2021 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For newsletters, notices, information from parish groups, history, links to schools, other catholic organisations and publications.

Dunkeld Diocesan website: https://www.dunkelddiocese.co.uk/

Parish Priest : Fr. Mike Freyne MHM email: [email protected] Baingle Brae, Tullibody. FK10 2SG Tel: 01259 213274

ALL public masses have been suspended. Fr. Mike will continue to say mass for any intentions asked for, especially for the health of our parishioners, their families and friends.

For all other email communications with the Parish Priest please use the diocesan email address: [email protected]

Please remember in your prayers those who are sick: Margaret Byrne, Nellie Gallon, Alex Byrne, Kathy Mc’Lauglin, Carly Mournian, Brendan Murphy, Vincent McDaid, Mary Gordon, Roger Bray, Maria McIntyre, Peter & Margaret Stark, Heather Stewart, Sarah Jane Connelly, Duncan Mc’Gregor, Maurice Di Duca, Anne Ruddy, Peter Douglas, Mary Hughes, Tommy Mc’Menemy, John & Tricia Smith, Robin McCann, ( ), Drs. Dianne & Mike Basquill, Frances Masterson, Cathy McCallum, Hanna McNally, Fr. John Callaghan, Bishop Stephen, and all those in the various nursing homes. Also pray for all those effected by coronavirus, carers, families, doctors, nurses and all who support them and us in any way.

Thomas Woods.

Sam Morrison, Helen Hasten, Paul Kochaneck, Molly Hutchinson and Anne Hilon. Please pray for the repose of the souls of Bishop Vincent Logan, Philip Tartaglia, and Monsignor John Harty who all sadly died recently.

Bishop Vincent Logan Archbishop Philip Tartaglia Monsignor John Harty

“The words of the Sacred Scripture were not written to remain imprisoned on papyrus, parchment or paper, but to be received by a person who prays, making them blossom in his or her heart.” #Prayer #WordOfGod St. Mungo’s & St. Serf’s Until a new parish priest is appointed to St. Mungo’s and St. Serf’s Fr. Mike has been appoint- ed by Bishop Stephen as the Administrator. This basically means he has full authority for all pastoral, ecclesiastical and civil affairs of the parishes. It is expected this will last at least during the summer period. We hope to add a St. Mungo’s page to our parish newsletter just to help with the parish com- munications for St. Mungo’s/St. Serf’s.

ALL PUBLIC SERVICES ARE SUSPENDED AND THE CHURCH WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Sunday 31st January 11.30am - YouTube Mass Monday 1st February 3.30pm - YouTube Mass with St. Mungo’s teachers for Mgr John. 7.00pm - Parish Pastoral Council - Zoom meeting Wed 3rd February 9.00am - YouTube Mass Sunday 7th February 11.30am - YouTube Mass Monday 8th February 10.00am - Requiem mass St. Serfs Highvalleyfield Thursday 11th February 10.00am - Requiem mass for Mary Gordon , St. Mungo’s

Apologies: We have recently been experiencing problems with YouTube. Our apologies as we are still trying to sort this.

During this lockdown Fr. Mike will be saying mass but not publicly so if people do wish to have masses said please let him know. All funerals and planning of weddings please contact Fr. Mike. There are no baptisms just now. Confessions are only in urgent cases. The same with Anointing of the Sick. (see below)

ANOINTING OF THE SICK: There are restrictions on what the priest can do (he is not tied down to everything as he is regarded as a front line worker by the government). To go to a sick person involves a lot of “before” and “after” preparation. He is not allowed to touch the sick person but anoints with a cotton bud with fresh oil blessed individually each time and disposed of separately. He has to use apron, mask and gloves. Afterwards he has to sanitise the pyx (the box that carries the host), any booklets he used and also his car when he returns. He must also change his clothes and wash them or not use for many days. However, please note someone in serious danger of dying he would try to attend but please try and notify him with as much warning as possible because of all the preparation involved. L e nt .... We do sacrifices... We give up things... Can we be expected to give up more than we are forced to give up just now?

Lent is a time of preparation. Time to prepare ourselves for the great feast of Easter. Traditionally in the Church Lent is centred around fasting, prayer and charity. We need to ask ourselves what are we fasting from, fasting for what. For many it has just becomes a special time to lose weight! It is meant to have something to do with repentance. Again what do we need to repent from? Not much we can do wrong locked up at home – or is there? Praying we can do and even better via YouTube from the comfort of our home and even chose in what country we want to go to mass! Even though we are limited in where we go and when, we can still keep an eye on our neighbour and make sure they are safe and have enough supplies. But all this still feels a little“ empty” not quite how we normally prepare for Easter. Celebrating Easter is all about hope. Hope in the resurrection for a better time to come. Perhaps that is the challenge for us . The Church has often been called the Easter people. The people of hope. While we all wait for the pandemic to end and tiredness and being fed up begins to dominate let us Christians not just twiddle our thumbs or simply wait on our knees in prayer. Let us be active people of hope. People who share hope. People who believe God is with us and so we can hope for a better future. Let us discover hope during Lent and we can practise hope and offer hope to those around us. A profitable Lent to all, Fr Mike

Remember, Suggestion from O most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to Archbishop Cushley: thy protection implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. “With no public Mass Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee. due to the lockdown pray O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee the Memorare each day to I stand sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, Our Lady, Health of the despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Sick.” Amen

LOURDES YOUTH 100 CLUB - JANUARY DRAW The next Lourdes draw will take place this Sunday, 31st January. Can those who pay in cash please put your subscriptions (including annual subs) in an envelope and drop into the church clearly marked with YOUR NAME and FOR LOURDES 100 CLUB FUND - current restrictions permitting of course.

Parish Offerings to 24th January 2021. Gift Aided £319.00 Non Gift Aided £47.00 Total £366.00

Also during the period 13/11/2020 to 15/1/2021, Overall Total parishioners paid £500.00 by standing order into £866.00 the parish current account. All of which was Gift Aid For more information on the ongoing work of Fr. Mike’s religious order Mill Hill Missionaries : Click Here

A i d to t h e C hu rc h i n N e e d HELP US Website: SUPPORT http://www.acnuk.org/

THOSE For latest newsletter IN NEED Click here

Reproduced with permission from ACN © all rights reserved

31st January 2021 - 4th Sunday of the year

“This is why I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. ”

More at:

MILES FOR MARY’S MEALS Like all charities Mary’s Meals work goes on in spite of drastically reduced fund raising. So will you or someone you know take on the Miles For Mary's Meals challenge? For more information... Click here

Simply set yourself an active challenge and make a donation, or ask friends and family for sponsorship, for every mile you meet. Whether it’s running a 10k, getting on your bike, or pledging to up your daily step count, there are lots of ways you can take part in our Miles For Mary’s Meals campaign.

By raising funds to feed hungry children, you’ll really be going the extra mile for Mary's Meals! For a short YouTube video https://youtu.be/Q1oCmdJ1iwk

Please ensure that you take part in your chosen challenge safely and follow Covid-19 restrictions in your local area.

Reproduced with permission from Mary’s Meals © All rights reserved

St. Mungo's Primary School Enrolment. If your child is due to start school in August 2021, enrolments are now open. Please contact St. Mungo's directly on 01259 724061 or email Mrs Wood at [email protected] by Friday 5th February.

Scottish Laity Network- Lenten Journey 2021

Discipleship for Artisans of our own Destiny ~ Preparing the Future

The core vision of the Scottish Laity Network is that of enabling Scottish laity to come together as disciples of Jesus, and through prayer, dia- logue and discernment find ‘new ways’ of being Church in Scotland in the 21st Century. Rooted in that vision we seek to reflect on the ‘signs of the times’ as revealed through COVID-19 and the Climate Emergency and, through the promptings of the Spirit, discern how we are called to respond.

Signs of our Times – COVID-19 and Climate Emergency Last March , standing alone in on the steps of St Peter’s, meditated on the calming of the storm from the Gospel of Mark. He identified the thick darkness that COVID-19 had brought to humanity and yet in the midst of that darkness, in the midst of fear and uncertainty he felt there was a seed of hope emerging. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have real- ized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.i But for this seed to grow and bear fruit Pope Francis stated it is ‘a time to choose what matters’ a time to embrace ‘new forms of hospitality, fraternity and solidarity’. The COVID-19 commission, created by Pope Francis a week earlier, can be seen as a practical contribution to creating the new ways for going forward. Last July, Fr Augusto Zampini spoke at the SLN Assembly and shared of how Pope Francis had summed up the aim of the Commission in just three words ‘Prepare the Future’. Fr Augusto stressed that this is radically different from prepare for the future; which implies our future is already set and all we can do is react to it. Prepare the Future focusses on our ability to become, as Paul VI invited us to be, ‘artisans of our own destiny’. Fr Augusto also shared this powerful cartoon from The Economist ii that captures the reality of our global situation and said that the current systems that have led to the climate emergency are not the systems that will get us out of it. The only response to the Climate Emergency is to find new ways of living together on this planet. But are we capable of doing this?

COP26 1st – 12th November 2021 Scotland COP26 will provide an opportunity for the world to come together and commit to radical climate action for our planet but will it offer new forms of hospitality, sisterhood and brotherhood, and solidarity’? Will it be bold enough to satisfy the global movement of young people who are de- manding radical change and asking what is holding us back? They are calling us to imagine new ways of living together on this planet, ways that are in harmony with creation and ways that address the growing division between rich and poor, nationally and internationally. Their vision, their dream is not to be dismissed but to be cherished and shared. They, in so many ways, are the prophetic voices of today.

The prophet engages in futuring fantasy. The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the iii implementation. Our culture is competent to implement almost anything and to imagine almost nothing. Lenten Journey 2021 To help us imagine the way in which we are being called to prepare a future that gives hope to all the children of our world, and their children’s’ children, and to Mother Earth we invite you to join us on Lenten Journey of discernment:

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Discipleship for Artisans of our own Destiny ~ Preparing the Future Our companions for the journey are: Jim Skea - Co-chair of Working Group III of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [18th February] Lorna Gold - Acting Chair of the Board of Directors of the Global Catholic Climate Movement and a member of the Vatican's COVID 19 Commission Economics Taskforce. [25th February] Katherine Trebeck - writer and wellbeing economy advocate who is a member of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Team. [4th March] Omar Haramy – a member of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Palestine and also a member of the Kairos Pal- estine Steering Committee. [11th March] Alison Phipps - UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at the University of and Co- Convener of Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network (GRAMNET) and Hyab Yohannes - an Eritrean refugee and re- searcher at the University of Glasgow and holder of the UNESCO RILA PhD Scholarship. He works formally for local charities and international organisations in Egypt including UNHCR, IOM, Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) and Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS). [18th March] Tom O’Loughlin - Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham in England and an author of numerous works on the . [25th March] All sessions are on Thursdays on zoom 7:00 – 8:30 pm On Saturday 27th March there will be a retreat ‘Holy Week – A Journey to Death and Resurrection’ facilitated by Diarmuid O’Murchu

All welcome: For further information please email [email protected] i Extraordinary Moment of Prayer Presided Over by Pope Francis, Friday 27th March 2020 ii Kevin KAL Kallaugher, The Economist, Kaltoons.com iii The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann

I Thursday 18th February: What is the Hope of COP 26? ~ Professor Jim Skea

II Thursday 25th February: What is the COVD-19 Commission saying and doing that gives us Hope? ~ Lorna Gold

III Thursday 4th March: What are the Economists saying that gives us Hope? ~ Katherine Trebeck

IV Thursday 11th March: Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness ~ Omar Haramy

V Thursday 18th March: What do we have to do to give Hope to Refugees and Migrants? ~ Alison Phipps and Hyab Yohannes

VI Thursday 25th March:

All Thursday sessions are on zoom 7.00 – 8.30pm

VII Saturday 27th March Retreat Holy Week - A Journey to Death and Resurrection

All welcome: To register please email [email protected]

A Lenten Journey 2021 To help us imagine the way in which we are being called to prepare a future that gives hope to all the children of our world, and their children’s’ children, and to Mother Earth we invite you to join us on Lenten Journey of discernment. Click Here for a short YouTube video