public conscience. The heart of the
crisis that wounds Europe passes through this abandonment, this lack of openness
to the Transcendent. It is a spiritual and moral crisis. Man pretends to have
an identity fulfilled simply in himself. In this context, how can we correspond
to the responsibility which has been entrusted to us by the Lord? How can
we sow with trust the Word of God, so that every man can find the truth about
himself, his own authenticity and hope? Our situation requires a renewed impulse,
which will point to what is essential of the faith and of Christian life.
At a time in which God has become for many the great unknown and Jesus simply
a great personality of the past, there will be no new thrust of the missionary
action without the renewal of the quality of our faith and our prayer. We
will not be able to give adequate answers without a new reception of the gift
of Grace. We will not know how to win men over to the Gospel if we ourselves
do not first have a profound experience of God. It is always important for
us to remember that the first condition to speak about God is to speak with
God, to become increasingly men and women of God, nourished by an intense
life of prayer and moulded by his grace. We want to rediscover and receive
again this precious gift that is faith. The old and new mission that is before
us is that of introducing men and women of our time to the relationship with
God, to help them to open their mind and heart to that God who seeks them
and wants to be close to them, to lead them to understand that to do his will
is not a limitation of liberty but it is to be truly free, to realise the
true good of life. God is the guarantor, not the counter-current of our happiness
and where the Gospel enters - and hence the friendship of Christ - man experiences
his being the object of a love that purifies, warms and renews and renders
us capable of loving and serving man with divine love. The New Evangelisation
needs adults who are mature in the faith and witnesses of humanity. The Church
has to form adult persons in the faith because those who have encountered
Jesus Christ and that he has become the fundamental reference of their life.
Persons who know Him because they love Him and they love Him because they
have known Him - persons capable of giving solid and credible reasons of life.
PRAYER DURING A PANDEMIC
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose
between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools
close remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those that have no safe place
to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country, let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbours. Amen. Cameron
Bellm
JUST
FOR A LAUGH ...
• After the Baptism of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way
home in the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally,
the boy replied "That priest said he wanted us brought up in a Christian
home but I want to stay with you."
•
A primary school teacher asked her class "What was Jesus' Mother's name?"
One child answered "Mary." The teacher then asked "Who knows
what Jesus' stepfather's name was?" A little boy said "Verge."
Confused, the teacher asked "Where did you get that?" The boy said
"Well, you know they are always talking about Verge 'n Mary.
WEEKLY
BULLETIN
If you would like to receive the weekly bulletin and updates by email, please
get in touch with the Parish Office and send us your email address. If you
know of someone who would like to be included on the mailing list, please
let us know. Thanks!
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.
NEW PARISH WEBSITE
Please have a look at our new parish website which is now up and running.
There are lots of resources for prayer and information, latest news and also
the weekly bulletin. The history section is being expanded step by step and
has really interesting video clips and photos from past events at Saint Peter's.
Have a look at SaintPeterInChains.co.uk.
WEEKLY BULLETIN
If you would like to receive the weekly Bulletin and updates by email, please
get in touch with the parish office and send us your email address. If you
know of someone who would like to be included on the mailing list, please
let us know - thanks.
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.