Flourish February 2013 - Archdiocese of Glasgow

Lord, Let Glasgow Flourish by the preaching of Thy Word and the praising of Thy Name 

FEBRUARY 2013 

JOURNAL OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF GLASGOW 

70p 

Adopting common sense 

LIFELINE 

St Andrew’s Secondary, Carntyne, is 

celebrating excellent school report 

Picture by Paul McSherry 

Catholic 

Education 

Week special – 

pages 10–15 

TRUSTEES of St 

Margaret’s Children and 

Family Care Society have 

sought legal advice after 

charity watchdogs accused 

it of discriminating 

against same sex 

partners. 

It followed a complaint by 

the National Secular Society 

claiming the Glasgow-based 

adoption agency’s preference 

for placing vulnerable children 

with married couples was 

a breach of the Equality Act. 

They accused St Margaret’s 

– which operates in accordance 

with the teachings of 

the Catholic Church – of “sectarian 

discrimination”. 

Although no hard evidence 

of actual discrimination was 

presented, the Office of the 

Scottish Charity Regulator 

(OSCR) upheld the complaint 

saying that St Margaret’s 

“places undue restriction on 

access to the benefit that it provides, 

and so fails the charity 

test”. 

The finding was criticised 

by Neil Addison, national director 

of the Thomas More 

Legal Centre, who described 

the threat to remove St 

Margaret’s charitable status as 

“a disgraceful abuse of regulatory 

power”. 

Pointing out that the 

Equality Act permits charities 

to restrict their services in accordance 

with their constitution, 

Mr Addison said OSCR 

had failed to demonstrate how 

St Margaret’s preferred criteria 

for operating contravened 

the law. 

“By its decision, OSCR has 

in effect subverted the clear 

intentions of Parliament,” he 

added. 

The loss of charitable status 

could result in St Margaret’s 

Children and Family Care 

Society ceasing to operate 

after almost 60 years of good 

work on behalf of children and 

their adoptive parents. 

A couple, who have been 

assessed for adoption through 

the society, urged that common 

sense prevail. 

They said: “St Margaret’s 

does a fantastic job of placing 

children who have experienced 

significant trauma early 

in life and provide post-adoption 

support for the families 

into which they come. 

“Its belief that several years 

of marriage instils a greater 

sense of permanence to children 

is based on research 

rather than ideology.” 

The board of trustees of St 

Margaret’s, which is chaired 

by Fr Thomas White, has kept 

its counsel since the regulator’s 

judgement was issued on 

22 January. It is understood, 

however, that they will ask for 

the decision to be reviewed. 

■ Maureen’s 

music 

Page 9 

CHAPLAINCY 

■ Fr Connell’s 

double shift 

Page 16 

Backing campaign to keep Catholic school in Milngavie 

THE Archdiocese of Glasgow is 

backing a community-wide campaign 

to save St Joseph’s Primary school in 

Milngavie. 

In a submission to East 

Dunbartonshire Council’s 

consultation on primary school 

provision, the Church has argued that 

the loss of St Joseph’s will severely 

restrict children’s access to a 

Catholic education. 

A spokesman for the Archdiocese 

said: “It is a matter of grave concern 

for the Church that there might no 

longer be a Catholic school in 

Milngavie. We would consider that a 

great loss for the whole community, 

and urge the council to keep St 

Joseph’s Primary open.” The council 

has proposed amalgamating St 

Joseph’s with St Andrew’s Primary in 

Bearsden, on its Duntocher Road site. 

Parents from St Joseph’s have 

voiced a number of concerns about 

the proposal, including “lack of 

options” and the speculative nature 

of claims of “improved educational 

benefits” coming from a merger with 

St Andrew’s. They also expressed 

serious doubts that a “potential new 

build” would ever see the light of 

day. 

Lauren McIntyre, chair of St 

Joseph’s parent council, said: “The 

Catholic community is an integral 

part of Milngavie and we want a 

Catholic school to remain in the heart 

of the Milngavie community.” 

The local authority says falling 

school rolls have resulted in 37 per 

cent of primary places going unfilled. 

In all, up to a third of the area’s 36 

primary schools could shut. 

The only other Catholic school 

earmarked for closure is St Agatha’s 

Primary which the council proposes 

merging with nearby St Flannan’s 

Primary in Kirkintilloch. At present, 

St Agatha’s has a role of 85 pupils. 

Although some parents and pupils 

have protested against the closure, 

the Church accepts that the rationale 

for merger was clearer in this 

instance. 

“What is being proposed is a new 

build school in an area of 

Kirkintilloch which is in much need 

of regeneration,” the Archdiocese’s 

spokesman said. 

“The benefits that will accrue to 

the wider Catholic community in this 

part of the town are substantial and 

worth pursuing.” 

The closing date for responses to 

the consultation is 4 February. 

In association with 

Promises Delivered

2 NEWS 

FEBRUARY 2013 • FLOURISH 

New Passionist parish priest Fr John Craven with Archbishop 

Tartaglia and young parishioners of St Mungo’s 

FEBRUARY 2013 

Friday 1st – Mass in St 

Patrick’s, Dumbarton, for 

40th anniversary of school 

(7pm) 

Saturday 2nd – Mass for 

Feast of the Presentation, 

St Andrew’s Cathedral 

with Religious serving in 

the Archdiocese (10am) 

Sunday 3rd – Choral 

Mass in Glasgow 

University Memorial 

Chapel (6pm) 

Friday 8th – Mass in 

Lourdes Secondary School, 

Cardonald (11am) 

Sunday 10th – White 

Mass for Health Care 

workers, St Andrew’s 

Cathedral (12 noon) 

Monday 11th – Mass for 

World Day of the Sick, 

Immaculate Conception, 

Maryhill (7pm) 

Tuesday 12th – Launch of 

SCIAF’s Lenten Campaign 

(10.45am) 

Wednesday 13th – 

Launch of Lentfest 2013, 

Eyre Hall (11am); Mass 

and distribution of ashes, 


(1pm) 

Sunday 17th – Rite of 

Election, St Andrew’s 

Cathedral (3pm) 

Monday 18th – Lenten 

retreat for Primary 

headteachers (1.30pm) 

Thursday 21st – Mass at 

St Vincent’s Primary, 

Thornliebank (1.30pm) 

Sunday 24th – Mass at St 

Jude and St John Ogilvie, 

Barlanark (11am); 

Ecumenical Service for 

Glasgow Old People’s 

Welfare Association, 

Glasgow Cathedral (2pm) 

Forty 

hours 

adoration 

Sunday 3 February 

St Mungo, Turnbull Hall 

Sunday 10 

Sacred Heart, Bridgeton 

St Aloysius, Garnethill 

St Louise, Arden 

Sunday 17 

St Peter’s, Partick 

Nazareth House, Cardonald 

Sunday 24 

St Albert’s, Pollokshields 

St Michael’s, Parkhead 

Support your priests with affection 

THE formal presentation 

of two new parish priests 

in the Archdiocese of 

Glasgow took place just 

before and after 

Christmas. 

Presiding at Mass in Sacred 

Heart, Bridgeton, on the 

Fourth Sunday of Advent, 

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia 

presented Mgr Paul Conroy to 

parishioners as their parish 

priest. 

And celebrating Mass for 

the Feast of St Mungo at St 

Mungo’s, Townhead, the 

Archbishop formally welcomed 

Fr John Craven CP 

who has joined the Passionist 

Polish Cardinal remembered 

CARDINAL Jozef Glemp, 

the spiritual leader of 

Poland’s Catholics for 25 

years, who helped steer 

the nation through the 

transition from Communism 

to democracy has 

died at the age of 83. 

The Archbishop Emeritus 

of Warsaw claimed descent on 

his mother’s side from the 

once large Scottish community 

in Poland. 

When he made a visit to 

Glasgow in 1985, he was welcomed 

as a native son and 

greeted with well-wishes by 

Scots and Poles alike. He celebrated 

Mass in St Peter’s, 

Partick, and paid a visit to 

Carfin Grotto where he 

blessed a shrine honouring 

Our Lady of Czestochowa – 

Queen of Poland. 

At the time, Poland was 

leading the way in challenging 

Communist rule in Eastern 

Europe with the rise of the 

Solidarity trade union which 

By Maria Gilmore 

community in Glasgow from 

the parish of Holy Cross in the 

Ardoyne area of Belfast. 

On each occasion, the 

Archbishop witnessed the 

priests’ profession of faith and 

renewal of commitment to fulfilling 

their ministry. 

Addressing parishioners, 

Archbishop Tartaglia said: 

“The parish priest stands before 

you and with you in the 

name and in the person of 

Jesus as your shepherd. 

“He has the sacred duties of 

proclaiming and preaching the 

Word of God, of celebrating 

the Sacraments, especially the 

Eucharist, and for caring for 

Cardinal Glemp at Carfin 

during 1985 visit to Scotland 

you and for the parish with the 

heart of Jesus the Good 

Shepherd. He has also to govern 

and administer the parish 

wisely, and to safeguard its 

property and assets.” 

The Archbishop commended 

Mgr Conroy and Fr 

Craven to the prayers of their 

parishioners and asked them 

to support their priests with 

encouragement and affection. 

Mgr Conroy is Vicar 

General of the Archdiocese 

and moved to Sacred Heart 

after serving as general secretary 

of the Scottish Bishops’ 

Conference. 

Fr Craven has succeeded Fr 

James Berry CP who continues 

to serve at St Mungo’s 

stood firm in demanding justice 

and freedom even in the 

period of martial law. 

Cardinal Glemp, who was 

created a cardinal in 1983, 

was seen as a conciliatory figure 

and in later years made a 

series of public apologies for 

historical acts of anti- 

Semitism in Poland. He retired 

as Archbishop of 

Warsaw in 2006. 

Mgr Paul Conroy at Sacred Heart, Bridgeton 

Pictures by Paul McSherry 

alongside Fr Dermot 

Gallagher CP, the superior of 

the nine-strong Passionist 

community in Glasgow. 

Just before Christmas, 

Archbishop Tartaglia announced 

the appointment of 

TWO long-serving 

priests of the Archdiocese 

of Glasgow, 

Mgr James McShane 

and Fr Dan Friel died in 

recent weeks. 

Between them, the devoted 

duo had given over 

125 years of service to the 

Church as priests. And even 

though they had retired 

from full-time parish ministry, 

both continued to assist 

in the communities 

where they had made their 

home – Mgr McShane at St 

Margaret’s, Clydebank, and 

Fr Friel in St Patrick’s, 

Dumbarton. 

Archbishop Philip 

Tartaglia was the principal 

celebrant at both Funeral 

Masses which were attended 

by a good number of 

brother priests, parishioners 

and family members. 

Describing Mgr 

McShane as “able, distinguished 

and influential”, 

Archbishop Tartaglia 

added: “He worked tirelessly 

with other churches 

and with local politicians 

for the good of Clydebank, 

for employment in the community 

and for the prosperity 

of the town. 

Canon Robert Hill as the new 

parish priest of St Matthew’s, 

Bishopbriggs, with Fr John 

Keenan taking his place at St 

Patrick’s, Anderston, while 

continuing as chaplain to 

Glasgow University. 

Deaths of veteran 

Glasgow priests 

“He was always a great 

friend and advocate of St 

Margaret’s Hospice and its 

work, and it is a providence 

that he lived there during 

his retirement and that he 

died there.” 

Of Fr Friel, who taught 

him as a student in Blairs 

and worked with him for a 

couple of years in St 

Patrick’s, the Archbishop 

paid fulsome tribute: “As a 

priest, he was sure of his 

identity, happy in his own 

skin.” 

He added: “It was that 

settled priestly identity and 

spirituality which allowed 

Fr Dan to navigate a complicated 

period in the recent 

history of the Catholic 

Church with a minimum of 

disruption to his priestly 

life and ministry.” 

Glasgow-born missionary 

Fr Peter McGinley also 

died last month. For the 

past few years, he had been 

part of the Comboni community 

in Carmyle and 

helped out in parishes 

across Scotland. His 

Funeral Mass was celebrated 

in his home parish of 

St Paul’s, Shettleston. 

■ Obituaries – page 21

FLOURISH • FEBRUARY 2013 

NEWS 3 

Excellent report speaks volumes for 

St Margaret’s commitment to care 

SAINT Margaret of 

Scotland Hospice, which 

health chiefs threatened 

with closure two years 

ago, has been hailed as a 

centre of care excellence. 

An inspection report by 

Scotland’s health watchdog 

scored the Clydebank hospice 

the highest marks in all categories 

assessed. 

The results further vindicate 

the spirited campaign to resist 

major funding cuts – which attracted 

over 100,000 signatories 

to a parliament petition – 

and again call into question 

the wisdom of those on NHS 

Greater Glasgow and Clyde 

who proposed sweeping alterations 

to how the hospice operates. 

Professor Leo Martin, chairman 

of the board of directors, 

said the Healthcare Environ - 

ment Inspectorate report was 

“not a surprise to anyone 

who has been touched by 

St Margaret of Scotland 

Hospice”. 

He added: “The findings reinforce 

the excellent management 

at the hospice and the 

care and dedication of all of 

our staff.” 

Since it was opened by the 

Religious Sisters of Charity in 

1950, St Margaret’s has developed 

into the leading 

provider of specialist palliative 

care alongside continuing 

care of older people with complex 

needs. It also provides an 

outpatient clinic, while a day 

hospice cares for up to ten 

people during the week. 

Following the inspectors’ 

visit last November, the hospice 

was given the top ‘excellent’ 

rating for the quality of 

its care and support, environment, 

staffing, management, 

leadership, and information 

available for patients and relatives. 

Rooms and wards were described 

as “spacious, comfortable 

and well-maintained,” 

while staff spoke with “pride 

and passion” about the hospice. 

Patients and relatives comments 

included: “I have never 

felt so cared for in my life”; 

“We can’t speak highly 

Kinnoull Centre 

for Spirituality 

Sabbatical Programme 

20 May – 4 July 13 and 21 October – 5 December 13 

These can be taken as a complete course, or stand alone weeks. 

Spirituality of True Self Esteem .......... 26 – 31 May & 27 Oct – 1 Nov 

The Healing Ministry ...................................... 2 – 6 June & 3 – 7 Nov 

Artwork Celtic Studies for & Pilgrimage to Iona ............ 6 – 13 June & 7 – 13 Nov 

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Newspaper 

the Gospels ............................. 24 – 28 June & 24 – 28 Nov 

Transitions in Life .................................. 16 – 21 June & 17 – 22 Nov 

T: 01738 624075 E: stmaryskinnoull@btconnect.com 

enough of the care and compassion 

shown”; “Physical 

and emotional well-being has 

been met in an exceptional 

way.” For Sister Rita 

Dawson, St Margaret’s chief 

executive, who has devoted 

over 30 years to the hospice, 

the report speaks volumes. 

“There’s nothing I can add 

to it – except that we will not 

Home of the Redemptorists in Scotland 

St Mary's Kinnoull is set in natural woodland overlooking the historic city of Perth, gateway 

to the Scottish highlands. It provides an environment for Rest and Retreat. 

The team at St Mary's Kinnoull welcome groups or individual private retreats anytime of the 

year. Bring a group for a short stay or retreat day at the monastery. 

Retreats 

It is possible to book an individual 

or group retreat anytime, simply 

contact the Secretary. Preached 

Retreats are as follows: 

4 – 8 March Lenten Retreat 

25 – 30 March Holy Week Retreat 

5 – 9 August A Summer Retreat 

19 – 26 August Retreat for 

Religious 

Redemptorist Parish 

Mission Dates 

3 Feb – 1 March St. John’s, Perth 

9 – 13 March St. Peter & St. 

Michael’s, S.Uist & Eriskay 

16 – 23 March St. John’s, 

Stevenston 

4–10MaySt. Michael & St. 

Mary’s, S.Uist 

1–7JuneSt. Thomas’, Wishaw 

More upcoming missions in 

Benbecula, Stornaway, Kilmarnock 

& England. To book a Mission 

contact Kinnoull. 

www.kinnoullmonastery.co.uk 

Sister Rita Dawson introduces Queen Elizabeth to St Margaret's staff and 

volunteers during her Diamond Jubilee visit last July 


Teachers/Catechists 

16 March 

Lenten Day of Reflection 

Quiet day in the monastery, 

finishing with Vespers ledby 

Scottish Plain Song Choir 

Fri 17 – Sun 19 May 

“Witnesses to Faith” Teachers in 

Catholic Schools 

A weekendof professional and 

spiritual input for all Teachers in 

Catholic Schools reflecting on what it 

means to Celebrate andShare our 

Faith in today’s environment. Open to 

all Chaplains andParish Catechists 

andall who handon Faith. 

(Supported by SCES, and can be part 

of CPD training.) 

Professors Michael McGrath, Bart 

McGettrick & Elizabeth Leo 

rest on our laurels,” she said. 

“I always insist that we each 

give of our best and the inspectors 

have recognised the 

commitment that is made to 

ensuring that everyone who 

enters the Hospice is respected, 

loved and cared for. 

“People deserve to be 

treated with the dignity and respect 

they receive in St 

Margaret’s, which is why we 

have fought so hard to retain 

what has been developed here 

over many years.” 

Despite its status as a sector 

leader, the hospice relies on 

public donations to meet over 

half its annual running costs. 

Jean Anne Mitchell, who has 

experienced at close quarters 

the hospice’s excellent care, 

Caring Sunday update 

TO DATE 62 parishes 

have returned their 

Caring Sunday collections 

and boxes. 

And, with about 40 parishes 

returning more than last year, 

the total stands at around 

£54,000. 

Elizabeth McQuade, development 

officer for the St 

Nicholas Care Fund, said: “I 

would like to thank all 

parishes for their support. If 

this trend continues hopefully 

we will achieve something 

similar to last year. 

“This is encouraging in a 

difficult economic climate 

where charities, on average, 

are posting a 20 per cent drop 

in donations.” 

With a third of the parishes 

in the Archdiocese still to return 

their collection – taken up 

during Advent – the Fund is 

confident of reaching a total of 

£75,000. 

Applications from parishes 

and local community groups 

has petitioned the Scottish 

Parliament to bring its funding 

into line with other providers. 

She stressed: “Despite the 

lack of funding, through the 

dedication of the board, the 

staff, supporters and volunteers, 

the hospice continues to 

perform to the highest possible 

level.” Coming shortly 

after Queen Elizabeth and 

Prince Philip visited St 

Margaret’s as part of the 

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, 

the health watchdog 

report crowns a memorable 

few months for the Clydebank 

hospice. 

■ Meet Fr Connell, 

St Margaret’s chaplain 

– page 16 

for grants from the fund are 

welcome at any time. 

Forms can be completed 

and submitted online – 

www.stnicholasbox.org.uk/ 

jobs/index.php 

80 years 

of care at 

Glasgow’s 

Wayside 

THE Wayside Club 

has been looking 

after the needs of 

homeless people in 

Glasgow for 80 years. 

And to mark this 

milestone and help ensure 

this lifeline continues 

into the future, the 

club is hosting a gala 

dinner at the Hilton 

Hotel on Saturday 27 

April. 

Jim White, a member 

of the Legion of Mary 

which governs the Club, 

said: “The main purpose 

of the Wayside is to 

provide friendship, 

food, showers and clothing 

for all homeless and 

socially excluded people 

who come to our door. 

“The Club is open in 

the evening, every day of 

the year and is run totally 

by volunteers.” 

He added: “Running 

costs amount to about 

£2000 a week and are 

met through donations. 

In these harsh economic 

times, our donations average 

about £1000 a 

week – which is not sustainable. 

“At the same time, we 

are seeing an increased 

demand for the service 

we provide.” 

Among those already 

signed up to attend the 

black tie dinner 

Archbishop Emeritus 

Mario Conti, young 

Glasgow actor Paul 

Brannigan, who starred 

in The Angels’ Share, 

and Scottish historian 

Prof Tom Devine. 

80th Anniversary Gala Dinner 

Saturday 27th April 2013 | 7.00pm | Glasgow Hilton Hotel 

We would encourage you to join with us in our celebrations. 

Guests will includePaul Brannigan from thefilm TheAngels’ Shareand theMost 

Rev Mario Conti Archbishop Emeritus of Glasgow. 

A champagnereception will befollowed by a black-tiedinner, liveentertainment, a 

raffleand auction. 

Ticketscost£50pporatableoftenat£500 

Please contact Tom Boyd 0798 888 0117 or email waysideglasgow@gmail.com and 

takethis chanceto join us for a truly memorableevening. 

Registered Charity in Scotland (SCO21137) 

The Wayside Club provides friendship, food, showers and clothing for all homeless 

and socially excluded people who come to their door.

4 NEWS 


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“Celebrating the spirit of Glasgow” by Visual Statement Dance Company 


Taking steps 

towards becoming 

confident disciples 

ON the Feast of St Mungo, the 

founder and patron of Glasgow, 

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia issued 

a call for “confident discipleship” 

among all Christian in the city. 

Addressing an ecumenical service in 

Glasgow Cathedral – built over the tomb 

of St Mungo – the Archbishop said: “I 

know only too well how wearisome it can 

become to read pessimistic forecasts of 

the death of Christianity, disheartening 

accounts of the deafness of society to the 

Christian message and talk of ‘managing 

decline’. 

“That kind of talk finds no place in the 

Christian tradition and is utterly alien to 

the language used by Jesus who told his 

disciples to put out into the deep, pay out 

your net for a catch.” 

Archbishop Tartaglia urged all 

“Mungo’s weans”, who make up the 

modern city of Glasgow, to 

grow in knowledge and love 

of the person of Jesus 

Christ, so that Glasgow will 

live up to its motto and 

flourish by the preaching of 

God’s word and the praising 

of His name. 

Dr Laurence Whitley, minister of the 

Cathedral, welcome everyone to the celebration 

including representatives from 

Episcopalian, Russian Orthodox, 

Romanian Orthodox, Methodist, 

Salvation Army, United Free and United 

Reformed Christian communities. 

Under the direction of Mgr Gerry 

Fitzpatrick, music was provided by the St 

Mungo Singers, Russkaya Cappella and 

the Rutherglen Salvation Army band. 

Dancers from Visual Statement Dance 

Group expressed the flourishing spirit of 

Glasgow as they weaved patterns of white 

and green in the centre of the nave. 

Bailie Margot Clark lays a wreath at the tomb of St 

Mungo with Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, church 

leaders and city representatives. 

Prayers were offered for those who 

serve the city in public office, those working 

in schools and voluntary organisations, 

and those contributing to science, 

the arts and sport. At the end of the service, 

Ballie Margot Clark placed a wreath 

at the tomb of St Mungo in the crypt of 

the cathedral. 

During his address, Archbishop 

Tartaglia recounted how, on an earlier 

visit to the crypt, he had placed his episcopal 

ring on the tomb and asked for St 

Mungo’s blessing on his ministry of 

preaching the name of Jesus Christ in the 

city founded by the first Bishop of 

Glasgow. 

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NEWS 5 

Following in the footsteps of 

Christ on pilgrimage to Holy Land 

■ POPE Benedict was 

presented with two lambs, 

adorned with flowers, in a 

ceremony marking the feast 

of St Agnes on 21 January. 

The small lambs, traditionally 

less than a year old, are 

being reared by religious 

sisters in the Saint Lawrence 

convent in Panisperna, 

Rome. 

They were carried in 

baskets adorned with red 

and white flowers – 

representing martyrdom and 

purity - by the Canons 

Regular of the Cathedral of St 

John Lateran who presented 

them to the Pope. 

On the morning of St 

Agnes’ feast, the lambs had 

been blessed in the basilica 

on Rome’s Via Nomentana, 

which bears her name and 

where she is buried. 

Pilgrims have opportunity to sail on Sea of Galilee 

FLYING direct from 

Glasgow to Tel Aviv, 

Archbishop Philip 

Tartaglia is to lead a national 

pilgrimage to the 

Holy Land as part of the 

Year of Faith. 

The eight-day pilgrimage 

will run from 8-15 October, 

following in the footsteps of 

Christ – including visits to 

Nazareth, Galilee, Jericho, 

Jerusalem and Bethlehem. 


“A visit to the sites and landscapes 

familiar to the Lord 

will be a great experience of 

faith for all who participate. It 

will bring the scriptures alive 

and deepen the understanding 

of all who take part.” 

Dubbed ‘the fifth gospel’, a 

pilgrimage to the Holy Land is 

seen by many who make the 

journey as a fresh way into 

getting to know the person of 

Christ and deepening faith in 

his promises. 

On a recent visit, bishops 

from Europe, the USA and 

Canada called for greater support 

for the Church in these 

lands. 

“We encourage Christians to 

come on pilgrimage to the 

Holy Land, where they will experience 

the same warm hospitality 

we received,” they said. 

For the past eight years, that 

call has been taken up by 

Scots pilgrims under the leadership 

of Alex Mosson, former 

Lord Provost of Glasgow, 

who is a powerful advocate 

for pilgrimages to the area. 

He has worked closely with 

Special Pilgrimages who operate 

the programme and will 

join Archbishop Tartaglia on 

the October pilgrimage. 

The pilgrimage is halfboard 

with and will take in a 

Making pals with the lambs 

St Agnes was a martyr of 

the early 4th century who 

was killed when she was 

around 13 years old for 

refusing to worship pagan 

gods. The name Agnes 

comes from the Latin word 

for lamb. 

In the early summer, the 

two lambs will be brought to 

the Saint Cecilia convent in 

Trastevere where they will be 

shorn and their wool will be 

used to make the palliums – 

the white woollen bands 

embroidered with six black 

crosses worn by the Pope 

and by metropolitan 

archbishops. 

These will be bestowed on 

new metropolitan arch - 

bishops – including 

Glasgow’s Archbishop 

Tartaglia – on 29 June, Saint 

Peter and Saint Paul. 

visit to the Basilica of the 

Annunciation in Nazareth, and 

the town’s old synagogue. 

Travelling north to Galilee, 

pilgrims can enjoy a boat trip 

on the Sea of Galilee, before a 

visit to Capharnaum (the town 

of Jesus) and Tabgha, where 

he fed the 5000. 

In Bethlehem, pilgrims 

stoop low as they enter the 

grotto, venerated as the birthplace 

of the Jesus within the 

Basilica of the Nativity, before 

taking in a visit to the 

Shepherds’ Fields on the outskirts 

of the town. 

Jerusalem is the great high 

point of the pilgrimage, taking 

three days of reflective 

prayer and celebration of the 

faith which spread from this 

great city to every part of the 

world. 

A drive to the Mount of 

Olives takes in a visit to the 

Pater Noster church, where 

according to tradition, Jesus 

taught His Disciples the 

Lord’s Prayer, and the chapel 

of Dominus Flevit, where the 

Lord wept over Jerusalem, before 

going into the Garden of 

Gethsemane. 

On Mount Sion and in the 

Upper Room pilgrims can reflect 

on the Last Supper, before 

visiting the church of St Peter 

in Gallicantu – the site of the 

house of the High Priest 

Caiaphas, where the cock crew. 

In Jerusalem pilgrims have 

the opportunity to follow the 

Stations of the Cross leading 

to the Basilica of the Holy 

Sepulchre, enshrining Calvary 

and the holy tomb. 

There is also the chance to 

visit the church of the 

Resurrection in Abo Gosh – a 

possible site of Emmaus – and 

Ein Karem, home of 

Elizabeth, mother of John the 

Baptist. An optional excursion 

to Massada and the Dead Sea 

can also be expected. 

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12th – 19th July 2013 

In this Year of Faith Pope Benedict XVI 

encourages everyone to go on pilgrimage. 

Don’t let disability, age or 

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hand. Every case is considered 

by our medical team. 

The Glasgow Pilgrimage 

welcomes applications to join us 

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A former pilgrim said: “Being 

part of Glasgow pilgrimage is 

definitely one of the best 

experiences of my life.” 

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March, 2013. 

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Terms andconditions apply.

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YOUNG people across Glasgow have taken part in 

concerts, competitions and prayer services honouring 

the Feast of St Mungo, the city’s founder. 

On Friday 11 January, the City Chambers banqueting hall 

played host to Mungo’s Bairns – children performing music, 

song and drama to tell the story of Glasgow as experienced 

in their local communities. 

This was followed by the presentation of the Molendinar 

Awards which encourage youngsters to use the creative arts 

to illustrate the history experienced down the centuries along 

the course of the Molendinar burn and the growth of the city 

of Glasgow. 

Previously, the awards were restricted to schools in the 

vicinity of the burn, but are now open to schools across the 

city. 

This year saw 20 schools taking part, with Woodacre Nursery 

and All Saints Secondary 

awarded the top prizes. The 

panel of judges was chaired 

by sports psychologist, Tom 

Lucas, and included Arch - 

bishop Mario Conti, former 

baillie Catherine McMaster 

and Ranald MacInnes of 

Historic Scotland, among 

many others. 

On the day following the 

St Mungo’s Feast, senior 

pupils from St Mungo’s 

Academy and Whitehill 

Secondary joined Dr 

Laurence Whitley for a dedication 

of the youth of the 

city at the tomb of St Mungo 

in Glasgow Cathedral. 

St Brendan’s Primary 

School choir 

All Saints Secondary present winning video 

St Charles’ pupils turn back the clock


LENTFEST 7 

Plenty to choose from in 

Year of Faith Lentfest 

TWO of the most eyecatching 

churches in the 

Archdiocese of Glasgow 

will host standout concerts 

in this year’s 

Lentfest. 

Our Holy Redeemer’s 

church in Clydebank is the 

venue for the festival’s opening 

concert on Sunday 17 

February, while St Mary’s, 

Calton, hosts an evening of 

Gaelic spiritual song on 

Saturday 2 March which 

being recorded for broadcast 

on BBC Alba. 

Marking the 125th anniversary 

of the parish, the OHR 

performance will feature the 

Royal Conservatoire of 

Scotland Brass Ensemble 

playing a range of music composed 

over the last four centuries. 

It will also include a 

recital on the church’s 145 

year-old Mirrlees organ – one 

of the Archdiocese’s venerable 

musical heirlooms. 

Now in its sixth year, 

Lentfest 2013 is set against the 

context of the Year of Faith 

and Archbishop Philip 

Tartaglia has fully endorsed 

its contribution to enriching 

the life of the archdiocese. 

In an introduction to the 

programme which has been 

distributed to every pariah, the 

Archbishop said: Lentfest 

brings people together in a 

unique way and plays a significant 

role in building communities 

and fostering local 

talent. 

“The arts are a kind of 

‘Courtyard of the Gentiles’ 

where believers can meet on 

common ground with those of 

different faiths or no faith, 

proposing that experience of 

Gaelic heritage concert to raise funds 

for Garrynamonie church on South Uist 

beauty and truth which can be 

expressed and experienced 

through the arts as a path to 

the Divine.” 

Noting the range of music, 

theatre, song and poetry featuring 

over the six weeks of 

Lent, Archbishop Tartaglia 

added: “I would encourage 

everyone, especially young 

people, to take up this opportunity 

to attend these events, 

meet new people, visit other 

parishes and perhaps even invite 

someone along. 

“An invitation to one of the 

events may be a small but decisive 

work of apostolate.” 

A new play called The 

Pilgrimage, specially written 

for the Year of Faith, will go 

on tour round parishes in each 

deanery in March. 

For those who prefer their 

culture with a cutting social 

edge, there is an Inner Light 

film festival in conjunction 

with the Catholic Parlia - 

mentary Office and SCIAF. 

There are also interactive 

workshops and an exhibition 

in association with Faith in 

Community Scotland and 

Firecloud. 

Popular singer Martin 

Aelred’s performances of 

Canto del Paradiso will involve 

artist Sandy Moffat creating 

‘live art’ which will be sold to 

support SCIAF. The festival 

will also include established 

favourites like the Poetry Café, 

and folk singing from Martin 

Jones, the Morgan Lee Band 

and Inveronich. 

The most ambitious part of 

the programme is the 

Hebridean Heart evening of 

Gaelic song and music at St 

Mary’s, Calton, which is 

being presented by wellknown 

broadcaster Cathy 

MacDonald. 

A galaxy of musicians and 

singers from the Gaelic heartlands 

– including Kathleen 

MacInnes, Rona Lightfoot, 

Mairi MacInnes and Paul 

McCallum – will perform at 

the fundraising concert in aid 

of the repair programme of 

Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 

Garrynamonie, South Uist. 

Built in the 1960s, the 

church was dedicated to the 

memory of the fallen at 

Passchendaele and the former 

parish priest, Canon John 

MacNeil, who was wounded 

in the 1917 battle while serving 

as a chaplain with the 

Cameron Highlanders. 

Lentfest quick guide 

Saturday 16 Feb 

Poetry & Music Café, The Ogilvie Centre (St Aloysius), 25 

Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RE (7.30pm) 

Sunday 17 Feb 

RCS Brass Ensemble, Our Holy Redeemer Church, Glasgow 

Road, Clydebank G81 (7.30pm) 

Tuesday 19 Feb 

Folk Session, St Joseph’s Church Hall, Station Road, 

Milngavie, G62 8DZ (7.30pm) 

Friday 22 Feb 

Canto del Paradiso Concert, St Aloysius Church, 25 Rose 

Street, Glasgow G3 6RE (7.30pm) 

Saturday 23 Feb 

Inner Light Film Festival, Turnbull Hall, University of 

Glasgow, 15 Southpark Terrace, G12 8LG (10am-4pm) 

Sunday 24 Feb 

Brilliance in Brokenness exhibition, Our Lady & St George 

hall, 50 Sandwood Rd, G52 2QE (10.30am-1.30pm) 

Sunday 24 Feb 

Folk Session, Blessed John Duns Scotus hall, 270 Ballater 

St, G5 0YT (7.30pm) 

Saturday 2 March 

Hebridean Heart Concert, St Mary’s church, 89 Abercromby 

St, G40 2DQ (7.30pm) 

Sunday 3 March 

Martin Jones, St Helen's church, 32 Langside Avenue, G41 

2QS (7.30pm) 

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Mrs Christina Campbell 

Safeguarding Adviser to the Bishop of 

Motherwell, Psychotherapist and Lecturer 

God in a Complexly 

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NEWS 9 

Maureen makes music to soothe minds 

THERE are singer-songwriters 

and there are 

mental health activists 

and then there is 

Maureen Kelly. To describe 

her as one without 

reference to the other 

would be to do her an injustice. 

The symbiosis Maureen has 

created been the two worlds 

has led her to her own personal 

place of peace and is 

having a growing impact on 

the mental health arena in 

which she campaigns for 

greater reliance on the arts in 

the treatment of mental illness. 

Her earliest musical influence 

made itself known when 

she was just seven years old in 

the shape and sound of Lena 

Zavaroni. Mimicking the wee 

Rothesay girl with the big 

voice as she belted out Ma, 

He’s Making Eyes at Me gave 

her family the first indication 

that she had a powerful voice. 

It was still a few years before 

that voice would charm 

audiences and become a force 

for change in the field of mental 

health. 

Sparked 

If you could bottle the positivity 

and warmth that 

Maureen exudes you would be 

well on the way to a cure for 

emotional pain. But life isn’t 

like that. 

Maureen, who grew up in 

Our Lady and St George’s 

By Mary McGinty 

parish, Penilee, knows this 

from her own family’s heartbreaking 

experience of suicide. 

On the face of it, a 

person who is genuinely high 

on life, her outwardly relentless 

positivity belies the pain 

of the tragedy that sparked her 

interest in mental health issues 

and led to a “vocational passion”. 

“After the death in 1999 the 

grief was overwhelming,” she 

said. “My first song I Saw 

You Today, which I didn’t 

write until 2005, was created 

after I had a moment in which 

I sensed the depth of my faith 

and discovered the truth – that 

eternity is a true entity. 

“I felt then that our loved 

one was at peace and that life 

is precious both physically 

and spiritually.” 

When her latent creativity 

finally unleashed itself leading 

to performing and recording 

her songs and co-writing and 

appearing in a play Con-certo, 

she had by then spent years 

working and studying to comprehend 

the barren emptiness 

and despair that leads people 

to contemplate suicide. 

She said: “It was in experiencing 

the trauma and the suffering 

and witnessing it 

around me in the family that 

drove me to find out what had 

happened to our loved one and 

to understand what, actually, 

is suicide.” 

Learning the signs and 

symptoms of the “dark and 

all-consuming” anguish that 

leads to suicide “affected me 

intimately because I realised 

that through lack of knowledge 

we were not aware that 

our loved one was suffering 

and, even more upsettingly, 

that she was suffering in 

painful silence.” 

Through her concerns about 

mental health, 45 year-old 

Maureen has worked with an 

impressive array of organisations 

and charities including 

Choose Life, RAMH 

(Recovery Across Mental 

Health) and the Coach House 

Trust. She has helped train 

front line staff and the general 

public in suicide prevention 

skills and recognising selfharm. 

Of her current job as national 

development officer for 

NDNA Scotland (National 

Day Nurseries), she said: “It 

dovetails perfectly with my 

mental health activism and my 

campaign to have ‘music on 

prescription’ introduced in 

some way with preventative 

strategies to give our children 

the best start and, ultimately, 

the best outcomes in life.” 

A highpoint in her crusade 

was when she met with Sir 

Harry Burns, Scotland’s Chief 

Medical Officer, who expressed 

his support for her 

CD, Little Thinker….everyone’s 

lullaby as a mental 

health resource. 

Kindness 

“Listening to music can 

help improve mood and make 

people feel better,” said Sir 

Harry. “Maureen has used her 

musical talents to try and help 

others. Hopefully mental 

health professionals will find 

her CD useful in helping their 

patients.” 

As to how others can get involved 

Maureen has plenty of 

advice. 

“The basic principal is 

about knowing family, 

friends, neighbours and local 

folk well enough that when 

you see them behave in an out 

of character way, either 

overtly excited or deeply distant 

check on them,” she suggested. 

“Extend kindness, warmth 

and be openly concerned. This 

action alone has the capacity 

to shake someone out of their 

feelings of isolation and detachment. 

Don’t feel pressure, 

simply let them know you 

care and that they will feel a 

lot better talking to someone 

they trust.” 

Helplines are lifelines, and 

organisations like Samaritans 

or Breathing Space show great 

respect and concern to someone 

who at first is a complete 

stranger. That dynamic 

changes, gently, into a listening 

and understanding voice 

of support and friendship. 

The inherently invisible nature 

of mental illness and the 

sophisticated tactics sufferers 

often employ in keeping 

emotional challenges private 

are barriers to acceptance and 

recovery. Fear of being stigmatised 

compounds the 

agony. 

“The arts allow us to connect 

and communicate,” 

Maureen pointed out, “and we 

are each drawn to our own 

personal enjoyment. What’s 

fantastic about the arts and 

mental health is it brings joy 

and peace to those most in 

need.” 

Ahead of her next musical 

performance, Maureen is still 

putting in the hours at family 

sing-songs with her husband, 

Iain, and their daughters looking 

on. These days, as her executive 

producer, Iain listens 

with a professional ear as well 

as a whole lot of pride. 

• Samaritans 08457 909090 www.samaritans.org 

• Breathing Space 0800 838587 www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk 

Maureen Kelly’s haunting music and 

song is inspired by confronting reality 

of mental anguish 

Care like Good Samaritan 

THE annual White Mass 

for nurses, doctors and 

other health care 

workers takes place in 


on Sunday 10 February 

at 12noon. 

All who are involved in 

the apostolate of caring for 

the sick are encouraged to 

take part. Archbishop Philip 

Tartaglia will be the principal 

celebrant, as he will be 

the next day at a Mass in 

Immaculate Conception, 

Maryhill, marking the 

World Day of the Sick. 

In his message for the day 

– the Feast of Our Lady of 

Lourdes – Pope Benedict 

proposes reflection on the 

figure of the Good 

Samaritan. 

He states: “The Gospel 

parable helps us to understand 

the deep love of God 

for every human being, especially 

those afflicted by 

sickness or pain…the Lord 

also indicates the attitude 

that each of his disciples 

should have towards others, 

especially those in need. 

“We need to draw from 

the infinite love of God, 

through an intense relationship 

with him in prayer, the 

strength to live day by day 

with concrete concern, like 

that of the Good Samaritan, 

for those suffering in body 

and spirit who ask for our 

help, whether or not we 

know them and however 

poor they may be. 

This is true, not only for 

pastoral or health care 

workers, but for everyone, 

even for the sick themselves”. 

Extending his gratitude to 

all who care for the weak 

and sick, Pope Benedict 

proposes the Year of Faith 

as a “fitting occasion for intensifying 

the service of 

charity in our ecclesial communities, 

so that each one of 

us can be a good Samaritan 

for others”. 

Full-time Port Chaplain 

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Pope Benedict XVI 

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10 FEATURE 


CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK: Valuable lessons in leadership 

Rediscovering the value of servant leadership 

THE phrase ‘servant leadership’ 

may seem to many as a contradiction 

in terms. 

We tend to think of leadership as 

something which embodies heroism, 

strength, force of personality and the 

ability to take difficult and at times 

harsh decisions. 

The lessons of leadership of our 

economy, health service and education 

system all seem to point towards taking 

control and driving others to accept 

the often unpleasant remedies of austerity 

and sacrifice as pay and benefit 

cuts are seen as the pathway to longterm 

economic recovery. 

However, the example of Jesus is 

one of servant leadership. An unusual 

role because normally servants don't 

lead and leaders don't serve. 

Christian leadership demands humility 

and conversion of heart. We see 

this most clearly in the recent feasts of 

St Francis de Sales and St Paul, whose 

hearts were converted to the Lord and 

who spent their days faithful and tireless 

in their service of the Gospel and 

the People of God yet expressing their 

individual talents and gifts in their 

ministry. 

As part of our support of Catholic 

schools, and in particular, the leadership 

of Catholic schools, the RE 

MARY O’DUFFIN, RE advisor for Primary Schools, 

addresses the distinctive leadership required of 

Catholic teachers and the models proposed by 

Scripture and the life of Saints 

Department at the Archdiocese led a 

day course for principal teachers and 

deputes aspiring to positions of leadership 

in our primary schools. 

We explored the scriptural model of 

servant leadership presented in a paper 

of the same name by Fr Denis McBride 

CSsR – a son of this Archdiocese – and 

reflected also on current understanding 

of the importance of distributed leadership 

in educational thought. 

Simply put, we reflected on the fact 

that parents as the first educators of 

their children are placed by God in a 

position of leadership and service. This 

task is then shared with the teachers 

and staff of our schools who stand 'in 

loco parentis' or in the place of the parents 

during the school day. 

This vocation of parenting and teaching 

is essential to the healthy development 

of children and the nurture of the 

life of faith. 

In our Catholic schools there is an urgent 

need for Catholic leaders willing 

to take on the responsibility, challenge 

and fulfilling role of headship. 

Both St Francis de Sales and St Paul 

were deeply aware of their limitations 

but, through grace, were able to be 

clear and encouraging voices to people 

who needed their help and guidance. 

Let us all pray for headteachers to assist 

and guide the mission of our 

Catholic schools and for all those considering 

this great calling. 

“Remember those who led you, 

who spoke the Word of God to 

you; and considering the result of 

their conduct, imitate their faith. 

Jesus Christ is the same 

yesterday, today and for ever … 

for it is well to be strengthened by 

grace.” 

Hebrews 13:7–8,9b. 

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FEATURE 11 

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK: Opening hearts and minds to God 

Opening hearts and minds to 

engage with a liberating faith 

WHEN he was appointed 

director of the Scottish 

Catholic Education 

Service (SCES) ten years 

ago, Michael McGrath 

pinpointed the development 

of faith understanding 

as a major 

priority. 

He hasn’t wavered from this 

view in the intervening years, 

and is determined to press 

home the advantage of the 

Year of Faith in pursuit of 

“opening hearts and minds to 

God”. 

That is the theme of this 

year’s Catholic Education 

Week (3-10 February), one of 

a number of initiatives that 

SCES has promoted successfully 

over the past decade. 

“The Year of Faith helps give 

a focus to re-energise and equip 

ourselves for the task of handing 

on the faith,” Mr McGrath 

said. “Our function is to teach 

the faith in a context that is quite 

By Vincent Toal 

different from which most 

teachers grew up in. 

“Today, people see religion 

as a vicarious experience – 

they are happy for others to 

practice it but are not particularly 

looking for faith themselves. 

“But, as well as people belonging 

without believing, we 

also have to cope with a trend 

for believing without belonging 

– people not engaging 

with their faith nor becoming 

involved in their parish community.” 

Develop 

So the challenge continues 

of encouraging adults to develop 

their faith understanding, 

through knowledge of 

Scripture and Church teaching, 

and equip themselves to 

hand on faith to young people 

in a way that makes sense. 

Quoting a saying, ‘If you 

don’t feed the teachers, they 

JOHN PAUL ACADEMY 

Goodness 

and 

Knowledge 

“Working together to achieve our best” 

will eat the children’, Mr 

McGrath contests that those 

who are well-nurtured are best 

able to feed in turn. By opening 

their hearts and minds to 

God, they are better disposed 

to opening their hearts and 

minds to others – even those 

who disagree vehemently. 

In the course of the Year of 

Faith, schools are being encouraged 

to explore the 

Nicene Creed which contains 

the core Christian beliefs. 

“We want pupils to hear the 

words, have a sense of where 

the Creed comes from and to 

deepen their understanding of 

what the profession of faith 

means, so that hopefully they 

are able to proclaim it with 

confidence,” the SCES director 

said. 

“This is an opportunity to 

ensure the experience young 

people have connects with 

what is going on in the world 

around them. 

“Faith should not be in a 

compartment of its own, but 

Cumbernauld’s decade of campus life 

should be seen as having answers 

for the question being 

posed in our day.” 

In an age when education is 

about empowering and opening 

up opportunity, faith is 

often perceived as a negative 

– with rules seeming to have 

no other justification but to 

make life difficult. 

“Yet, faith is about liberation,” 

Mr McGrath insisted. 

“By providing us with parameters 

for living, it gives us the 

map to pursue fulfilling lives 

that can impact on and benefit 

others.” 

Hostile 

While conceding that is 

hard to adhere to the path 

when many prevailing attitudes 

are hostile to or indifferent 

about the Christian faith, 

he insists that Catholic schools 

should be confident about 

guiding all pupils appropriately, 

and able to offer them 

care and compassion when 

they seek it. 

TEN years of Catholic education 

at St Andrew’s Primary in 

Cumbernauld were celebrated 

with a Mass of Thanksgiving on 

Thursday 10 January. 

When it opened its doors in 

January 2003, the school was 

breaking new ground as the first 

joint campus project in North 

Lanarkshire. 

Eileen Mulrooney, who has 

been headteacher of St 

Andrew’s throughout the past 

decade, was delighted to 

welcome Archbishop Philip 

Tartaglia to the school for the 

celebration. He was joined in the 

offering of the Mass by Mgr Pat 

Osborne, parish priest of Sacred 

Heart and strong advocate for 

the school. 

Among the special guests 

marking the anniversary were 

the current and former 

headteachers of Cumbernauld 

Primary – the shared campus 

friends and neighbours of St 

Andrew’s. 

St Thomas Aquinas RC Secondary 

112 Mitre Road 

Glasgow G14 9PP 

Tel: 0141 582 0280 

Fax: 0141 582 0281 

“Act justly, love mercy and 

walk humbly with your God” 

www.st-thomasaquinas-sec.glasgow.sch.uk 

SCES director Michael McGrath 

NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL 

Faith 

Professed 

Faith 

Prayed 

In recent years, SCES has 

helped bring to fruition major 

developments in Catholic 

schools with This Is Our Faith 

and Called to Love, the introduction 

of the Pope Benedict 

XVI Caritas Award and an ongoing 

professional development 

programme for teachers. 

“We need to address the 

formation of faith among 

adults with a similar determination 

and focus,” Mr 

McGrath suggested. 

Launch 

“For lots of adult Catholics, 

their faith experience is pretty 

moribund. Either going to 

church doesn’t matter much, 

or going to Mass on Sunday is 

the only engagement they 

have. 

“Unless the Church develops 

a plan for how it can provide 

for the ongoing faith 

needs of adults, then the danger 

is that further generations 

will be trapped in a fairly limited 

understanding of faith.” 

Cautioning against producing 

programmes simply to fill 

the Year of Faith calendar, the 

director of SCES says the year 

should be used as a launch pad 

for developing a sustainable 

model of ongoing faith formation, 

so that faith catechesis 

becomes the norm in parishes. 

“We need to win hearts and 

minds, encouraging people to 

engage with their faith rather 

than antagonising them,” he 

said. 

That is the approach taken 

with sixth year students pursuing 

the Caritas Award and, 

after just one year, the fruits 

are impressive. 

After ten years in the post, 

the SCES director’s vision for 

Catholic education, especially 

adult faith formation, might be 

worth opening minds to. 

“Working together in this Year ofFaith, 

with minds and hearts open to God…” 

Faith 

Lived 

Faith 

Celebrated 

At Notre Dame High School, we bear witness to our faith in 

school and in the wider community. We witness to a faith 

which is alive and active through prayer and good works. 

• Our faith is nurtured through minds open to the deeds of 

God. 

• Our faith is strengthened through hearts open to the Word 

of God. 

• Our faith is visible in hands open to the service of God in 

our brothers and sisters, giving credible witness to the 

presence of the Divine in our midst. 

“I pray the Spirit of all truth will strengthen you from day 

to day. Faithfully follow where God is leading you.” 

Saint Julie Billiart, Foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur 

For details of the only Catholic local authority comprehensive 

single sex secondary in Scotland telephone 0141 582 0190 

160 Observatory Road · Glasgow G12 9LN 

Web: www.notredamehigh.glasgow.sch.uk

12 FEATURE 


CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK: Schools Across the Archdio 

St Andrew’s star rises in the east 

School reports highlight excellence in Catholic education 

PUPILS of St Andrew’s 

Secondary in Carntyne 

have been described as 

“exemplary” and their 

school “excellent” by inspectors. 

The East End school gained 

three ‘excellent’ scores for improvements 

in performance, 

learners’ experiences and improvement 

through self-evaluation, 

as well as two ‘very 

goods’ for meeting learning 

needs and the curriculum. 

The report stated: “Learning 

and achievement are of exceptionally 

high quality. Young 

people enjoy lessons are 

highly motivated to achieve in 

everything they do. 

“They are justifiably proud 

of the school and feel safe and 

well respected by staff and 

each other. The behaviour of 

almost all young people is exemplary.” 

By Vincent Toal 

Headteacher Gerry Lyons, 

who has been in charge since 

October 2011, said he was 

thrilled with the school’s success. 

“We have had a lot to do in 

a short space of time, but 

everyone – staff, pupils and 

parents – has worked together. 

I was pleased to see recognition 

of our young people and 

how involved they are with 

their learning.” 

The report recognised that 

St Andrew’s – whose catchment 

includes Shettleston, 

Easterhouse, Cranhill and 

Ruchazie – performs much 

better than schools which 

serve young people with similar 

needs and backgrounds. 

Inspectors noted the “outstanding” 

progress of vulnerable 

young people, with almost 

all going on to further study, 

employment or training. 

The report highlighted the 

number of creative partnerships 

the school enjoys with 

the wider community, and 

successes in artistic, sporting 

and cultural activities, as well 

as concern for the needs others 

through fundraising for 

local and international charities 

were singled out. The report 

summarised St Andrew’s 

key strengths as: 

• Young people who aspire to 

be the best they can, supported 

by staff dedicated to 

meeting their social, emotional 

and spiritual needs; 

• Outstanding expectations 

for young people’s achievements; 

• Learners’ experience leading 

to resilient, happy and 

well-adjusted young people, 

with a range of skills for life 

and work; 

• Strong relationships and tolerance 

built upon the 

school’s strong Catholic 

ethos; 

• The impact of leadership at 

all levels across the school, 

in particular the inspirational 

leadership of the 

headteacher. 

Mr Lyons said: “It is early 

days in what I want to achieve 

for the school, but we are 

moving in the right direction. 

We can build on this report 

and the feedback from inspectors 

and then take what we 

achieve to another level.” 

Glowing 

Meanwhile, in the West 

End of Glasgow, St Paul’s 

Primary in Whiteinch has also 

received a glowing report 

card, with learners’ experiences 

in writing and music 

highlighted as ‘excellent’. 

Children’s behaviour and 

respect for each other are described 

as ‘exemplary’, while 

the leadership of headteacher 

Martin Hardie and teamwork 

among the staff are major 

strengths. 

The report stated: “The 

headteacher and staff share a 

passion for ensuring children 

learn in a respectful, inclusive 

environment.” 

That environment reflects 

the “Catholic values which 

permeate all aspects of the 

work of the school”. 

Maureen McKenna, executive 

director for education with 

Glasgow City Council, expressed 

her delight at the report 

and the recognition it gives to 

Mr Hardie’s leadership. 

She added: “I am particularly 

proud of the references to 

outstanding ethos underpinned 

by strong Catholic values 

and the excellent 

evaluation of children’s learning 

experiences. 

“I know that none of that 

just happens, but is a result of 

the whole school community’s 

commitment to learning, 

the hard work of staff and 

children, and the priority 

placed on children’s care and 

welfare.” 

Parent Christina McKitrick 

said it didn’t need an inspectors’ 

report to tell her how 

good St Paul’s is, but added: 

“However, when Her 

Majesty’s Inspector puts in 

writing for all to see that we 

do indeed have a very caring, 

hardworking and high achieving 

school with excellent leadership, 

then for parents and 

carers the confirmation is 

great and for the teachers at 

the helm the recognition is 

well deserved and all praise is 

most definitely due.” 

St. Charles’ Primary 

13 Kelvinside Gardens 

GLASGOW, G20 6BG 

Tel: 0141 946 1391 

Head Teacher: 

Marie Breckenridge 

Holy Family 

Boghead Road,Kirkintilloch 

GlasgowG664AT 

0141 955 2212 

Head Teacher: 

Frances O’Connell 

STRIDING AHEAD: St Andrew’s Secondary pupils with 

head teacher Gerry Lyons 

St. Agatha’s 

Gartshore Road 

KIRKINTILLOCH G66 3TH 

Tel: 0141 955 2328 

Head Teacher: Michele Vaughan 

Staff, pupils and parents of St Agatha’s 

value and support Catholic Education 

St Marnock’s 

Primary 

Langton Crescent, 

Pollok, Glasgow 

G53 5LW 

Tel: 0141 882 1915 

St. Matthew’s P.S. 

Park Road 

Bishopbriggs 

G64 2NP 

Tel: 0141 955 2282 

Head Teacher: 

Marie-Louise Brogan 

St. Paul’s Primary 

Shettleston 

85 Anwoth Street 

GLASGOW, 

G32 7RR 

Tel: 0141 778 6227 

St. Joachim’s 

Montrose Avenue 

Carmyle, Glasgow 

G32 8BZ 

Tel: 0141 641 6840 

St. Francis Primary School 

and Nursery Class 

430 Old Rutherglen Road 

GlasgowG5OPA 

Tel: 0141 429 3687 

Head Teacher: 

Sharon McGeever 

Helping children to be all they can be


FEATURE 13 

cese showcasing the benefits of faith-based education 

Senior pupils doing Leadership Max programme at 

John Paul Academy with Archbishop Tartaglia, head 

teacher Vincent Docherty, principal RE teacher Paul 

Kierney and school chaplain Deacon Jim Dean 


CATHOLIC 

EDUCATION 

aims not only to 

communicate facts 

but also to transmit 

a coherent, 

comprehensive vision 

of life, in the 

conviction that the 

truths contained in 

that vision liberate 

students in the 

most profound 

meaning of human 

freedom. 

Living up to John Paul’s legacy 

THE only Catholic school 

in Scotland named after 

a person still alive when 

it was founded, Glas - 

gow’s John Paul Aca - 

demy is marking its 30th 

anniversary this year. 

Named after Pope John Paul 

II, the school was officially 

opened just months after his 

historic 1982 visit to Scotland. 

To mark the anniversary, 


celebrated Mass in the assembly 

hall with teachers, staff, 

pupils, parents, priests and 

chaplain Deacon Jim Dean. 

The Archbishop remarked 

that naming the school after 

someone who was then still 

alive illustrated the “immense 

impact” that Pope John Paul 

had on people all over the 

world 

He reminded the pupils of 

the special bond John Paul had 

with young people, remarking 

on how he spoke very clearly 

and openly about what it 

meant to follow Christ. 

Inspired by that example, 

Archbishop Tartaglia assured 

the pupils: “John Paul would 

say to you that the Lord loves 

you and never be under any 

doubt about that. He invites 

you to experience his friendship. 

“We all have a longing for 

God in our hearts – even if we 

deny it – and that longing will 

always want to be satisfied. 

“Jesus is the answer to our 

longing. Be friends with him 

and try to live the kind of life 

he shows us. 

“I encourage you not to be 

afraid of your faith and to help 

each other to engage with 

Jesus and find there what your 

heart truly longs for. 

Inspired 

The Archbishop gave 

thanks for all the blessings 

that have been given to the 

school and have come through 

its teachers, pupils, parents, 

carers, chaplains and friends 

over the past 30 years. 

Vincent Docherty, John 

Paul Academy’s headteacher 

for the past five years, expressed 

the gratitude of the 

whole school to Archbishop 

Tartaglia for his presence and 

words of encouragement. 

He assured that the school 

continues to be inspired by the 

heroic life and example of its 

patron. 

“Our school motto In 

Scientia Caritas Abundet (in 

knowledge may goodness 

abound) conforms with many 

of John Paul II’s great messages. 

He believed man cannot 

be without God, so the 

faith question was all consuming 

for him. 

“Will the human race, especially 

those who have power 

and influence, be able once 

again to consider its link to the 

transcendent? To Pope John 

Paul the very survival of 

mankind depends on how that 

question is faced. 

“Within our context, we 

parents, teachers and priests 

can be viewed as those with 

power and influence and can 

answer this question by encouraging 

our young people to 

know and love God.” 

Mr Docherty added: “As a 

Catholic community of faith 

and learning, we accept our 

responsibility. 

“Through participation in 

programmes like the Caritas 

Award, Catholic Leadership 

Max, senior school community 

enhancement projects and 

our every day example of 

good living, our young people 

are showing commitment to 

their faith after the example 

our patron. 

“We are proud at John Paul 

Academy to be promoting this 

mission and hope to be doing 

so for many years to come.” 

YOUTH 

must not simply be 

considered as an 

object of pastoral 

concern for the 

Church: in fact, 

young people are 

and ought to be 

encouraged to be 

active on behalf of 

the Church as 

leading characters 

in evangelisation 

and participants in 

the renewal of society. 

POPE 

JOHN PAUL II 

St. Peter’s 

Primary 

42 Chancellor Street 

GLASGOW, G11 5QN 

Tel: 0141 339 1989 

Headteacher: Sadie Traynor 

St. Mirin’s 

WHERE THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE 

IS A WAY OF LIFE 

260 Carmunnock Road 

Glasgow G44 5AP 

Tel: 0141 637 7455 

Head Teacher: Pauline Devine 

Sacred Heart Primary 

31 Reid Street 

GLASGOW 

G40 4AR 

Tel: 0141 554 5949 

St Blane’s Primary 

23 Arrochar Drive 

Summerston 

Glasgow G23 5JN 

Tel: 0141 945 1276 

Head Teacher: 

Mrs Michele Stewart 

St Catherine’s Primary 

274 Rye Road, 

GLASGOW, G21 3JR 

Telephone: 

0141 558 8582 

St. Thomas’ 

8 Smithycroft Road 

Glasgow 

G33 2QJ 

Tel: 0141 770 4360 

Head Teacher: Geraldine Parkinson

14 FEATURE 


CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK: Opening hearts and minds to God 

Powerful effect of 

Saint’s presence 

Primary 7 pupils Erin, Tyler 

and Chantelle with Year of 

Faith candle 

Year of Faith at Holy Cross 

HOLY Cross Primary School in 

Govanhill has entered into the spirit of 

the Year of Faith with staff and pupils 

determined to grow in God’s love. 

“Over the coming months we will 

strengthen our knowledge and wisdom 

through prayer, settling a good example at all 

times and using our talents to fill our homes 

and our school with God’s love and 

happiness,” said Claire Gray, depute 

headteacher. 

The school’s Year of Faith programme was 

launched during an assembly led by the 

priests of Holy Cross parish – Fr Neil 

Donnachie, Fr John Sweeney and Fr Paul 

Brooks. 

As children sang This is Our Faith, a banner 

designed and made by Primary 6 pupils 

capturing the Year of Faith message was 

unfurled and a candle lit. 

During the year, P4 pupils will record their 

experiences as they prepare to receive the 

sacraments of Confirmation and Holy 

Communion. 

The history of Holy Cross parish and how it 

reaches out to the community of Govanhill 

today is being explored by P5, while P6 will 

learn how art, music and literature are used in 

worship of God. 

Ms Gray said: “Our most senior pupils in 

Primary 7 will reflect upon people in society 

and in our local community and explore what 

faith means to them. They will learn about the 

Saints and how they answered God’s call to 

live like Jesus. 

“Former pupils will be invited to give 

witness to their Faith and engage in 

discussion about the importance of God in 

their lives.” 

Also, as part of the Year of Faith, the school 

will visit holy places to help develop an 

understanding of spirituality and God’s love 

for people. 

Lourdes Secondary School 

Encouraging Excellence 

www.lourdessecondary.co.uk 

Lourdes Secondary is an 

inclusive community of faith 

and learning, rich in our 

diversity and offering a 

climate of high expectations 

and aspirations for all. Our 

young people are encouraged 

to aspire to the ideal of love 

of God, and love of neighbour, 

so that they may enrich their 

community through their 

gifts and talents. 

WHEN I heard about the 

proposed visit of the 

relics of Saint John 

Bosco to Glasgow I was 

intrigued. I knew it was 

part of a pilgrimage 

across Europe in anticipation 

of the 200th anniversary 

of his birth. 

However, like many 

Catholics today, I wondered 

about the significance of the 

tradition of venerating the 

relics of saints, as this has become 

a less common experience 

in recent times. 

My affection for the person 

of Don Bosco and my deep 

respect for his work amongst 

young people made me curious; 

and I was fascinated to 

see what the visit would involve. 

Knowing how the charism 

(or special gift) of the 

DON Bosco grew up in a 

single parent family, 

struggling with poverty and 

carrying the tensions of both 

step-brothers and 

bereavement. 

His spirituality came from 

watching his mother, 

Margaret, balancing the 

need to belong, to learn, to 

relax and to find God for her 

three growing boys. 

It was her spirituality that 

Don Bosco carried into his 

work for young people – 

practical, cheerful and 

balanced – and that made 

him into a saint. 

Over a lifetime of working 

with a wide range of young 

people and adults, Don 

Bosco grew a model for the 

development of the whole 

person which he called the 

Preventive System. 

He managed this in the 

chaos of inner-city Turin, 

with young adults who were 

often wild and abandoned by 

society. His preventive model 

involved balancing four key 

areas of life: 

Home – A Sense of 

Belonging 

Let people know that they 

are loved was a favourite 

phrase of Don Bosco’s. He 

The relics of Saint John Bosco visited St 

Andrew’s Cathedral in early January. 

MARY O’DUFFIN reflects on their 

significance 

Salesian order still supports 

and encourages the faith formation 

of the young in the 

Church today, I was open to 

being surprised. 

Above all, I knew this holy 

man had been a joyful and engaging 

youth who enjoyed 

circus tricks and fun and had 

a sunny and joyful disposition. 

He put on shows of his 

skills as a juggler, magician 

and acrobat – but included 

prayers before and afterwards 

too. 

He also had a deep awareness 

of the presence of God 

and from a young age felt 

called to the vocation of 

priesthood. 

realised that the care shared 

between people was a sign 

of a deeper love of God made 

visible. He described the 

experience of genuine care 

as like an electric current 

that brought people to life, 

built confidence and 

overcame 

misunderstandings. 

School – A Place Where 

People Could Learn from 

Life 

Don Bosco saw learning 

as growing in wisdom and in 

a capacity for life. Each 

night he spoke to his young 

lads about some aspect of 

the day and tried to draw 

lessons from life. Don Bosco 

was committed to good 

But most persuasive of all 

was his compassion and empathy 

for the young, in particular 

his life's work in 

providing security, education 

and nurture in the faith to the 

neglected street boys of Turin 

who were seen by many in 

the Church as unreachable 

and delinquent. 

Cheerful 

Through his humane and 

cheerful care of them, Don 

Bosco won these young people 

to the faith by gentleness 

and kindness, showing that 

sin was in fact ugly and virtue 

beautiful – and merry! 

His commitment to the dig- 

Finding space for fun 

academic and vocational 

training but he also saw life 

as the classroom where the 

God of History teaches us at 

every moment. 

Playground – A Space 

for Play, Fun and 

Celebration 

The first thing Don Bosco 

made available for young 

people was a playground. In 

that space young people 

could relax and forget the 

poverty and uncertainty of 

their lives and enjoy the 

present moment. Play 

involves a faith that the 

world will turn without us for 

a while. It reminds us that 

life is a gift to be celebrated 

and shared.


FEATURE 15 

Learning from the life and example of Don Bosco – the great apostle of youth 

nity of the human person, as 

well as the patient listening to 

the concerns of the young, 

proved a witness to the 

Gospel in both word and 

deed. 

As a role model for educators 

of the young, Don Bosco 

is unsurpassed. 

But, still I wondered how 

this joy would be communicated 

through the veneration 

of his relics. I need not have 

worried. 

The gathering of young and 

old from the Salesian family 

worked to make the visit a pilgrimage 

experience. Warmth, 

welcome and good humour 

were hallmarks of their presence. 

A pilgrimage display 

led the visitor around the 

in learning 

Church – A Space for 

Reflection, Mystery and 

Spiritual Life 

Don Bosco believed that 

the capacity of young 

people for spiritual wisdom 

had been severely 

underestimated by many 

adults. He knew that many 

of his young lads were 

already saints whilst still at 

school. Their genuine 

goodness, self-sacrifice 

and awareness of God 

overwhelmed Don Bosco. 

For that reason he would 

get angry with those who 

mistreated the young, and 

he wanted to become the 

friendly face of the Church 

for all young people. 

These four aspects of a 

cathedral in thoughtful and 

prayerful attentiveness. 

There were juggling tricks 

to engage the visiting children; 

a meditation on the 

Beatitudes which reflected on 

Don Bosco's vision the 

Christian life. 

Also an opportunity to pray 

and give thanks for the person 

of the Saint beside the relics; 

and a challenge to promote 

the virtues of reason, religion 

and loving kindness in the respective 

vocations of parent, 

grandparent, catechist, religious, 

single person and 

priest. 

Finally, in harmony with 

Don Bosco's great role as a 

confessor and spiritual director 

there was a meditation on 

family spirit were actually 

built by Don Bosco in a rundown 

part of Turin, called 

Valdocco. There he built a 

home for orphans and 

apprentices, a school for 

poor youth, a playground 

for street children and a 

church where young people 

could meet God in their 

own lives. 

This Valdocco model has 

become a practical 

spirituality for all people. 

Each aspect, kept in 

balance with the others, 

offers a way of keeping in 

touch with the Spirit at 

work in life and 

relationships. 

the role of the Sacrament of 

Penance in the year of Faith 

and the opportunity to celebrate 

this in a gentle and unhurried 

way, with several 

priests available in the pews. 

Coming on the threshold of 

the new year, it was indeed a 

great opportunity for joy, pardon 

and peace. 

Nature 

So what of the role of the 

relics in all of this? 

Principally, that in order to 

faithful to God we do not 

have to reject our human nature 

– our personalities, or indeed 

our natural desires for 

affection, companionship and 

human contact. 

We are bodily creatures as 

well as spiritual ones and God 

rejoices in us, body and soul, 

Pupils of John Bosco Primary and their 

deputy head Nuala Boyd pray before the 

relic of their patron 


“Improvement in living and learning to the 

greater glory of God and the common good” 

St Ignatius Loyola 

St Aloysius’ College 

Building on 

Strong Foundations 

and draws us to fullness of 

life. Somehow honouring the 

body of this saint did not now 

seem odd or eccentric, as I 

feared it might. 

As I left the Cathedral, it 

struck me that Don Bosco had 

been a person gifted with a 

deep respect for the human 

person, made in the image 

and likeness of God. 

He recognised the vulnerability 

of the young who, 

through their experiences, 

might be excluded from an 

experience of grace and faith. 

He used all of his God-given 

talents to draw them to the 

Lord and to give them a future 

with hope. 

A practical person, he gave 

them catechesis, employment 

and fun – all necessary for the 

blossoming of the human 

spirit. He understood the 

power of presence, recognition 

and empathy for others, 

and shared the hope of the 

Gospel with those whom society 

appeared not to value. 

The veneration of the relics 

was an opportunity to be close 

to the mortal remains of a person 

who had been so open to 

the grace and goodness of 

God that he drew others to 

that goodness. 

Example 

Don Bosco reminds us that 

grace builds on nature and 

perfects it. 

May we who work with the 

young, be true followers of 

his example as we share the 

good news of the Christian 

life. 

Heading 

up north 

SAINT Aloysius College has 

appointed John Browne as 

their new headmaster. 

He is the current deputy 

head of Ampleforth, the 

Benedictine school in North 

Yorkshire, and former 

headmaster of Westminster 

Cathedral Choir School. 

Frank Dunn, chair of 

governors of St Aloysius, said: 

“Mr Browne will bring to St 

Aloysius’ College a wealth of 

experience and a track record 

of success at a senior level in 

independent and Catholic 

education.” 

Mr Browne, who started out 

as a music teacher, takes up 

his new post in August, 

succeeding John Stoer who is 

retiring after ten years at St 

Aloysius. 

ST NINIAN’S HIGH SCHOOL 

Headteacher: Paul McLaughlin 

Bellfield Road, Kirkintilloch, G66 1DT 

Telephone: 0141 955 2386 

www.st-ninians.e-dunbarton.sch.uk 

A Catholic School 

ofAmbition 

supporting Catholic 

Education Week 

St Aloysius’ College is a Catholic, independent school for 

pupils aged 3-18 that balances an academic education 

with an emphasis on service to others. 

St Aloysius’ College exists to help parents raise and educate 

their children and to support the life of the Catholic Church in 

Scotland. In keeping with all Jesuit schools throughout the 

world, we seek to promote “improvement in living and learning 

to the greater glory of God and the common good”. (St Ignatius 

Loyola) 

www.staloysius.org 

45 Hill St, Glasgow G3 6RJ 

Tel: 0141 332 3190 Email: mail@staloysius.org 

Company Ltd by Guarantee No. SC405951 Registered Charity No. SCO42545

16 VOCATIONS 


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IsJesuscalling you? 

Email: stalexius@eircom.net Tel: 00353 94 937 6996 

www.alexianbrothers.ie 

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WHO ARE WE? 

An international community of missionary priests for Africa. We are called 

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Nightshifts no problem for hospital chaplain 

THE desire to draw people 

closer to Christ is at 

the heart of the calling of 

all priests, writes Mary 

McGinty. 

In his ministry as a hospital 

chaplain, Fr Bernard Connell 

has being doing this in a special 

way in the 50 years since 

his ordination. 

“Embracing the sick in the 

love of Christ through prayer 

and the sacraments is what it 

is all about,” he explained, in a 

simple, matter-of-fact way. 

“You are a go-between – 

bringing Christ to the sick and 

dying and bringing them to 

Christ.” 

For the best part of 20 years, 

Fr Connell has been chaplain 

to St Margaret of Scotland 

Hospice in Clydebank and the 

Southern General Hospital in 

Govan – two demanding roles, 

but he is unfazed by the task. 

In fact, involvement in hospital 

chaplaincy stretches back 

to immediately after ordination 

in 1962 when he was filling in 

at St Andrew’s Cathedral. 

Frequent visits to Glasgow 

Royal Infirmary set the scene 

for what was to come. 

He continued to be a familiar 

face in the Royal, visiting 

parishioners from St Roch’s 

where he was assistant priest. 

And when he moved to 

Immaculate Heart of Mary, he 

quickly became acquainted 

with Stobhill and Huntershill 

hospice. 

Memory 

Seeing a mother at the bedside 

of a sick son is especially 

moving for Fr Connell, since, 

years before he became a hospital 

chaplain, he was that son. 

Aged 16, he received the 

last rites when he was thought 

to be dying from pleurisy and 

pneumonia. When he recovered, 

his abiding memory was 

“the cries of my mother imploring 

God to let her bear the 

sickness for me and begging 

me to come back to her”. 

The warm, human touch is 

fundamental to the comfort Fr 

Connell offers as chaplain. A 

timely embrace gives the assurance 

that patients are supported 

and their suffering is shared. 

“Coming from a family of 

huggers, it isn’t hard to do,” he 

smiles. “I find people are reassured 

and comforted by a hug. 

“The memory of my mother 

clutching me to her as I lay 

‘dying’ has lived with me and 

is something I’ve never been 

afraid to share.” 

When he is present with 

families round the hospital 

bed of a person who has died, 

Fr Connell always encourages 

them to place their hands on 

the head or in the hands of 

their loved one to express their 

closeness and give them a 

memory to cherish. 

It was while caring for his 

elderly father at home, that Fr 

Connell became chaplain to St 

Margaret’s Hospice and, later, 

Gartnavel General and Royal 

hospitals. 

“At the Hospice, I see patients 

every day and I know 

them all by name in a way you 

don’t often get the chance to 

in a much larger hospital,” he 

reflects. 

Treasured 

“Within the hospice there is 

a real sense of community. 

You get to know families and 

see them again when they return 

to bereavement services 

and the annual Light up a Life 

service. These are all treasured 

moments for me as a 

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priest.” 

Perhaps the most challenging 

aspect of hospital chaplaincy 

is the unsocial hours, 

but Fr Connell has never let 

this bother him. Even after a 

full day of visiting the hospice 

and the hospital, the prospect 

of the night shift doesn’t deter 

him. 

“I could be called out two or 

three times in the one night to 

the Southern General, but I try 

not to grumble,” he says. 

“Some nights I don’t bother to 

go to bed until two o’clock, 

just in case.” 

Ambition 

With his unusually long 

service as a chaplain, Fr 

Connell has no regrets about 

not becoming a parish priest. 

“I have always been very 

happy and fulfilled in hospital 

chaplaincy. When I was in 

seminary in Spain I was assistant 

infirmarian and had a cupboard 

of medicines and 

remedies that I dispensed. The 

doctor taught me how to use a 

syringe – so I suppose hospitals 

are in my blood.” 

With time and a warm welcome 

for everyone he meets, 

there is no sign that the years 

have taken their toll on this 

Fr Connell with Elain, a patient at 

St Margaret's Hospice 

Picture by Dan McGinty 

man who as a youngster had 

an ambition to become a footballer. 

He was on the books at 

Clyde FC and played at international 

level with the Air 

Training Corp – the only Scot 

in the British team. 

In the spirit of teamwork, he 

shares the workload at the 

Southern General with Fr 

Brendan Murtagh, of St 

Constantine’s, and is thankful 

for the assistance given by extraordinary 

ministers of Holy 

Communion. 

In light of changes to data 

protection legislation, which 

mean that chaplains are no 

longer given a list of Catholic 

patients, Fr Connell is always 

keen to remind parishioners to 

inform their parish priest if 

they are due to go in hospital. 

They should never, he says, be 

reticent about making contact. 

“They can also contact the 

chaplain direct or ask the 

nurse in charge of the ward 

who will page the on-call 

priest,” he points out. 

Whenever he enters the 

ward, Fr Connell does so as a 

minister of the Lord bringing 

the compassion and mercy of 

Christ. 

It is a privileged service he 

has never tired of fulfilling. 

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Boosting profile of Scotland’s 

‘amazing’ mission support 

IT was known to generations 

of Catholics as the 

Propagation of the Faith, 

and more recently as 

Missio Scotland – the 

Church’s official mission 

charity in this country. 

Now, to give a new impetus 

to its work, the Scottish charity 

with a world-wide impact, 

has been rebranded as Mission 

Matters Scotland, complete 

with a new website and logo. 

And it plans to raise and keep 

a high profile throughout 2013 

and well beyond. 

There may be a new image 

and approach to its work, but 

Mission Matters Scotland’s 

message remains the same as 

it always has: pray a little give 

a little, to ensure that the 

Church’s missionary work can 

continue effectively. 

Father Tom Welsh, national 

director of Mission Matters 

Scotland, said: “Scotland has 

a proud record of missionary 

prayer, giving and activity, 

and we want to make sure that 

this continues. 

“Many people will be 

amazed to hear that our small 

country ranks an astonishing 

eleventh in the world for giving 

to the missions. We want 

A MISSIONARY priest in 

Mali ministering to displaced 

people has described 

their desperate 

struggle to flee fighting 

as violence intensified in 

key parts of the country. 

In an interview with Aid to 

the Church in Need, Fr 

Zacharie Sorgho described the 

events that led to the liberation 

of the strategically important 

town of Diabaly on18 

January. 

He said: “One morning, 

there was an armed assault by 

Islamist rebels in the city of 

Konna and other southern 

cities. 

“This created a great fear in 

the city and everyone was in a 

state of confusion. People 

were fleeing and there were 

cries of despair.” 

Fr Sorgho, whose parish is 

in north-west Mali, praised the 

intervention of French troops 

who were crucial to the liberation 

of the city. 

He said: “After intense 

fighting, Konna was freed 

from the hands of the jihadist 

Muslims. But then they attacked 

the town of Diabaly 

to keep us up there and I know 

that many Catholics, both 

young and old, will dig deep, 

even during the current recession, 

just as they have always 

done, to keep money flowing 

to our missionaries. 

“But we felt it was time to 

renew Missio, especially in 

this Year of Faith, with its emphasis 

on spreading the good 

news of the Gospel, so that 

we’re even more able to do the 

work entrusted to us.” 

That means a launch of the 

new logo and a calendar of activities 

and prayer initiatives 

over the coming year, all designed 

to raise awareness of 

the charity. 

Aware 

Schools and parishes alike 

will be provided with materials 

and encouraged to support 

Mission Matters Scotland. 

And, the new name – a play 

on the fact that mission does 

matter to everyone, while the 

charity deals with missionary 

matters – will be promoted, to 

and took it. They used people 

as human shields.” 

The priest reported how 

Islamists had confiscated mobile 

phones, preventing people 

from communicating with the 

outside world, and mingled 

with residents, stopping the 

French and Malian soldiers 

from conducting targeted 

strikes against them. 

Describing the background 

of the conflict, he said: “For a 

long time rebel groups in 

northern Mali imposed their 

laws and spread terror among 

the people by amputating 

hands, giving strokes of the 

lash, committing sexual violence 

against women and 

girls, and so forth. 

“The misery was great and 

the media spoke about the situation 

every day, but nothing 

was done at either national or 

international level. 

“Rebel groups and Islamists 

thought they were already victors 

and masters of the country. 

“They really want to impose 

laws and apply Sharia 

throughout the country.” 

It is estimated that up to 

400,000 people have fled from 

northern Mali and other con- 

ensure that as many people as 

possible are aware of the vital 

work carried out thanks to 

Mission Matters Scotland. 

“We’re equally keen for 

people outwith the Church 

and across Scotland to become 

aware of us,” said Fr 

Welsh. 

“There’s a rich, Christian 

missionary tradition to tap 

into, and as a Lanarkshire man 

myself, I only have to think of 

David Livingstone, to know 

that many people will chime 

with the whole concept of 

mission.” 

Mission Matters Scotland 

reports to Rome, as a pontifical 

charity, and to the 

Bishops’ Conference of 

Scotland. 

“We’re delighted that 

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, 

the conference president, is 

giving us his full backing in 

Mali missionaries in heat of battle 

Fr Zacharie Sorgho 

flict areas since the brutality 

began over a year ago. 

Fr Sorgho, who is a member 

of the Missionaries of Africa 

(White Fathers) said: “We 

have welcomed those displaced 

by the war. But, with 

multiple air strikes and armed 

interventions, we are seeing 

many more people coming to 

us. 

“Many have come with 

nothing – except a backpack 

containing a few personal 

items.” 

Fellow White Father missionary, 

Fr Alberto Rovelli 

who has worked in Mali over 

many years, said: “It is not 

easy to talk about Mali right 

now. One risks saying things 

our mission to make the missions 

matter,” Fr Welsh said. 

“We also have practical support 

from the Scottish 

Catholic Education Service in 

our quest to reach out to 

young Catholics in schools, 

colleges and universities.” 

He added: “We’ll be working 

hard to play our part in 

evangelisation, here, in 

Scotland. We’ll be encouraging 

people to pray, and are 

launching a national prayer 

campaign for the missions, 

and for this country. 

“By praying a little and giving 

a little regularly, we can 

all move closer to Jesus Christ 

Our Saviour.” 

■ To learn more or to donate 

to Mission Matters 

Scotland, visit 

missionmattersscotland.org 

Fr Alberto Rovelli 

that are obvious or that will be 

contradicted by the facts. 

There is a war going on that is 

for sure and in a war, all kinds 

of horror are possible.” 

Fr Rovelli said that over the 

past ten years there had been 

“an infiltration of non Malians 

who have started promoting 

radical forms of Islam.” 

Fundamentalists from 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had 

come in and were brainwashing 

young people. 

The priest said that the intervention 

of French troops offered 

only a temporary 

solution and that lasting peace 

depended on Muslim leaders 

denouncing violence and 

standing up to the terrorists. 

MISSIONS 17 

Walking humbly 

beyond hatred 

CHRISTIANS must work 

together to offer the faith 

they share to a world that 

seems to find it more and 

more difficult to believe, 

Pope Benedict XVI has told 

Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican 

and Protestant leaders. 

“Unity is in itself a 

privileged means – almost a 

requirement – for 

proclaiming the faith in an 

increasingly credible way to 

those who do not yet know 

the Saviour or who, having 

received the proclamation of 

the Gospel, have almost 

forgotten this precious gift,” 

he said. 

Presiding over an evening 

prayer service at the end of 

the Week of Prayer for 

Christian Unity, the Pope 

said that, even as divided 

Christians continue their 

theological dialogues in the 

search for full unity, “it is 

necessary to pursue 

concrete collaboration 

among the disciples of 

Christ on behalf of the cause 

of transmitting the faith to 

the modern world. 

“In today’s society, it 

seems that the Christian 

message has a diminishing 

impact on personal and 

community life, and this 

represents a challenge for 

all churches and ecclesial 

communities.” 

The key to meeting the 

challenge is for Christians to 

pray to God for the gift of 

unity and step up their 

efforts at reconciliation, 

dialogue and mutual 

understanding. 

“Communion in the same 

faith is the basis for 

ecumenism,” Pope Benedict 

said in his homily at Rome’s 

Basilica of St. Paul Outside 

the Walls. 

During the Year of Faith, 

he said Christians should 

recognise and give thanks 

for their shared faith in God, 

in Jesus as Saviour and in 

the Holy Spirit, who 

sanctifies and continues to 

give life to the church. 

“Without faith – which 

primarily is a gift of God, but 

is also a response of man – 

the whole ecumenical 

movement would be reduced 

to a form of ‘contract’ to 

which we adhere out of our 

common interests,” he said. 

Instead, ecumenism itself 

is an expression of faith in 

Jesus, who prayed that his 

disciples would be one. 

The theme, ‘What does 

God require of us?’, and 

reflections for the 2013 

week of prayer were 

developed by Christians in 

India. The material 

highlighted the believers’ 

biblical obligation “to do 

justice, love goodness and 

walk humbly with God”. 

“True faith in God is 

inseparable from personal 

holiness, just as it is 

inseparable from the search 

for justice,” Pope Benedict 

said. 

He prayed for Christians 

in India, “who sometimes 

are called to witness to their 

faith in difficult 

circumstances,” and he said 

that while walking humbly 

with God means trusting 

God completely, “it also 

means walking beyond the 

barriers, hatred, racism and 

social and religious 

discrimination that divide 

and damage the whole 

society.” 

?Is God calling you 

Vocation Director, Nunraw Abbey 

HADDINGTON, EH41 4LW, Scotland 

Or email: nunraw.abbot@yahoo.co.uk 

Scottish Charity No SCO22611 

to a life of silence and solitude 

within a community of fellow seekers? 

The Cistercian monks at Nunraw Abbey 

offer such an opportunity. 

With them you can praise God 

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You will have time to study the ways 

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18 FOCUS 


How parents can play their 

part in ‘opening the hearts 

and minds’ of their children 

WE know as parents that 

we hand on to our children 

many things – our 

genes, our family stories, 

how we relate to 

others, our view of the 

world, and our values. 

Catholic Education Week 

reminds us that one of the key 

things that we hand on to our 

children is our Catholic faith 

– what we believe about Jesus 

as the Son of God and the difference 

that His life and death 

make to our world. 

Baptismal vows 

When we brought our children 

to be baptised, one of the 

questions we were asked was, 

“What do you ask of God’s 

Church, for [your son/daughter]?” 

Our answer was 

“Baptism”. 

By asking for baptism, we 

‘accept responsibility’ for our 

children’s practice of faith. 

We accept the ‘duty’ of 

bringing them up to keep the 

Celebrating Confirmation at St Anne’s, Dennistoun 

Commandments. We undertake 

to teach them so that 

they know what Christ has 

taught us about the centrality 

of love. 

Our role as parents is to 

open the hearts and minds of 

our children to the God in 

whom we believe and to provide 

the love that enables our 

children to open themselves 

to God in Jesus Christ. 

These are tough things to 

undertake for our children as 

we ourselves set out on the 

road of parenthood. They are 

not trivial. No doubt we undertook 

these responsibilities 

and duties in the hope that we 

would be assisted by God to 

carry them out fully. 

Perhaps also, if we are honest, 

it was in the hope that our 

own limitations and vulnerabilities 

would not prevent us 

from bringing our children to 

Christ. We know that we can 

only do this if we ourselves 

have our own hearts and 

minds open to God. 

If we are ‘closed’ in any 

way then we cannot do what 

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The Parental Involvement group, established by the 

Catholic Education Commission, offers support to 

parents who wish to provide their children with 

formation in the Catholic faith 

we said we would do for our 

children. 

Schooling 

When parents send their 

child to a Catholic school 

they are asking school staff 

to help out in their responsibility 

to hand on their faith. 

However, that should 

mean that parents are fully 

involved in what the school 

does and in helping the 

school to have an ethos that 

supports the development of 

faith. Schools need parents 

to be actively involved, if 

they are to assist parents in 

handing on faith. 

Those of you who are parents 

of adolescent children 

will know only too well that 

you have to work hard to 

keep attached to this hope 

for your children. 

Often our experience of 

handing on the faith to our 

children is not a smooth path 

and we can easily be discouraged 

and anxious. What 

is important is that we hold 

fast to our own faith and belief 

and sow, as best we can, 

seeds that may take some 

time to sprout and flower. 

In doing this we should 

stick to the basics of 

Catholic practice within our 

families. 

We should not make 

handing on the faith complicated. 

It is about the basics 

of our family life – eating 

together, praying together, 

going to Mass together. 

We can all challenge ourselves 

about how much effort 

we put into making 

these three things happen 

within our families. Often 

we fall into bad habits or opt 

simply for compromise for a 

quiet life. 

This year let’s challenge 

ourselves about our family 

habits and ask ourselves 

whether they help us in 

handing on the faith, or hinder 

us. 

We should take steps to 

change what hinders us and 

put in place new habits that 

we know in the long run will 

be better for all of us in our 

families. 

Creed 

One of the basic expressions 

of our faith is the 

Creed that we profess each 

Sunday at Mass. In this we 

say out loud what we believe. 

Sometimes we just repeat 

the words without 

letting them have any real 

meaning. 

Throughout this Year of 

Faith our children will be reflecting 

on what the Creed 

means to them. We as parents 

can play our part in this 

too by discussing the Creed 

with them and trying to 

make it more meaningful for 

ourselves. 

Families are founded in 

the love that parents have 

for each other. We know 

that our love is imperfect 

and the experience of some 

families is that we cannot 

sustain married life as we 

would wish. 

Especially in those circumstances, 

it is important 

that we turn to Christ and to 

the Church for support and 

help. 

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UN adopts Mother Teresa’s feast 

day as International Charity Day 

FOCUS 19 

Letter from 

New York 

By Mgr Peter Smith 

IT was a busy day, so 

that was possibly how I 

missed it. Back in 

Glasgow, it was St 

Mungo’s feast day, but 

here in New York and 

elsewhere it was the 

Feast of the Baptism of 

the Lord – the end of the 

Christmas Season. 

I was on the subway four 

times that day, my first journey 

at ten to six in the morning 

(yep!) to get to Staten 

Island for the early Mass, and 

my final journey was at the 

back of seven in the evening 

as I headed back home from 

East Harlem after the evening 

Mass. 

And yet, in spite of those 

four journeys, I did not notice, 

nor did I know it was 

happening. I only discovered 

I had missed it when I was 

watching the evening news. I 

suppose I am glad I had 

missed it, all things considered. 

Yes, Sunday 13 January in 

New York City was ‘No 

pants on the subway Day’ – 

(pants as in trousers for those 

of us who speak English). I 

thought “what?” as I heard 

the newscaster report this 

story. Why, of all the things 

you can do on a Sunday in the 

middle of January, would you 

want to go on the New York 

Subway without the benefit 

of a pair of trousers? What is 

the point? 

As it turns out, I don’t think 

there was a point, except to 

cause a scene. The folks organizing 

it are famous for 

these staged events and effectively 

all they do is to amuse 

people. No harm in that I suppose. 

On the Saturday morning 

before Christmas, I was heading 

up to Grand Central 

Terminal – just a couple of 

minutes from home – to meet 

some parishioners from St 

Mary’s, Calton, who were 

visiting New York. 

As I arrived at 42nd Street, 

I was startled to see around 

200 Santas standing outside 

the station. As they started 

marching along the street, in 

almost military precision, and 

I noticed dozens more redsuited 

men and women along 

the way chatting, walking, 

going about their business. 

Inside, the station was filled 

with more Santas of all 

shapes and sizes milling 

about. 

It turned out this was 

SantaCon – the Santa 

Convention – and these people 

were all out dressed up to 

help and work on various 

projects around the city. In 

all, somewhere in the region 

Santacon – Santas on the New York 

Subway (with their pants on) 

of 20,000 Santas were out 

and about in New York. 

In fact, it became so normal 

to see Santa that on the 

Saturday evening when I saw 

a man dressed as a mouse 

(honestly) walking along the 

street, my immediate thought 

was not “why is he dressed 

like a mouse?”, but rather, 

“why is he not dressed as 

Santa?” 

The Santas were not only 

enjoying themselves and entertaining 

passers-by, but 

were doing good work, donating 

to food-banks and collecting 

money for charity. No 

harm in that I suppose, and 

indeed a lot of good too. 

There are all kinds of days 

popping up in our calendars 

now – some are frivolous, for 

no reason, some are fun for a 

good cause and others are 

quite serious. 

We find them in the 

Church as well – World Day 

of Prayer for Peace, 

Vocations Sunday, Mission 

Sunday. Each of these days 

and events focuses our minds 

on different and, at least for 

the ones the Church celebrates, 

important issues. 

The United Nations has 

quite a number of these – in 

fact, there are 115 

‘International Days of” in the 

calendar. Some parallel days 

observed in the Church, like 

World Youth Day and Day 

for Families, while others are 

more esoteric like World Day 

of Happiness (honestly, it 

falls on 20th March), or 

Friendship (30th July). 

Serious concerns like 

AIDS, cancer and suicide 

prevention have their days as 

Mother Teresa 

does Holocaust Memorial 

Day. On a much lighter note, 

April 30th is the World Day 

of Jazz. 

A new ‘day’ has just been 

added to the list, and I hope it 

is one which finds its way 

into the hearts and minds of 

all of us because it is a deeply 

Christian theme, even though 

it applies to all people. It is 

also a theme which resonates 

very strongly with the teaching 

of Pope Benedict XVI. 

Last December, the UN 

General Assembly adopted a 

resolution to mark the 

International Day of Charity. 

The resolution recognized the 

good works of nations and 

also of groups and individuals 

reaching out to others. 

Included among the great 

examples of charitable living 

was “the work of Mother 

Teresa”. And the resolution 

designated the International 

Day of Charity to be 5th 

September – the Feast of 

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, 

marking the anniversary of 

Mother Teresa’s death in 

1997. 

All member states of the 

UN are invited to observe the 

International Day of Charity 

by encouraging charity, including 

through education 

and public awareness-raising 

activities. 

Now that is a day with a 

good theme and great motives. 

Appropriate indeed. 

All we need now is to get a 

UN resolution to turn all 

these ‘Days of…’ into days 

off! 

Fertility Care Scotland relocates clinic 

in Southern General 

Scottish charity, Fertility Care Scotland 

announces the new location of their 

clinic within the Southern General 

Hospital, Govan Road, Glasgow. 

This clinic will be held on the 2nd 

and 4th Mondays each month, from 

6.30pm until 8.30pm in the Pre-Natal 

Unit. 

Free, confidential teaching and follow-up 

support in the Billings Ovulation 

Method, a modern, scientific, evidence-based 

method of natural fertility 

regulation will now be available to the 

public on an appointment basis. Initial 

consultations usually take about an 

hour, depending on the client’s needs. 

This service is provided free of 

charge, however as a charity, donations 

are welcome. Fertility Care Scotland 

runs an additional seven clinics per 

month, in locations throughout 

Scotland. 

Millions of women around the world 

are known to use the Billings Ovulation 

Method to either achieve or avoid 

pregnancy and to monitor their reproductive 

health. 

It is particularly helpful for sub-fertile 

couples, breast feeding mothers, women 

coming off the pill, and women in 

the pre-menopausal years. Studies 

have shown the method to be 99% 

effective in avoiding or postponing 

pregnancy. 

A five-year study by the 

Ovulation Method Research and 

Reference Centre of Australia Ltd 

found that sub-fertile women 

achieved a known pregnancy rate 

of 65% using the Billings 

Ovulation Method. This included 

women over 38 years of age 

and couples who had had previous unsuccessful 

IVF or artificial insemination. 

Preg nancy was achieved on average 

within five months of the initial instruction. 

The charity will run a course in 

October 2013, offering an opportunity 

for interested persons, including previous 

and current users of the method 

and health professionals to train as 

Billings teachers. Applications are welcome 

now. 

Existing teachers are also invited to 

update their knowledge in the light of 

the most recent scientific and practical 

findings in the field of natural family 

planning. 

Developed by Drs John and Evelyn 

Billings, the method has been validated 

by eminent international scientists and 

verified by the World Health 

Organisation. 

Women who have concerns about 

their fertility and are encouraged by this 

information, may wish to contact 

Fertility Care’s Glasgow office. 

■ Contact Lucille McQuade, 

Office Administrator at Fertility 

Care Scotland on 0141 221 0858; 

info@fertilitycare.org.uk; 

www.fertilitycare.org.uk 

A Natural Way to Plan Your Family 

The Billings Ovulation Method 

Effective in Achieving Pregnancy 

Effective in Postponing Pregnancy 

Effective in maintaining and monitoring 

reproductive health 

Fertility Care Scotland 

Clinics 

2nd & 4th Mondays – Southern General Hospital, 

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20 OBITUARIES 


Mgr McShane served 

up to his final day 

IT was testimony to his 

devoted care as a priest 

that, on the day he died, 

Monsignor James McShane 

spent time bringing Holy 

Communion to sick and 

housebound parishioners 

of St Margaret’s, Clyde - 

bank. 

On the shortest day of the 

year – 21 December – and 

aged 88, he made time to be 

about the work that he had accepted 

as his calling 65 years 

earlier. He died with his boots 

on, in the loving embrace of St 

Margaret of Scotland Hospice, 

where he had been at home for 

the past eight years. 

In all, this doughty priest 

had spent 35 years in 

Clydebank after his appointment 

as parish priest of St 

Margaret’s in 1977. From the 

start, he identified with the 

town’s fight to protect jobs at 

Singers and in shipbuilding, 

and was resolute in upholding 

the dignity and worth of a 

sorely tested people. 

Born in Barrhead on 12 

August 1924, he attended a 

number of primary schools 

before entering St Aloysius 

College in 1933. Just as war 

broke out in 1939, he moved 

to St Mary’s College, Blairs, 

and his seminary years proved 

as nomadic as his earlier 

schooling. Eventually, he 

ended up at the Scots College, 

Rome, and Gregorian 

University, going on to study 

Scripture at the Pontifical 

Biblical Institute, Rome, and 

the École Biblique, Jerusalem. 

He was ordained priest by 

Archbishop Donald Campbell 

at St Aloysius, Garnethill, on 

12 September 1947 and celebrated 

his first Mass in St 

Vincent’s, Thornliebank. 

After his studies in Rome and 

Jerusalem, he returned to 

Glasgow and served as assistant 

priest in St Brendan’s, 

Yoker, for a year, and a further 

four years in St Mark’s, 

Shettleston. 

In 1955, he became 

Professor of Sacred Scripture 

and Biblical Studies in St 

Peter’s College, Cardross, 

opening up the scriptures to a 

generation of seminarians, 

many of whom went on to 

serve as priests in the Glasgow 

province. In 1967, he transferred 

his teaching remit to 

Notre Dame College of 

Education where he was a lecturer 

in religious education to 

students aiming to become 

teachers. He also qualified and 

registered as a teacher in 

1971. 

His passion for the scriptures 

and education remained 

throughout his life. For 

awhile, he shared his insights 

with readers of Flourish when 

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OBITUARIES 21 

he succeeded Fr John 

Fitzsimmons in compiling the 

Sunday Scripture reflections. 

With his appointment as 

parish priest of St Margaret’s, 

Whitecrook, in 1977, he established 

an association with 

Clydebank and its people that 

was to last the rest of his life. 

From the start, he was thrown 

into the fight to save jobs 

which at the time was an allconsuming 

concern with thousands 

threatened with 

unemployment. In the work of 

providing pastoral and spiritual 

leadership, he followed 

men like Fr Tom Glen and 

Rev Stewart Borthwick, veterans 

of the area’s Christian 

Action network. 

In discussions with national 

and local politicians, and business 

leaders, he articulated the 

Church’s teaching on human 

dignity, the right to work and 

freedom from exploitation. As 

Vicar Episcopal for Justice 

and Peace in the Archdiocese 

of Glasgow, he brought these 

concerns to a wider audience 

and helped promote the 

Church’s opposition to nuclear 

weapons, unjust war and 

iniquitous taxes. 

Well respected among his 

fellow priests, he was a past 

chairman of the Council of 

Priests, the Dean of the 

Clydebank parishes and an advisor 

on liturgy and ecumenism. 

He was made a 

Prelate of Honour by Pope 

John Paul II in 1987 and a 

Canon of the Cathedral 

Chapter in 1996. 

Friendship 

In his younger days, Fr 

McShane played an occasional 

round of golf with Fr 

Tom Winning (the two were 

friends from student days). It 

was shortly after attending the 

funeral of the sister of Mgr 

McShane at Our Lady and St 

Goerge’s, Penilee, on 8 June 

2001, that Cardinal Winning 

suffered a heart attack which 

led to his death nine days later. 

As an integral part of his 

parish, Mgr McShane developed 

a strong pastoral bond 

with St Margaret’s Hospice 

and great affection for the 

hard-working staff. When he 

stepped down from his duties 

as parish priest in 2004, Sister 

Rita Dawson was only too 

happy to offer him a place 

where he was cared for and 

from where he could continue 

to engage with his many acquaintances. 

One old acquaintance, 

Queen Elizabeth, even 

had a special word with him 

when she visited the hospice 

as part of her Diamond Jubilee 

celebrations, last July. 

It was no surprise that when 

fight to protect the hospice’s 

funding delivered a 100,000 

signature petition to the 

Scottish Parliament, two years 

ago, Mgr McShane was well 

to the fore in advocating the 

cause as a matter of justice. 

Even in old age, he was still 

vigorous – still full of sap, still 

green. 

The funeral Mass for Mgr 

McShane, took place on 29 

December in St Margaret’s 

Church where he had offered 

Mass each day over many 

years. The packed congregation 

spoke clearly of the love 

and esteem in which he was 

held. 

Archbishop Tartaglia was 

principal celebrant and was 

joined by a good number of 

clergy from across Scotland, 

as well as staff and friends 

from St Margaret’s Hospice, 

parishioners of St Margaret’s 

and other parishes throughout 

Clydebank and beyond, 

friends from other churches, 

from local and national politics 

– but especially by his 

dear nieces and nephew and 

their families. Mgr McShane’s 

remains were interred at North 

Dalnottar Cemetery, Clyde - 

bank. 

‘Uncle Dan’ influenced seminarians 

Father Daniel Friel, who 

was Master of Cere - 

monies at the Mass celebrated 

by Blessed 

Pope John Paul II at 

Bella houston Park during 

the Papal Visit to 

Scotland in 1982, died 

at Vale of Leven 

Hospital on Sun day 6 

January. He was 86. 

For the past 20 years, this 

well-respected priest had been 

resident at St Patrick’s, 

Dumbarton, after stepping 

down as parish priest of St 

Flannan’s, Kirkintilloch, where 

he had served for 13 years. 

As a young priest, Fr Friel 

spent 11 years on the teaching 

staff of St Mary’s College, 

Blairs, where he was affectionately 

known as ‘Uncle 

Dan’ for his supportive approach 

in engaging with the 

young seminarians whom he 

taught Latin and History. 


was among the last of a generation 

of Blairentians who felt 

his avuncular influence and 

expressed his gratitude when 

he presided at the Funeral 

Mass for Fr Friel in St 

Patrick’s. 

He said: “Fr Dan had a positive 

influence on me. In some 

ways, he was a kind of John 

Bosco figure who took a fatherly 

interest in the boys. He 

was a good teacher who knew 

when to take his foot off the 

gas and engage in lighter conversation. 

The Archbishop added: “He 

was very much in tune with 

the kind of communitarian fellowship 

of the college and 

with the kind of un-pampered 

manly discipline and comradeship 

that, at its best, Blairs 

inculcated in the boys. His uncomplicated 

identity as a man 

and as a priest shone through 

in everything he did.” 

Born along with his twin 

brother Charlie on 29 

November 1926, Dan grew up 

in Helensburgh where he was 

an outstanding pupil at St 

Joseph’s Primary. After a year 

at St Patrick’s High in 

Dumbarton, he went on to the 

junior seminary at Blairs 

where he completed his 

Highers and began his studies 

in philosophy. 

In 1946, when the Scottish 

seminaries on the European 

continent reopened after the 

war, Dan Friel was among a 

good number of students who 

embarked on the journey 

through France and Italy, en 

route to the Scots College, 

Rome. It was in Rome that he 

was ordained priest on 28 

October 1951. 

Enthusiasm 

Returning to Glasgow the 

following year, he was appointed 

to St Mary’s, 

Pollokshaws, where he was 

the junior of four priests serving 

the century-old southside 

parish. With a few years of 

pastoral experience under his 

belt, he was appointed to the 

staff at Blairs in 1955. 

Over the next decade, he 

proved a good teacher and enthusiastic 

guide to scores of 

teenage boys considering the 

call to priesthood. His enthusiasm 

and example also 

rubbed off on his youngest 

brother Terence, who was ordained 

in 1959, and his 

nephew Fr Paul Friel, the son 

of his twin brother, who was 

ordained in 1992. Not surprisingly, 

he served as diocesan 

vocations director for a number 

of years during the 1970s. 

When he returned to parish 

ministry in Glasgow in 1966, 

Fr Friel was appointed assistant 

at St Andrew’s Cathedral 

by Archbishop Donald 

Scanlan whom he also served 

as diocesan Master of 

Ceremonies. This was on at 

the time of radical changes in 

the Church’s liturgy with the 

advent of the ‘Novus Ordo’ 

Mass and the introduction of 

English texts. With a deep appreciation 

for its proper celebration, 

Fr Friel helped ensure 

the liturgy was offered with 

due reverence and dignity. 

In 1982, when called upon 

to help coordinate the liturgies 

during the historic visit of 

Pope John Paul, Fr Friel rose 

to the challenge and proved a 

calm, assured presence alongside 

the Holy Father. 

By this time, he had been 

parish priest of St Flannan’s 

for four years, having taken up 

the appointment after a brief 

spell as administrator of Our 

Holy Redeemer’s, Clydebank, 

and before that assistant in St 

Thomas’, Riddrie, for five 

years. 

As he reached the age of 65, 

Fr Friel stood down as parish 

Fr Friel next to Pope John 

Paul at Bellahouston in 1982 

priest and, after short sabbatical, 

was appointed to St 

Patrick’s as assistant to Mgr 

Des Maguire. At a time when 

there were more priests available, 

he had advocated that all 

parish priests should become 

assistants again at 65, allowing 

younger men to take on responsibility 

for parishes. 

Although he retired in 1996, 

Fr Friel stayed on in 

Dumbarton and continued to 

help out as his health allowed. 

In October 2011, the parish 

hosted a memorable celebration 

to mark his diamond jubilee 

of priesthood. 

Just a week before his death 

– with a planned move to 

Nazareth House, Cardonald, 

well advanced – Fr Friel had 

expressed his thanks to the 

people of St Patrick’s for their 

kindness and prayers over the 

preceding 20 years. The large 

numbers who took part in the 

funeral rites and his burial at 

Dumbarton cemetery were 

testimony to the high regard in 

which he was held. 

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22 SCRIPTURE 


Lent provides opportunity to become immersed in Scripture 

ONE month, two liturgical 

‘periods’ and four 

separate themes – 

February packs a lot into 

a short time! 

The first Sunday takes us 

back to the scene of Jesus 

teaching in the Nazareth synagogue. 

This is followed by 

Luke’s account of Jesus calling 

Peter to his new role as a 

‘fisher of men’. 

At this point, we leave 

Ordinary Time aside, until 

after the Easter season, as we 

begin the season of Lent. 

As always, the first Sunday 

of Lent presents us with the 

gospel of the so-called ‘temptations’ 

of Jesus, but which 

would be better titled the ‘testings’ 

of Jesus. This is followed 

by the Transfiguration 

narrative. 

A lot of diverse material, 

but it is possible to tie each of 

these otherwise unrelated 

themes to the Year of Faith. 

The congregation in the 

Nazareth synagogue lack the 

faith to see Isaiah’s prophecy 

being fulfilled in front of 

them, and then Peter struggles 

to believe – but recognising 

his own sinfulness enables 

him to encounter the Lord. 

In the first two Sundays of 

Lent, we reflect on the faith of 

Jesus who passed the test of 

his own faithfulness to his 

Father’s will, and our own 

challenge of faith to see in 

Jesus the one who sums up the 

entire meaning of the Law and 

the Prophets. 

3 February 

4th Sunday, Year C 

Luke 4:21-30 

This week’s gospel is really 

the continuation of last week’s 

– and the point is stressed with 

the repetition of the affirmation 

that “this text is being fulfilled 

today even as you 

listen”. 

Canon 

Robert 

Hill 

Jesus wins the approval of 

all regarding the gracious 

words that came form his lips, 

but soon the mood changes. 

Jesus lets it be known that he 

can read their thoughts, and 

that they are thinking that he 

should perform here in 

Nazareth those things they had 

heard about him doing in 

Capernaum. He further suggests 

that they really want to 

quote the proverb ‘physician 

heal yourself’! 

In saying this, Jesus demonstrates, 

and not for the last 

time in Luke’s gospel, that he 

has the prophet’s ability to 

read the thoughts of others! 

He quotes two examples from 

the time of the prophets Elijah 

and Elisha whose words often 

went unheeded in their own 

land, but which received a surprising 

welcome from foreigners. 

Jesus’ words in the synagogue 

have a prophetic reign 

which is immediately fulfilled: 

he says a prophet is 

never welcome in his own 

land and among his own people, 

and immediately they 

rush him out of the synagogue 

and try to thrown him over the 

cliff! 

The prophet’s words are 

fulfilled: his own people have 

rejected him, and their lack of 

welcome is unmistakably 

final! 


5th Sunday (C) 

Luke 5:1–11 

Should we presume that 

Luke’s readers would have 

known of Mark’s (and 

Matthew’s) version of the call 

of the first four disciples? I 

think we might. Last week, 

Jesus made reference to the 

works that the Nazareth synagogue 

congregation would 

have wanted to see him do the 

things that they have heard 

about him doing in Caper - 

naum. These deeds would 

have included the call of 

Peter, Andrew, James and 

John – at least, if Mark’s account 

is to be believed. 

If this is true, then the fishermen 

have already encountered 

Jesus and answered his 

call, so they and Jesus are already 

known to each other. 

Perhaps that’s why Jesus can 

be so bold as to tell them to 

put out their nets again after a 

very long night catching nothing 

– agreeing nonetheless to 

do as Jesus asks. 

The result is astounding, 

and it causes Peter to reflect 

on his relationship with Jesus. 

Unfortunately, Peter concludes 

that his relationship 

with Jesus is at an end almost 

as soon as it has begun, because 

he is a sinful man! 

Peter has yet to realise that 

it is precisely when he can 

identify himself as a sinner 

that he can now seriously 

begin to follow Jesus. Jesus 

makes the point even clearer 

to Peter in a way which is astounding: 

the one who thinks 

he is useless because he is a 

sinner is precisely the one 

whom Jesus chooses to be a 

‘fisher of men’! 

Now, it takes real faith on 

our part to see that we serve 

Jesus most fully when we 

recognise that we are weak 

sinners. This is a thought we 

could no doubt usefully explore 

during Lent. 


1st Sunday of Lent (C) 

Luke 4:1–13 

Oddly, this passage comes 

from immediately before the 

episode in the synagogue at 

Nazareth which was read in 

recent weeks. 

In these episodes, Jesus is 

being put to the test to see how 

faithful he will remain to his 

mission. The outcome is of 

course that Jesus remains totally 

faithful to the will of his 

Father in all things. 

Such faithfulness is not 

however a foregone conclusion: 

Jesus has full freedom of 

choice. He passes the test in a 

spectacular way, however. 

These may not seem like real 

temptations to us, but as tests 

they are ones we could feel we 

are also subjected to. 

Jesus is first confronted 

with an apparently innocent 

opportunity to satisfy his 

hunger by turning stone into 

bread. But he chooses to be 

fed first and foremost by the 

word of God; i.e. his own desire 

is secondary to that of his 

Father. 

He is invited to take possession 

of the kingdoms of the 

world and serve Satan; but his 

particular mission is to relinquish 

self and so conquer 

Satan by undermining his adversary’s 

thirst for power, and 

which Jesus will do by the 

complete surrender of himself 

in his death and resurrection. 

Finally, he is challenged to 

throw himself off the Temple 

to prove he will trust his 

Father to send angels to catch 

him. That would give an impressive 

display of trust in 

God: but Jesus shows that the 

greatest trust in God lies in not 

putting God to the test, and instead 

by trusting implicitly 

that God’s purpose will be fulfilled 

without the need for 

signs. 


2nd Sunday of Lent (C) 

Luke 9:28-36 

The gospel of the transfiguration 

of Jesus is always read on 

this Sunday of Lent. It is only 

in Luke’s account that we are 

told what Jesus, Moses and 

Elijah were discussing: his 

‘passing’ (the Greek word is 

exodos) which he will accomplish 

in Jerusalem. 

Peter, James and John are 

given a glimpse of Jesus’ postresurrection 

glory, and of 

course Peter wants to make 

the experience permanent by 

building three shrines. 

However, not only Peter, 

James and John, but Jesus 

himself must first descend 

from this mountain so that he 

can head to Jerusalem which 

is the rightful place for a 

prophet to die. 

Jesus will speak of immersing 

himself (being baptised) in 

his mission. His disciples too 

will be challenged to take up 

the cross, renounce self and 

come after him. These are 

necessary preludes to the 

glory awaiting those who embrace 

the cross, as we are 

called to do. 

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NEWS 

23 

Praying each day with Pope Benedict 

THE Apostleship of 

Prayer began in France 

in 1844. 

At that time Fr Francis 

Xavier Gautrelet told a group 

of Jesuit seminarians who 

were eager to work on the 

missions: “Be apostles now, 

apostles of prayer! Offer 

everything you are doing each 

day in union with the Heart of 

our Lord for what He wishes, 

Promoting Eucharist at St Anthony’s 

THE 50th anniversary of 

the canonisation of St 

Peter Julian Eymard was 

celebrated in St 

Anthony’s, Govan, home 

to the Congregation of 

the Blessed Sacrament 

which he founded. 


joined parishioners and parish 

priest Fr Peter Dowling, who 

is also provincial superior of 

the Congregation. 

St Peter Julian lived in 19th 

century France and was a man 

of prayer and pastoral energy. 

He was a Marist Brother before 

founding the Blessed 

Sacrament Congregation 

which was dedicated to living 

the Eucharist in prayer, worship 

and evangelising activity. 

He was canonised in 

December 1962, at the end of 

the first session of the Second 

Vatican Council. 


“In many ways, the vision of 

St Peter Julian anticipated the 

renewing impulse of the 

Council whose vision of the 

Church is very much concerned 

with Christ’s people 

gathered at the Eucharist and 

going out from the Eucharist 

to evangelise the world in 

which we live. 

‘Figuring out the New Catechism’ 

With head, heart, hands and knees 

Presented by Dr Noel Donnelly 

Wednesdays 20 & 27 Feb; 6 & 13 March 

(2.30-4.00pm) 

Carmelite Monastery, Dumbarton 

‘What Do Catholics Believe…?’ 

Happy Are We: The Teachings of 

Jesus 

from Fr Robert Barron’s course 

‘Catholicism’ 

Thursday 28 Feb (7.00 - 8.30pm) 

St Gregory’s, 130 Kelvindale Road, 

Glasgow G20 

‘Who Do You Say I Am? 

Faith in the ‘Year of Faith’ 

Presented by Fr Jim Lawlor 

Wednesday 20 & 27 Feb, 6th & 13th March 

(7.30-9.00pm) 

Immaculate Conception Church Hall, 2049 

Maryhill Rd, Glasgow, G20 

the spread of the Kingdom for 

the salvation of souls.” 

Devotion to this simple, 

profound way of life spread, 

and in time the Pope proposed 

monthly intentions, including 

one specifically related to the 

missionary work of the 

Church. 

Over fifty million apostles 

of prayer worldwide now pray 

for the Pope’s two prayer intentions 

each month. 

“As we mark the 50th anniversary 

of the Council and 

the canonisation of St Peter 

Julian, we are called to a new 

evangelisation, building on 

the authentic renewal set in 

motion by the Council, celebrating 

the Eucharist with a 

Father Michael Beattie SJ, 

the national secretary of the 

Apostleship of Prayer in 

Britain, said: “Our morning 

offering to the Lord unites us 

with the Holy Father’s intentions. 

At the beginning of the 

day, the simple words: ‘Jesus I 

offer my day to you’ can be 

applied to the whole day, as 

they connect us so well to this 

important papal initiative.” 

Prayer intentions for 

Archbishop Tartaglia with St Anthony’s youngsters 

and members of the Life in the Eucharist team 


The Catechism of the Catholic 

Church 

Monday 18 & 25 Feb, 4, 11, 18 March 

(7.00pm) 

Session 1: Fr Tom Kilbride – 

Introduction 

Session 2: Maria McMahon – Creed 

Session 3: Fr David Wallace – 

Liturgy/Workshop 

Session 4: Mgr Paul Murray – Morality 

Session 5: Fr Tom Kilbride – Prayer 

Our Lady of Good Counsel, 6 Broompark 

Circus, Glasgow, G31 2JF 

‘From Gospels to Creeds’ 

Tuesday 5th, 12th, 19th Feb (7.30-9.00pm) 

Session 1: The Road to Nicaea: Dr I. 

Hazlett, Glasgow Univ. 

Session 2: Recovering Carnival: Craig 

Smillie, The Glad Cafe 

greater devotion and intensity, 

and evangelising our communities 

with a deeper sense of 

mission, proposing once again 

to one another and to the people 

of our time, with joy, candour 

and openness the person 

of Jesus Christ.” 

Adult faith development courses 

February: 

Migrant Families. That migrant 

families, especially the 

mothers, may be supported and 

accompanied in their difficulties. 

Peace. That the peoples at war 

and in conflict may lead the way 

in building a peaceful future. 

The Blessed Sacrament 

Congregation has served in 

Glasgow for around 25 years 

– initially at St Patrick’s, 

Anderston, and then 

Dennistoun, before moving to 

St Anthony’s. 

The Congregation promotes 

Session 3: The Early Creeds: Rev J 

Walker, St Andrew’s 

St Peter’s Hall, Partick 

Catholicism – Faith Formation 

Programme 

Fr Robert Barron’s programme brings 

the beauty, goodness and truth of the 

Church to life. 

Presented by Deacon John Fletcher 

Wednesday 6, 20, 27 Feb; 6, 13, 20, 27 

March; 17, 24 April (7.00-8.30pm) 

St John of the Cross, Twechar 

RESOURCES 

(available on request from the RE 

Department) 

‘Exploring the Year of Faith’ 

A 4 part programme prepared by 

Archdiocesan catechists with the 

Adult Faith Development team for use 

in parishes. 

Life in the Eucharist (LITE) 

spirituality and has a well-established 

team in Glasgow 

which offers retreats and 

courses in parishes and 

schools. 

Pack includes: facilitators notes; 

hand-outs; powerpoint DVD 

‘The 4 Great Constitutions of Vatican 

II’ 

Sacrosanctum Concilium (on liturgy) 

Lumen Gentium (on the Church) 

Gandium et Spes (on the Church in 

the Modern World) 

Dei Verbum 

(on Scripture) 

Parishes wishing to establish Adult 

Faith Development in their 

communities might like to contact the 

RE Department to discuss the 

availability of help from experienced 

presenters willing to share their 

expertise in specific topics or more 

general programmes. 

Mass 

manual 

A BOOKLET to help priests 

celebrate the Mass properly 

and the faithful to 

participate better is being 

prepared by the 

Congregation for Divine 

Worship and the 

Sacraments. 

Cardinal Antonio 

Cañizares, prefect of the 

congregation, confirmed 

the book was in the 

pipeline and hoped it would 

be published by the 

summer. 

Giving a talk on ‘Catholic 

Liturgy since Vatican II: 

Continuity and Evolution’, 

the Spanish cardinal said 

that there is talk of a 

renewed Church, which 

must not be understood as 

a mere reform of 

structures, but as a change 

starting with the liturgy, 

because it is from the 

liturgy that the work of 

salvation is effected. 

Silence 

When speaking of the 

liturgy, he underlined what 

the Council document, 

Sacrosanctum Concilium, 

stated: “Christ is always 

present in his Church, 

especially in the liturgical 

action. He is present in the 

sacrifice of the Mass, be it 

in the person of the 

minister, ‘offering himself 

now through the ministry of 

the priests as he then 

offered himself on the 

cross,’ be it especially 

under the Eucharistic 

species.” 

Cardinal Cañizares 

praised moments of silence 

in the liturgy “that are 

action,” which enable the 

priest and the faithful to 

talk with Jesus Christ and 

which exclude the 

predominance of words 

that often becomes 

showmanship on the part of 

the priest. 

The cardinal criticized 

the effort to make the Mass 

‘entertaining’ in an attempt 

to overcome ‘boredom’ by 

transforming the Mass into 

a show, instead of focusing 

on the mystery. 

He added that the Council 

did not speak of the priest 

celebrating Mass facing the 

people, but that it stressed 

the importance of Christ on 

the altar. This does not 

exclude the priest facing 

the people, in particular 

during the reading of the 

word of God. 

He stressed the need of 

the notion of mystery and 

the fact that the sacrificial 

sense of the Eucharist must 

not be lost.

24 NEWS 


Enough food to feed everyone 

there is will to change 

THE world produces 

enough food for everyone, 

yet almost a billion 

people go hungry every 

day. 

This ‘scandal’ is highlighted 

by a major campaign 

aimed at mobilising a global 

effort to address this huge injustice. 

Enough Food For Everyone 

IF is a coalition of charities, 

faith groups and other organisations 

from across the UK. 

It is calling on governments 

and investors to own up to and 

end exploitation which denies 

people access to productive 

land, and instead to commit to 

working to alleviate poverty 

and malnutrition. 

The campaign intends to 

press home the issues as 

Britain prepares to host this 

year’s G8 Summit of leaders 

from the major economies. 

Scottish Christian leaders, 

including Archbishop Philip 

Tartaglia and Rt Rev Arthur 

Bogle, Moderator of the 

General Assembly, have 

voiced their support. 

In a joint statement, they 

said: “We believe we have a 

moral obligation to help the 

poor of our global community 

and play our part in relieving 

the injustice of hunger. 

“There will only every be 

enough food for everyone if 

we all take action to encourage 

our leaders to make the 

right decisions on key issues 

like stopping land grabbing, 

cracking down on tax dodging 

and keeping their promises on 

aid and climate finance.” 

Among the many charities 

promoting the campaign is 

SCIAF, which works to alleviate 

the effects of hunger and 

inequality among the poorest 

people of the world and raises 

awareness of the causes of 

such injustices. 

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Patricia Chale, SCIAF's director, 

said: “With one in 

eight people still going to bed 

hungry around the world, we 

must redouble our efforts, 

work together, demand 

progress from our political 

leaders and make 2013 the beginning 

of the end of this 

global hunger crisis.” 

At a conference in Rome, 

last July, Pope Benedict anticipated 

the Enough Food For 

Everyone IF campaign, when 

he asked: “How can we be 

silent about the fact that even 

food has become the object of 

speculation or is tied to the 

course of the financial market 

that appears anchored to the 

sole objective of making 

profit?” Condemning opulence 

and waste, the Pope pinpointed 

selfish economic 

models as the root cause of 

hunger when United Nations’ 

studies show that global food 

production is able to feed the 

world’s population. 

■www.enoughfoodif.org 

Fair trade in parishes 

A call to Go Further for 

Fairtrade is being issued 

ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight 

which takes place from 25 

February to 10 March. 

People up and down the 

country are being urged to 

get creative with their 

Fairtrade campaigning to 

highlight the importance of 

small holder farmers and 

their role in food security. 

Dorothy MacLean, a 

member of the Glasgow 

Archdiocesan Justice and 

Peace Commission, said: 

“Companies and govern - 

ments need to make a stand 

to ensure small farmers can 

achieve sustainable 

livelihoods and play their full 

role in building fairer, better 

food systems for the future. 

“Choosing Fairtrade is one 

way to help secure a better 

deal for millions of people in 

developing countries, so we 

want people to try a new 

Fairtrade product, create a 

work of art to ask for 

change, or pledge their 

support on our online 

petition.” 

Fairtrade Fortnight is a 

nationwide effort to promote 

awareness and urge people 

to buy products carrying the 

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in developing countries are 

increasingly hit by 

fluctuating commodity prices 

affecting their income and 

the prices they pay for the 

food they buy themselves, 

rising global food prices, 

rising production costs, and 

climate change. 

Dorothy said: “Many 

parishes in our Archdiocese 

have already gained 

Fairtrade status by using 

only fairly traded tea and 

coffee at parish events, 

many run Fairtrade stalls, 

but all are encouraged to 

promote fair trade as a 

response to Church teaching. 

“In his last encyclical, 

Caritas in Veritate, Pope 

Benedict XVI noted that 

‘purchasing is always a 

moral, and not just an 

economic, act’. He flagged 

up the benefits of marketing 

products from deprived 

areas of the world ‘so as to 

guarantee their producers a 

decent return’.” 

■ Further information on 

Fairtrade parishes can be 

found on the Archdiocesan 

Justice and Peace website 

www.justpeaceglasgow.org 

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Published for the Archdiocese of Glasgow by Flourish Publications (Scotland) Ltd, telephone 0141 226 5898 | Origination by MSC Publishing & Design, telephone 0141 956 2051 | www.flourishnewspaper.co.uk

Flourish February 2013 - Archdiocese of Glasgow

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