Christian Aid Harvest Coffee Afternoon: St Serf’s Church, Thursday 19^th September, 2pm-4pm. Coffee, cakes (& cake stall), second hand books and toys, local arts& crafts. Entry by donation to Christian Aid. all

Season of Creation: A Season of Creation online event will take place on Thursday 19 September with Fr Joshtrom Kureethadam at 7:00pm. Register at https://bit.ly/hopeactcreation. Event hosted by The Bishops' Conference of Scotland’s Care of Creation Office.

Venerable Margaret Sinclair: The annual Venerable Margaret Sinclair Pilgrimage takes place at St Patrick’s Church in The Cowgate, Edinburgh, on Sunday 22 September. Schedule: 1:30pm – Holy Hour; 2:45pm – individual blessings at Shrine; 3:30pm – Reflection, Novena Prayers, presentation from Sinclair Academy; 4:30pm Holy Mass with Archbishop Cushley. Find out more about Margaret Sinclair at https://stpatricksedinburgh.com/margaret-sinclair/

Celebrating the Gift: A Scripture Reflection Day titled ‘Celebrating the Gift’ takes place at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, on Saturday 5 October 2024 from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The event will explain more about the new lectionary which is being introduced in Advent and it is also a chance to reflect on the Word of God. Register at bit.ly/scriptureevent

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd:  Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a children's catechetical programme aimed at fostering children's vital relationship with God and life in the Church, is beginning in Fife. Give your child the space to pray, seek God, and  wonder.  Contact brodie.douglas-young@staned.org.uk or Fr James for more information on location and details.

Save the Date – Youth Day: The Archdiocese is hosting a youth day for p3-p7 children at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB, on Saturday 16 November to coincide with the Feast of St Margaret. Details to follow soon.

Raise the Roof concert: Barbara Dickson will appear with Nick Holland at a special concert in St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, EH1 3JD, at 7:30pm on Thursday 3 October 2024. The concert is to raise funds for the roof appeal at the Cathedral. Register at bit.ly/raisetheroofshow 

Events in the Archdiocese: For a full list of forthcoming events in the Archdiocese visit https://archedinburgh.org/news-events/

Anecdote:  “Those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.” When Communist forces invaded Vietnam in the 1950s, Hien Pham, like many Vietnamese Christians, was arrested and jailed for his beliefs. After his release from prison, Pham made plans to escape Vietnam. He secretly began building a boat. Fifty-three fellow-Vietnamese made plans to escape with him. One day, four Vietcong soldiers came to Pham’s house and confronted him. They heard he was planning an escape. Was it true? Of course, Hien Pham lied to them. If he had told the truth, the Vietcong might have killed him and arrested the other fifty-three people. — But after the soldiers left, Pham felt very uneasy. Had God really wanted him to lie? Didn’t he trust that God would provide for him under any circumstances? Even though it made no logical sense, Pham believed that God wanted him to tell the truth, even at the risk of his own life. So, Hien Pham resolved that if the Vietcong soldiers returned, he would confess his escape plans. Hien Pham chose to bear a particular cross, the cross of honesty. He chose to sacrifice what he had seen as “safety” for faithfulness. He finished building his boat, and his friends made the final plans for their daring escape. To their horror, the Vietcong soldiers returned and demanded to know if the escape rumors were true. Hoping against hope, Hien Pham confessed his plans. Can you imagine his surprise when those four soldiers replied, “Take us with you!” That evening, Hien Pham, his fifty-three friends, and four Vietcong soldiers made a daring escape under cover of night in a homemade boat. But that’s not the end of the story! They sailed straight into a violent storm. Pham reports that they would have all been lost, if it hadn’t been for the expert sailing skills of, you guessed it, the four Vietcong soldiers. The escapees landed safely in Thailand. Eventually, Hien Pham emigrated to the United States, where he made a new life for himself. [Ravi Zacharias. Deliver Us from Evil (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997), pp. 191-194.] He proved the truth of verse 35: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).