The Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen

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St Mary’s, Inverness

&

St Columba’s, Culloden

The Presbytery 30 Huntly Street

Inverness IV 3 5 PR

 

Dear friends in Christ,                                                                                                                                     Candlemass 2012                                                                        

 

It is sometime now since I last wrote a circular letter, but now that we have celebrated Candlemass, The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, we formally close the Christmas season. We are aware, even if the weather is wintry, that we are on the turn, soon it will be Spring, and even sooner than that it will be once again the season of Lent, and the movement over the weeks to Holy Week and Easter. So goes the familiar round of the seasons, keeping pace with the prospect of better weather to come, and all the joys of Easter spring-time, then Mary’s month of May and beyond the long weeks of the year, sunlight and the relaxing prospect of holidays and recreation. It seems appropriate to address a few issues that we will be facing together over the weeks and months ahead.

The Parish of St Mary Inverness celebrates its 175^th Anniversary on Sun 25 March 2012. Because the Solemnity of the Annunciation falls on a Sunday, it is transferred to Monday 26^th March. We will have a Mass at 7.00 pm followed by a Parish Party in the Hall. This is a wonderful opportunity for the new Parish Council to get together all the different elements and groups that make up our multi-ethnic, cosmopolitan, and thoroughly Catholic Parish, so that we may rejoice together in our unity while celebrating our diversity. It would be splendid if we could have an international celebration not just liturgically but also reflected in our menus and entertainments at our “ceilidh”.

Monsignor Robert McDonald will be with us and he will formally dedicate the new window in commemoration of former Parish Priests. The window will be installed in the preceding week by the same Polish craftsmen, Tomasz Tuszko and Pawel Przyrowski, who made and fitted the Fr Jerzy/ Solidarity window.  Please take one of the explanatory leaflets about the new window. You may like to consider making a donation towards its cost.

Repair and Refurbishment of St Mary’s.  You will see over, the next few weeks, workmen on the roof, climbing up to clear gutters, repair broken slates and fractured parapets. There has been water ingress in different parts of our buildings with consequent damage to the fabric. The St Mary’s Fabric and Finance Committee have been meeting regularly to discuss how we will best manage these repairs and some modifications. We are aware how tight money is, and we are planning as prudently and as thriftily as possible to take the necessary steps now so that we do not have bigger bills in the future. We will shortly issue a brochure which will show the extent of our building works and how together we should find ways and means of tackling them. We have a wonderful set of buildings at St Mary’s, but like some of the rest of us “the old lady” is beginning to show some wear and tear. We will all do what we can to ensure that future generations will find a welcome in this Highland gem, this beautiful Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation- St Mary’s, Huntly Street. I am sure that you will enjoy reading the new brochures which will shortly be available.

As Lent approaches it is right that we should all want to undertake some ‘spiritual discipline’, following Ash Wednesday. I am offering some Prayer evenings at St Columba’s Culloden at 8.15 pm on four Wednesdays in Lent : 22 Feb, 29 Feb, 28 Mar and 4 Apr. These will be drawn from the Carmelite tradition: Prayer with Our Lady and Elijah. All are welcome.

The Station Masses provide an opportunity for us all, from whatever country or language group, to join together in a kind of mini-pilgrimage to other parishes within our Deanery. The list of venues and times of travel are displayed on notices at the back of our churches. We will be hiring a Thirty-Three seater coach which will depart from King Street behind St Mary’s and then call at St Columba’s Culloden to pick up people from there. Please make a special effort to attend ALL, or some, of these. It is an enormous encouragement to every Parish and especially to the clergy.

St Mary’s, Inverness will be the host on Fri 2 March 12.

Lent House Masses: I would be willing to visit homes in the whole parish area, St Columba’s and St Mary’s to celebrate Mass. This would be an occasion for gathering a few neighbours and friends to deepen our faith in Sacramental fellowship.  Such remote preparation would be useful for our Mission in June (16^th-23^rd) with Fr Francis, the Capuchin Franciscan with the musical ministry. Please contact me as soon as possible so that I can arrange for one house Mass each week in Lent.

Pilgrimages in general are a wonderful way of deepening faith, having a recreational break and enjoying the company of our brothers and sisters in the Faith. There are two overseas pilgrimages on offer this summer: The St Mary’s/ St Columba’s/ Deanery Pilgrimage to Poland from 4-11 May (a new brochure will be available shortly); and the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes to be led by Bishop Hugh, 4-11 July.  Please read about them in the brochures and The Bulletin, and speak to me or to Christopher in the Parish Office. At the moment, for the Polish Pilgrimage, we have three from St Ninian’s, two from St Columba’s, and no-one yet from St Mary’s apart from myself - I am sure that there are a few more just waiting to sign up. Please speak to me if you are interested. We need a few more folk to make it economically and socially viable! 

The New Translation of the Mass is still taking some getting used to, but I would like to commend everyone for the willingness that has been shown in settling down to learn new musical settings. We may yet be able to improve on the present settings, so our musicians and singers will be looking at some new material.

The St Mary’s Choral Group is inviting you to join its number. We need some more singers to join the ‘canaries’. So please would YOU think about joining the Choir?

On Sunday evenings there is a group of Young Adults who are providing musical leadership- fiddle, guitar- any other instrumentalists are welcome. Please speak to Christopher in the Parish Office if you are able to help, or are interested in joining this new form of ministry. After the Sunday evening Masses the Young Adults meet in the Marian Room for refreshments and fellowship. Please feel free to join them; you are welcome. Just turn up!

The ministry of the altar servers is much appreciated both at St Columba’s Culloden and at St Mary’s. Deacon Patrick would like to draw up regular lists of servers. It is helpful to know who is going to be there day to day and week to week. We are hoping to encourage more adult mento volunteer to be altar servers. This would be helpful at week-day Masses as well as at week-ends.  Please think about this. It would assist the clergy, and give a strong supportive message to some teen-age boys who may be beginning to think that they are out-growing this ministry. I would be very willing to discuss this with interested men either from St Columba’s or St Mary’s.

The Daily Office is said regularly before Mass- Morning Prayer, at St Mary’s, is usually led by one of the Deacons or by a reader. The Divine Office is said (or sung) by the ordained clergy, religious and others. It is for the whole People of God. If you are interested in acquiring more information about the Divine Office, then please attend a Workshop led by Fr James at The Presbytery at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 21Feb. There will be an introduction to saying the Offices (Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer). Night Prayer, or Compline, is a beautiful office for the close of the day, with its dual assurance of a “quiet night and a perfect end”. Please mark this Prayer Workshop in your diary. Office Books will be provided. Please let Fr James know if you will be attending- for planning purposes such as getting the right number of Chocolate Ginger Biscuits ready for the tea party!

Please continue to pray for our Diocesan seminarians: Fr Domenico, Andrew, Emmet and Rafal, and for all other men who are considering how to respond to the invitation of the Lord Jesus to the sacred ministries.

There will be a School Mass (St Joseph’s RC Primary School attending) in St Mary’s on Ash Wednesday 22 Feb at 1000 am. The children, staff and parents will join the usual congregation for the Imposition of Ashes and the Mass.

There will be another Mass with the School to celebrate the Feast of St Joseph at 1000 am on Mon 19 March.

Finally, several of the Parishioners out at Culloden and in at St Mary’s have been kind in supporting me during the days of the troubles with my “gammy leg”! Thank you, all of you, for your prayers and kindness. You will have observed that I am progressing to a better mode of hobbling and I am becoming more semi-detached to the walking-stick. Long may it continue: I keep taking the pills and doing the exercise, mostly swimming on Fridays at Nairn hydro therapy pool, or during the week in a local pool early in the morning, It is a wonderful time for planning meals, saying Hail Marys, and thinking about all the things that need to be done. Somehow the moving waters soothe away the angst. So I commend swimming to you, no matter how decrepit you are- it’s doing well for me!

This has been longer than I would have wanted but it gives you an up-date on what is what.

 

All good wishes,    

 

Fr James