Text a Donation – Please note that the Diocese have now set up their ‘Text a Donation’ Service which allows you to send a donation to the Diocese through your mobile phone. All you have to do is text DOPF01 £5 to 70070. £5 is only a suggestion. Any amount will be very much appreciated.

Vatican City, May 24, 2017 / 02:48 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After months of anticipation, Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump finally met at the Vatican Wednesday in a friendly encounter which included an emphasis on protection of life and freedom of conscience.

In light of the terrible attack on the innocent victims of the city of Manchester it is only fitting that the Diocese of Paisley come together in prayerful support. Holy Mass will be offered at 1 pm on Friday 26th May at St Mirins Cathedral, There will be a book of condolences and the opportunity to make a donation supporting the victims’ families. Both will stay in the Cathedral for a few days to give people the opportunity to come in and sign the book. It will then be sent to the Lord Mayor’s office in Greater Manchester. Everyone is welcome! Please come and join us in supporting our neighbors in prayer.

We all awoke this morning to the very tragic news of the Manchester explosion killing 22 people, some of them children. I'm sure everyone in the diocese of Paisley will remember the innocent victims and all affected in their prayers. Announcing that the death toll had risen overnight, Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins said: "What I can confirm is that there are children among the deceased." He said: "This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see. "Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives."

“Be Thou My Vision” is an ancient Irish hymn that can be traced back to the 8th century. The lyrics are commonly attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill. Audrey gives it a modern twist with ambient noise that acts as an auditory palate cleanser before her wonderful voice begins. The drums added to the second verse are a very stylish touch and give the arrangement a driven, determined feel. Assad has an exceptional voice for songs with a Celtic twist. Her voice is has an intimate quality that lightly glides through, expertly choosing which thoughts to keep gentle and which to sing brazenly.

Ordination - Deacon Johnathan Whitworth will be ordained a Priest at St. Andrew’s Greenock on the 30th June. Please keep Johnathan in your prayers as he prepares for Priestly Ordination. "To spend my final Easter Vigil in Rome prior to priestly ordination in such a way has been an incredible grace". If you feel you may have a call to the Priesthood please contact Fr. John Morrison on 01475720223 or e-mail johnmorrison1976@gmail.com

Dear Fathers, brothers and sisters, Rev Paul Rodgers RIP Paul’s wife Margaret called me to let me know Paul just passed away peacefully this afternoon at home surrounded by his family. She thanked everyone for their prayers and support. I assured her of our continued prayers for his happy repose and for the consolation of the family. I saw Deacon Paul yesterday at home and was able to share with Margaret how he bore his illness in faith and in a way that enhanced greatly our people’s appreciation of and growing attachment to the order of the diaconate. Fr John Bollan and the Inverclyde clergy, religious and schools were an enormous support to him through his illness and brought together the family of the diocese in a marvellous way in prayer and support of Paul and his family. They have been a fine example to all of us. It is this fraternal ministry more than anything that defines our diocese at its best. We keep them in our prayers too. Paul’s family have been an example of grace and dignity throughout and Paul will have been enormously proud of them. We will let you know of the arrangements when we have them. May he rest in peace. God bless all, + John

What does that mean when we receive him into our mouths? How long does Jesus’ Real Presence remain in our bodies? It is generally assumed that the Eucharistic species of bread remains for about 15 minutes after reception. This is based on simple biology and reflects the Catechism’s statement that the presence of Christ “endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist.” This is why many saints have recommended offering 15 minutes of prayer after receiving the Eucharist as a thanksgiving to God. This allows the soul to savor the presence of God and have a true “heart-to-heart” with Jesus.

Such joy and hope in the midst of such human despair and suffering. Sometimes our Catholic Faith has to be expresses regardless of the location! Our Lady of Fatima protect them!

Carfin Grotto the sun sadly did not come out for the 100th Anniversary Procession and Mass but the Catholics of the west of scotland did! Buses arrived at Carfin with hundreds of pilgrims to process and say the Rosary to mark 100 years since the apparitions at Fatima. We set this video to the sermon preached by Bishop John Keenan of the Diocese of Paisley who brought home to us the message of Fatima and its relevance for today.

At the Wednesday audience, the pope asks for prayers for his upcoming pilgrimage to Fatima and speaks of Mary as the Mother of Hope. In his greetings to pilgrims following his catechesis, the pope made a special request, saying: “Dear pilgrims, … this Friday and Saturday — God willing — I will travel as a pilgrim to Fatima, to entrust to Our Lady the temporal and eternal fate of mankind, and to pray for God’s blessings on its ways. I ask you all to join me, as pilgrims of hope and peace: may your praying hands continue to support mine. May the greatest and best of Mothers watch over each of you all of your days until eternity!”

In the Gospel Jesus calls Himself a Shepherd but he also speaks about gatekeepers.  He says the gatekeeper opens the gate for the Shepherd, lets Him go in and out freely and supports Him in His ministry and mission. The gatekeeper makes sure the gates are open and the obstacles are removed from His path.

The next Safeguarding Training session will take place in St. Margaret’s Church Hall in Johnstone on Wednesday 24th May at 2pm. Level 1 is a 90 minute safeguarding training session for volunteers and forms a mandatory part of safe recruitment which also includes membership of the PVG Scheme (or a PVG Update). To register, please email safeguardingadmin@rcdop.org.uk or telephone 0141 847 6138 stating your name and parish, by 19th May, 2017.

Centenary Year of Fatima Apparitions: On Friday 12th May we will celebrate our first vigil of this special year. The Rosary Procession will begin at 7.30pm; we will continue with Mass and then a period of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, concluding with Benediction. Tea/coffee available in hall from 7pm and again after Benediction. Given the times we live in, Our Lady's invitation to repentance and prayer for peace has never been more necessary. Bishop John will preside at the first vigil.

Behold an answer to the question: “Who is my neighbor?” This is something else, a sermon in a snapshot: These are the photographs which reveal the incredible compassion shown by ‘Good Samaritans’ – passing members of the public – who came to the rescue of a man who was threatening to jump from a bridge.

St. Faustina through a series of interviews with key witnesses and individuals intimately connected to the epic adventure of the greatest manmade work of art. Additional interviews with Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles, George Weigel (biographer of Saint Pope John Paul II), comedian Jim Gaffigan, Grammy award-winning musician Harry Connick Jr., Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz of Krakow, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, Fr. Michael Gaitley MIC, and many others. The film has been endorsed by a wide swath of the curia and by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.

A Major Event of New Evangelisation.  Chris Stefanick is founder of  Real Life Catholic which has brought hundreds of thousands of people back to the Catholic faith.  Real Life Catholic’s purpose is to ignite a bold, contagious faith in the heart of every Catholic by building a movement of Catholics who share the beauty, power and truth of the Gospel with a world that has largely forgotten.  Thu 27 July 7.00pm, Bute Hall, University of Glasgow.  For tickets (£10 or £8 unwaged) contact the Archdiocese of Glasgow RE Department or tel. Christine (0141 226 5898) or through Eventbrite: rebootlivescotland.eventbrite.co.uk Contact Fr Frank at youth@rcdop.org.uk

Please find a list of Parish web sites & Facebook pages, to help you find out about your local Holy Week & Triduum Services.

Admission to Hospital: Anyone being admitted to hospital should contact their local priest to receive the Sacrament of the Sick before admission. Every hospital has a system for contacting the R.C. Chaplain urgently in emergencies when the patient or family ask the nursing staff to summon the Catholic Chaplain. The same system may also be used to request a non-urgent pastoral visit from a priest. Because of data protection the Catholic Chaplain will not know you are in hospital unless you ask for him. We have discrete patient declaration of religious cards available for you to have at your bedside letting staff know you are Catholic and want pastoral care. Just ask the priest.

Our Paisley Synod Moving Froward. Our large Steering Group met and considered common themes and directions emerging from our nine Task Groups and came up with the following proposal. In the coming months we will develop a plan to visit parishes at their Sunday Masses, meet with parishioners and gather together an inventory of work the laity are already doing, as well as new skills or services the laity are now happy to volunteer to parishes and diocese, as well as getting a sense of what parishes want us to concentrate on first. Then we will work to match up these offers with parishes that want those lay skills and services so as to open up new channels of life and growth around the diocese. Our Paisley Dicoese: All Together Sharing the Good News!