Sunday Missal:  23^rd Sunday, Year C. Page 1176.

Teas and Coffees available after Mass on Sunday and Thursday.

Fife Pilgrim Way – Deanery Event for the Jubilee Year: Saturday 13 September, 11:00am St Joseph’s, Kelty, to St Mary’s, Leslie. Saturday 20 September, 11:00am, St Mary’s, Leslie, to St Giles, Kennoway. Further details on notice board.

St Carlo Acutis: The relic of St Carlo Acutis is at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, until Monday. Archbishop Cushley will celebrate three Masses in the presence of the relic: 6:00pm Vigil Mass on Saturday 13th; Midday Mass on Sunday 14th; 12:45pm Mass for Schools on Monday 15th (all welcome).

Vocations Awareness Week Prayer: This week we pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the Archdiocese. If you feel called, explore it! Contact Monsignor Patrick Burke, Archdiocesan Vocations Director, at vocations@staned.org.uk or Sr Mirjam Hugens FSO, Director for Religious Vocations, at religiousvocations@staned.org.uk  A prayer for vocations: Heavenly Father, in your mercy you give to your people every good gift. We turn to you in faith, asking that you bless our Archdiocese with vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Inspire us with your Holy Spirit to help young men and women hear your call and respond with joyful hearts. Bless our young people with the gift of courage to respond to your call. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Ninian Declaration: This declaration of friendship between the Catholic Church in Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church will be signed at St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, at 4:00pm on Tuesday 16 September by Archbishop Cushley and the Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It follows a symposium on the history of the relationship between the two churches at 2:00pm in the Cathedral. 

Venerable Margaret Sinclair: The Centenary Pilgrimage to pray for the Beatification of Venerable Margaret Sinclair will take place on Sunday 21 September from 12:30-6:00pm at St Patrick's Church, Cowgate, Edinburgh, EH1 1NA. 12:30-1:30pm. Refreshments & sale of candles/goods; 1:30-2:30pm Holy Hour; 3:00-4:00pm Reflection; 4:30pm Holy Mass concelebrated with Archbishop Leo. Confessions available all day.

National Family Conference: Very Rev Benedict Iwatt, VE for Marriage, Family & Life, writes: The National Commission for Marriage, Family and Life BCOS, led by Bishop John Keenan invites parish families to an Inaugural National Family Conference on Saturday, 25th October 2025, from 10:00am to 5:00pm at St. Bride’s Hall, Muir Street, Motherwell. Featuring a keynote by Chris Stefanick (live from the USA), the event celebrates marriage and family life with talks, prayer, and community. Register with VEmarriage@staned.org.uk, indicating your parish, as that will confirm that we have received your mail. Your space will be confirmed by 19 September — early registration ensures priority.

 Anecdote: The Reluctant Cross-Bearer: Imagine a young man named David, who, like many, felt the weight of life’s challenges. He saw the cross as a symbol of suffering, a burden he didn’t want to carry. He avoided  anything that resembled sacrifice or hardship, preferring comfort and ease. He saw the cross on others, in their struggles and sacrifices, and felt a sense of resentment towards it, for he believed that this suffering was something imposed upon them not something they would choose.  A Moment of Reflection: One day, during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, David found himself reflecting on the readings about Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. He realized that the cross wasn’t just a symbol of pain, but also a symbol of God’s immense love for humanity, demonstrated by Jesus’s willingness to die for our sins. He thought about how Jesus, despite the suffering, embraced the cross as an instrument of salvation. Embracing the Cross: This realization sparked a change in David. He began to see the cross not as a burden to be avoided, but as a symbol of love and sacrifice that he could embrace. He started to see others’ struggles, and his own as well, not as things to resent, but as opportunities to grow closer to God. He realized that the cross, in its various forms, was a reminder of God’s unwavering presence in his life, even during difficult times. The Transformation: David’s journey wasn’t easy, but with each step, he found strength and peace in embracing the cross. He learned that true joy and fulfilment come not from avoiding suffering, but from uniting with Christ in his suffering and finding strength in his sacrifice. He understood that the exaltation of the Holy Cross is not just a celebration of a historical event, but a call to embrace the cross in our own lives, finding strength, hope, and salvation in its symbolism.