The Coronavirus:
Diocesan and Parish Responses
| Catholicism in the time of Coronavirus.pdf |
| 24 May 2020 - Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.pdf |
| 17 May 2020 - Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter.pdf |
| 10 May 2020 - Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter.pdf |
| 3 May 2020 - Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday).pdf |
| 26 April 2020 - Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter.pdf |
| 19 April 2020 - Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter.pdf |
| 9 April 2020 - The Holy Triduum.pdf |
Right Reverend Hugh Gilbert OSB, Bishop of Aberdeen:
How to Celebrate the Triduum at Home
| 5 April 2020 - Drawing Back The Curtain on Holy Week.pdf |
Pope Francis' Video Message ahead of Holy Week
Dear friends, good evening!
This evening I have the chance to enter your homes in a different way than usual. If you allow me, I would like to have a conversation with you for a few moments, in this time of difficulty and of suffering. I can imagine you in your families, living an unusual life to avoid contagion. I am thinking of the liveliness of children and young people, who cannot go out, attend school, live their lives. I have in my heart all the families, especially those who have a loved one who is sick or who have unfortunately experienced mourning due to the coronavirus or other causes. These days I often think about people who are alone, and for whom it is more difficult to face these moments. Above all I think of the elderly, who are very dear to me.
I cannot forget those who are sick with coronavirus, people who are in hospital. I am aware of the generosity of those who put themselves at risk for the treatment of this pandemic or to guarantee the essential services to society. So many heroes, every day, at every hour! I also remember how many are in financial straits and are worried about work and the future. A thought also goes out to prison inmates, whose pain is compounded by fear of the epidemic, for themselves and their loved ones; I think of the homeless, who do not have a home to protect them.
It is a difficult time for everyone. For many, very difficult. The Pope knows this and, with these words, he wants to tell everyone of his closeness and affection. Let us try, if we can, to make the best use of this time: let us be generous; let us help those in need in our neighbourhood; let us look out for the loneliest people, perhaps by telephone or social networks; let us pray to the Lord for those who are in difficulty in Italy and in the world. Even if we are isolated, thought and spirit can go far with the creativity of love. This is what we need today: the creativity of love. This is what is needed today: the creativity of love.
We will celebrate Holy Week in a truly unusual way, which manifests and sums up the message of the Gospel, that of God’s boundless love. And in the silence of our cities, the Easter Gospel will resound. The Apostle Paul says: “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor 5:15). In the risen Jesus, life conquered death. This Paschal faith nourishes our hope. I would like to share it with you this evening. It is the hope of a better time, in which we can be better, finally freed from evil and from this pandemic. It is a hope: hope does not disappoint; it is not an illusion, it is a hope.
Beside each other, in love and patience, we can prepare a better time in these days. Thank you for allowing me into your homes. Make a gesture of tenderness towards those who suffer, towards children, and towards the elderly. Tell them that the Pope is close and pray, that the Lord will soon deliver us all from evil. And you, pray for me. Have a good dinner. See you soon!
This evening I have the chance to enter your homes in a different way than usual. If you allow me, I would like to have a conversation with you for a few moments, in this time of difficulty and of suffering. I can imagine you in your families, living an unusual life to avoid contagion. I am thinking of the liveliness of children and young people, who cannot go out, attend school, live their lives. I have in my heart all the families, especially those who have a loved one who is sick or who have unfortunately experienced mourning due to the coronavirus or other causes. These days I often think about people who are alone, and for whom it is more difficult to face these moments. Above all I think of the elderly, who are very dear to me.
I cannot forget those who are sick with coronavirus, people who are in hospital. I am aware of the generosity of those who put themselves at risk for the treatment of this pandemic or to guarantee the essential services to society. So many heroes, every day, at every hour! I also remember how many are in financial straits and are worried about work and the future. A thought also goes out to prison inmates, whose pain is compounded by fear of the epidemic, for themselves and their loved ones; I think of the homeless, who do not have a home to protect them.
It is a difficult time for everyone. For many, very difficult. The Pope knows this and, with these words, he wants to tell everyone of his closeness and affection. Let us try, if we can, to make the best use of this time: let us be generous; let us help those in need in our neighbourhood; let us look out for the loneliest people, perhaps by telephone or social networks; let us pray to the Lord for those who are in difficulty in Italy and in the world. Even if we are isolated, thought and spirit can go far with the creativity of love. This is what we need today: the creativity of love. This is what is needed today: the creativity of love.
We will celebrate Holy Week in a truly unusual way, which manifests and sums up the message of the Gospel, that of God’s boundless love. And in the silence of our cities, the Easter Gospel will resound. The Apostle Paul says: “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor 5:15). In the risen Jesus, life conquered death. This Paschal faith nourishes our hope. I would like to share it with you this evening. It is the hope of a better time, in which we can be better, finally freed from evil and from this pandemic. It is a hope: hope does not disappoint; it is not an illusion, it is a hope.
Beside each other, in love and patience, we can prepare a better time in these days. Thank you for allowing me into your homes. Make a gesture of tenderness towards those who suffer, towards children, and towards the elderly. Tell them that the Pope is close and pray, that the Lord will soon deliver us all from evil. And you, pray for me. Have a good dinner. See you soon!
Message of the Right Reverend Hugh Gilbert OSB,
Bishop of Aberdeen, on the Coronavirus
Letters to Parishioners and Friends of St. Columba's
| 29 March 2020 - Where Did YOU Go To Mass Today?!.pdf |
| 25 March 2020 - Parish Sunday Newsletter and Finances.pdf |
| 23 March 2020 - Closure of churches, and liturgies behind closed doors.pdf |
| 21 March 2020 - Happy Mother's Day Tomorrow!!.pdf |
| 20 March 2020 - New Worship Arrangements.pdf |
| 18 March 2020 - How to Maintain a Flourishing Spiritual Life at Home.pdf |
| 16 March 2020 - Suggestions for the Coming Weeks and Months Ahead.pdf |
'Thought for the Day'
| 'Thought For The Day' - Palm Sunday of the Passion, 5 April 2020.pdf |
| 'Thought For The Day' – Fifth Sunday in Lent, 29 March 2020.pdf |
| 'Thought For The Day' – Fourth Sunday in Lent, 22 March 2020.pdf |
Live-Streamed Masses
| Live-Streamed Daily Masses.pdf |
Obviously, this is only a small selection of several sites with live-streamed Masses. There are many more that can be found via a search engine. Here are some more sites for you:
The Catholic Parliamentary Office offers a list of live-streamed Masses throughout Scotland, at: https://rcpolitics.org/list-of-live-streaming-masses/
An exhaustive list of parishes offering live streamed Masses, together with Mass times, can be found at: https://mass-online.org/daily-holy-mass-live-online/
The Catholic Parliamentary Office offers a list of live-streamed Masses throughout Scotland, at: https://rcpolitics.org/list-of-live-streaming-masses/
An exhaustive list of parishes offering live streamed Masses, together with Mass times, can be found at: https://mass-online.org/daily-holy-mass-live-online/
Prayers
| When Mass Cannot Be Celebrated Publicly.pdf |
| A Prayer Amid An Epidemic - by Kerry Weber.pdf |
A Prayer by Kerry Weber, Executive Editor of America Magazine.
Pastoral Letters
| Pastoral Letter and Statement of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland.pdf |
Precautionary Measures regarding the Coronavirus in the Diocese of Aberdeen
A Message from the Right Reverend Hugh Gilbert OSB
Bishop of Aberdeen
Given the growing concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus, and the increasing likelihood of it affecting us widely in Scotland, it seems the right moment to take further precautionary measures in our parishes.
I have been in touch with other bishops and spoken with several priests about the matter. Health and Safety professionals have also raised the issue. I would ask that the following procedures be introduced in every parish with immediate effect. Naturally, this needs to be done with the requisite tact, and with suitable explanations when appropriate.
These measures are all temporary and will, of course, remain in force only as long as is necessary by common consensus.
- Holy Water Stoups at the entrance to churches should be emptied. People may still continue to bless themselves as they enter their church or place of worship where Holy Mass will be celebrated, but without having recourse to blessed water.
- The Sign of Peace is suspended entirely, for the time being.
- Holy Communion will be distributed under one kind: the Lay Faithful will receive the Consecrated Host only.
- Holy Communion will be received in the hand, and not on the tongue.
- All Ministers of the Eucharist, whether they be Ordinary or Extraordinary, must wash and sanitise their hands before distributing Holy Communion.
- Only the Priest Celebrant or the Assisting Deacon will purify the Sacred Vessels used at Mass (i.e., Chalice, Paten, and Ciborium).
- Parish Sacristans, and anyone responsible for setting up for the celebration of Holy Mass, should wash their hands thoroughly before touching the Sacred Vessels and the altar breads to be consecrated during the Mass.
- Sanitising hand gel should be available for use in our churches and Mass centres, and near the altar, for Celebrants, Deacons, and Extraordinary Ministers.
All of these steps are being introduced as helpful precautionary measures; they are not meant to worry or to panic people, but simply to alert them to the fact that certain hygiene protocols be followed in order to combat the potential threat of infection.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Please continue to pray for those who are already suffering because of this virus, and also for ourselves, that we be protected from all harm. This is an entirely appropriate prayer of intercession during our Lenten season.
Yours devotedly in Christ,
+Hugh OSB
RC Diocese of Aberdeen Charitable Trust. A registered Scottish Charity Number SC005122.