DUNKELD NEWS Diocesan Newsletter of the Bishop of Dunkeld No. 22 December 2020 INSIDE THIS ISSUE - Parish and School News, First Communions Photos, New appointments, Obituaries... With pupils returning to schools after a five-month absence due toGlory the COVID-19 pandemic, to BishopGod Stephen inoffers wordsthe highest, ofand welcome andon support earth, for staff and pupils. Peace. Waiting on God e may have found ourselves in In the New Testament, in the original the uncomfortable position of Greek, “The Parousia” is the term used by waiting during the last year. the early Christians for the Second Com- The crib awakens WWaiting for this global pandemic to end; ing of Christ. So, the Season of Advent par- waiting to see family and friends; waiting ticipates in the Coming of Christ in three the tenderest of for all the simple pleasures and consola- different but inseparable ways: the coming tions of everyday life to return. of the Christ Child, born in Bethlehem; the emotions: compassion, coming of Christ in our hearts, our conver- protectiveness and awe Like your Bishop, priests and deacons, sion to a relationship with Jesus, who is the waiting for the sacramental life of the Christ or anointed one of God; and the Sec- at the humility of God Church to resume - we have all missed out ond Coming of Christ when he returns at on celebrating baptisms and weddings in all the End of Time. taking on flesh their fullness, on a scale and manner where family and friends can freely gather. Sacra- The first Advent is the celebration of the in order to share in ments for our children have been delayed. Birth of Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary, 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. Yet as our our humanity. If one of us has lost a loved one, we have devotions to the crib scenes prove, and the been waiting for the time when we can fully Infancy narratives of the Gospels of Luke Such memories of childhood and expe- grieve and console, embrace and commis- and Matthew both witness, we experience rience are essential to embracing our own erate each other, anxious to cherish those the humanity of Christ afresh, each Ad- humanity, and the life journey of children who have lost loved ones in this strange vent and Christmas, in our everyday lives, and grandchildren, relatives and friends, time of separation and caution. What a and across space and time, we savour with the very treasure of our communities and strange, bewildering and disorientating child-like wonder and simplicity, the great parishes. time it has been in the time of Covid-19 in mystery of The Incarnation. For this rea- the Year of Our Lord 2020! son, the crib scene awakens in all of us the The recurring and mysterious attrac- tenderest of human emotions: compassion, tion of the Crib scene, a young Madonna The word “Advent” is adopted from the protectiveness, awe at the humility of God and Child, accompanied by the silent and latin “adventus” which means “coming or taking on flesh in order to share in our hu- protective figure of Joseph, the Just Man; arrival”, from the Greek, “Parousia.” manity. continued on back page WISHING ALL OUR READERS - A HOLY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR ©2020 DIOCESE OF DUNKELD - SCOTTISH CHARITY NO. SC001810 Dunkeld’s new acolytes installed at the Cathedral PHOTO - Eddie Mahoney At St Andrew’s Cathedral, Dundee, on the Second Sunday of Advent, Daniel Goodey and Chris McCrossan take one more step on the road to being ordained for the Permanent Diaconate - pictured here with Bishop Stephen Robson and their families Non-singing Canon Kevin Golden’s Christmas Journey of Faith now online Carol Service in St Joseph’s Church Wilkies Lane, Dundee 7pm, Wednesday 16th December Christmas Carols and Music performed on the Organ and Clarsach by Kevin and Mary Veal with Prayers, Readings and a final Blessing Canon Kevin Golden is the Administra- COVID-19 pandemic. However, such was tor at Dundee’s St Andrew’s Cathedral, with the outcry, Canon Kevin decided that, in Livestream on YouTube responsibilities too for Our Lady of Good these very different times, different meas- Counsel, Broughty Ferry and St Thomas’ ures were required and so he has now re- -see parish webpage for link Church, Arbroath He told Dunkeld News – corded the series. The first of his four short www.stj1.co.uk that his popular series of talks, A Journey in talks went live on the diocesan website in BOOKING ESSENTIAL Faith, seemed destined to fall victim to the time for the great Feast of Christ the King. page 2 A journey through Advent Matthew 6:14- 15 “For if you forgive men About time... when they sin against you, by Mary O'Duffin ness of time, and shared our human condi- tion in order to recreate Time and human- ity from within, making it holy and sacred and blessed. The global pandemic has changed the way many of us see and use Time, this mys- terious creation of The Lord. The challenge for us now is to see time as a gift and begin to live more fully within time, more inten- tionally, more gently, more gracefully; and For many of us the cold, dark month Rather mysteriously, we celebrated the in so doing transform our world. of November has been warmed by the Feast of Christ the King on the brink of beautiful Catholic Tradition of Remem- Advent which began the following Sun- For many years, I did not understand the brance. We draw close to those we have day. The wisdom of the Church’s calendar significance and meaning of the Feast of loved and lost, and also remember with reminds us that we do not bring God into Christ the King. It was instituted in 1925 by love and gratitude those who gave their Time, but that God is the Creator of Time, Pope Pius VI after many tumultuous years lives in conflict and war over many times and Jesus, our Saviour and King, is The in world history to remind us of the iden- and places. We remember with thanks- Lord of History. tity of Jesus, the true Lord of History. giving the sacrifices of the fallen; and we pray earnestly for peace in our beautiful Like a recently found, and unopened gift, but wounded world. tightly wrapped and precious, I am gradu- ally beginning to discover the treasure that Observing nature, we see that trees are this feast day is all about Time, God’s Sa- increasingly bare. The nights are drawing in cred Time. Repeatedly in the Book of the so that, by almost 4pm, it is dark, and even Prophet Isaiah, we hear of the Lord God the mornings can seem grey and misty un- as the first and the last (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; til almost 10am. There is a sense that Crea- 48:12) tion is preparing to sleep through the long winter months. This is echoed in the Book of Revelation where Christ is referred to as the Alpha and We turn up our collars, search out our the Omega (the first and last letters of the warm boots and socks, and try to remem- Greek alphabet, in which the New Testa- ber to put on scarves, hats and gloves, lest ment is written down), or as we might say we be cold and miserable when journeying today, A-Z. (Revelation: 1:8; 1:17; 3:14 and through our days. 21:6) The last Sunday of the Church’s year falls This pattern is repeated for a reason. We between the 20th and 26th November. This may recognise the symbols from liturgical year this wonderful Feast fell on the 22nd In the mystery of The Incarnation, the vestments or Church decoration. Why not November 2020. It ushered in a beginning eternal Word of God, is humbly hidden in look in your own Parish Church or men- and an end, bringing our minds and hearts the story of a new-born infant. The Word of tion it to your Parish priest? to reflect on God’s final purpose and hopes God, made flesh, through whom the world for us. was created, entered into time, the full- continued on page 4 page 3 Celebrating 10 years since her profession as a Benedictine Nun, Dundee’s Sister Margaret keeps in touch with home Sister Margaret (Morag) Ross, a former and active parishioner of St Joseph’s in continued from page 3 Christ in mind, perhaps this year, in this Dundee, is a Benedictine nun in St Cecilia’s time of trials, and loss of freedom due to Abbey on the Isle of Wight. She celebrated The Feast of Christ the King invites us to Covid-19, we can approach Advent and the 10th anniversary of her final profession enter into the dream of God for the world, Christmas with the Feast of Christ the King on Wednesday the 11th of November. following close by our deep experience of in mind? memory and remembrance in November, In the Abbey, Sister Margaret is in charge the Month of the Holy Souls and the Com- God has revealed his saving plan to all of the Department which makes altar munion of Saints, living and dead. humanity through the consent of Mary, breads for use during Mass. These are then and the birth of Jesus, hidden by poverty sent to many parishes throughout the Unit- Celebrating the Lord of Life, in Jesus and humility. If we can see our own life ed Kingdom.