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As you may know, each parish in our Archdiocese is hosting a 40 Hours Devotion this liturgical year. The Archdiocese wants us to undergo a process of Eucharistic renewal, as we emerge from a series of restrictions on going to Mass and pandemic related lockdowns. Our turn to host the 40 Hours Devotion falls next weekend (22nd May). The liturgy committee are still finalising exact details of what this will look like, but the schedule is as follows: The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed after the 11am Mass next Sunday 22nd May, and also after morning Mass on Monday and Tuesday (23rd/24th May). Timings:
Please do take the time to participate in this devotion. We want to ensure that there is someone present before the Blessed Sacrament at all times during the Exposition, so there is a clipboard in the church to sign up to hourly slots. However, please do feel free to come and go as you like. 
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 HE IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!! Wishing you a happy, blessed, peaceful Easter. May the joy of the Resurrection fill your hearts and minds. Below, you will find two quotes taken from homilies given by our Parish Priest. The first at the Easter Vigil and the second on Easter Morning. Celebrate Easter at St Joseph's! The schedule for our services over the Easter Triduum is as follows: Holy Thursday 14th April: Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, 7pm followed by Prayers at the Altar of Repose until 9.30pm Good Friday 15th April: Celebration of the Lord's Passion, 3pm Way of the Cross, led by the children of the Parish, 7pm Holy Saturday 16th April: Polish traditional blessing of Food, 12pm (all welcome to this international service) Easter Vigil, 8.30pm Easter Sunday 17th April: Holy Mass, 8.30am & 11am Please do come and participate to the fullest in the most important and solemn week of our liturgical calendar. All are welcome. This will be the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that we have had the opportunity to celebrate the Triduum "normally", although some Covid precautions remain in place.   On Friday 1st April, the children of the parish presented a wonderful meditation on the Way of the Cross. A huge well done to the children who participated with enthusiasm and reverence. Thank you to Sheila who organised the children so meticulously, and thank as well to the parents of the children for being so supportive. As Fr Baji said this evening, these children are the future of our parish. To see so many children active and enjoying coming to St Joseph's speaks volumes about the vibrancy of our parish. Photos, taken by Justina and James, and used with permission, can be seen below. 19th March is the Solemnity of St Joseph, our parish's Patronal Feast Day. In honour of the occasion, we had a wonderful parish celebration. A solemn Mass began at 12pm, with music and images of St Joseph displayed on the large screen as a visual focus. After Mass, we were delighted to be able to come together in the parish hall for a parish lunch. This was the first major parish social event to be held since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and it really felt like St Joseph's once again at it's best. Thank you to all those who helped to make our Feast Day such an occasion. Particular thanks must go to Maureen & the Liturgy Committee, Angie & the St Monica's Guild and all those who provided food. A special word of thanks to Justyna from Just So Sweet Cakes who provided our celebration cake free of charge. Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us. (Click on the three images above to view larger versions)
The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on 2nd March. On Ash Wednesday, Mass with distribution of ashes will be celebrated at 9.30am and 7.00pm. Throughout Lent, we have a full devotional programme, including Stations of the Cross and several mini-retreats. Lent is a time of spiritual preparation and by engaging in some of the planned events you can make your Lenten experience a holy one. Some of the key dates are in the image below, but you can see the full programme in the table underneath. There is also a version which you can download to your computer or print off for reference.    The Bishops of Scotland have announced that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass will be restored with effect from Sunday 6th March. This is in line with the "easing of restrictions in every other walk of life."
As always, the obligation does not apply to those who are sick and their carers or to those aware of their greater vulnerability to Covid-19. A full copy of the pastoral letter from the Bishops can be read below.  This takes place from 18-25 January. This year, the theme is We Saw His Star in the East.
This year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service organised by EDINBURGH CHURCHES TOGETHER will take place at 7pm on Monday 24th January 2022 at City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX. In order to follow the current government guidelines regarding COVID 19, all those attending should take a lateral flow test before attending and wear masks (unless exempt) at all times when in the building. Once seated, please remain in your seat unless directed otherwise. Contact details for track and trace purposes will also be required as you enter the church. With appropriate distancing for safety there is less capacity in the building than normal. To keep everyone as safe as possible you should only attend if you are feeling well and not demonstrating any symptoms of illness. We very much look forward to seeing you there! The service will be live-streamed on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/CityofEdinburghMethodistChurchOnlineWorship and you can also access the service using Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83612285074?pwd=SXlRQTc0RCtCRmRyb3l1aVVKa0lpUT09 Meeting ID: 836 1228 5074 Passcode: 712240 Please note that Mass at St Joseph's on New Year's Day, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God will be at 9.30am, and NOT at 8.30am as incorrectly stated in the bulletin last weekend. Apologies for any confusion caused by this typing error!  Did you miss the Advent mini-retreat which was held in our hall earlier this month? Fear not - we have put together a version which can be followed at home.
The document below contains links to various videos with songs and reflections. Click on the button below to download it, and then once you have opened the document, all you need to do is click the various links throughout to view the videos along with the Gospel readings. You may wish to follow the reflection alone or with other members of your family. |
