Teas and Coffees available after Mass on Sunday and Thursday.

Special Collection today for the Scottish Catholic Education Service.

Tuesday is the Chapter Mass in the Cathedral, Wednesday the Funeral Mass of Monsignor Alistair Lawson – There will be no Mass here those days.

Parish Social Event, Friday 27 December 2024, 7.00 pm to 10.30 pm in Church Hall:  There was a great response to the invitation to join us for this Social – there is now only one place available. Please see Fr James. 

200 Club: Congratulations to the winners in the November draw - £200 Nicola Knox (104); £100 Amy Lamond (4); £50 Thomas Brunton (202); £50 Bill Fox (39); £20 Maureen Anderson (13); £20 Doreen Cuthbert (199). The Big December draw will take place on Sunday 22^nd December

Nativity Blessing: Archbishop Cushley will bless the Nativity Scene at Mound Place, Edinburgh, at 3:00pm on Sunday 1 December.

Visit of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella will be at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh on Sunday 1 December. His Eminence will preach at the evening Mass that will be presided at by Archbishop Cushley. Mass begins at 7:30pm. All are welcome. The Mass will be livestreamed on the YouTube page of the Archdiocese.

SSVP Seniors Christmas Party - Sunday 15^th December: If you wish to attend please add your names to the sheet on the table in the porch. Thank you.

🎅🎄St Joseph`s Children`s Christmas Party 🎄🎅

The St Joseph’s Children’s Christmas Party will take place in the Church Hall on Saturday 21^st December from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. There is no charge for the party, but we ask parents to bring along some party food on the day. Please sign your child(ren)’s name(s) on the list in the porch and add the party food you can bring along. We look forward to seeing all the children there!

Zoom series on new Lectionary:  The Archdiocese is hosting a series of 45 min. talks on Zoom to take a closer look at the new Lectionary which is being introduced in Advent. Join Fr Jamie McMorrin at 7:00pm on Wednesday 4 December, Wed 11 Dec, and Wed 18 Dec. The sessions are free to attend. Register at bit.ly/lectionaryadvent 

East Fife Male Voice Choir Christmas Concert: Saturday 7 December at 2.00pm at the Old Kirk, Kirkcaldy. Tickets £12 at the door (under16’s free).

Anecdote: Missing the signal! In its day, the Titanic was the world’s largest ocean-liner, weighing 46,328 tons, and it was considered unsinkable. Yet, late during the night of April 14-15, 1912, the unthinkable happened to the unsinkable. Near midnight, the great Titanic struck an iceberg, ripping a three-hundred-foot hole through five of its sixteen watertight compartments. It sank in two and a half hours killing 1,513 people. Before the Titanic sank, warning after warning had been sent to tell the crew that they were speeding into an ice field, but the messages were ignored. In fact, when a nearby ship sent an urgent warning, the Titanic was talking to Cape Race about the time the chauffeurs were to meet arriving passengers at the dock in New York, and what dinner menus were to be ready. Preoccupied with the trivia, the Titanic responded to the warning, “Shut up. I am talking to Cape Race. You are jamming my signals!”  Why did so many die that night? Perhaps the crew disregarded the danger of the weather; there were not enough lifeboats on board; and the radio operator of nearby California was off duty; perhaps those responsible did not heed the warnings; they were preoccupied with other things! — Sometimes we believe that our ‘ship’ is unsinkable, our life is completely planned, and the unthinkable can never happen to us. We need to read the signs of the times; we need to pay attention to the warning signals. But if we are preoccupied with the trivial things of life, we will miss the most important things till it is too late. Advent gives us the warning to be watchful, waiting, and prepared.

(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Have a good week. Take care. Fr James