Happy Christmas everybody. As I look down from my office and see everyone rushing about in the town below it is lovely to sit still, I am glad of the opportunity every year to offer some ideas to lead you into the true joy of this season. Looking back on our lives how often we regret having lost things we held dear just because we took them too much for granted.

Happy Christmas everybody.   As I look down from my office and see everyone rushing about in the town below it is lovely to sit still, I am glad of the opportunity every year to offer some ideas to lead you into the true joy of this season.  

Want to learn more about living the Catholic Faith? Glasgow Faith Forum's fortnightly series of talks continues in 2018. All young people welcome.

A sculpture depicting Jesus as a homeless man sleeping on a bench has been installed in Glasgow city centre. Castings of the life-size statue have been placed in cities worldwide since 2013, although some churches have refused to display it. Church and homeless charity representatives hope the sculpture will help raise awareness of homelessness. Scottish artist Peter Howson has made a painting of a homeless Jesus that will be shown alongside the statue.

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, didst prepare a worthy dwelling place for thy Son, we beseech thee that, as by the foreseen death of this, thy Son, thou didst preserve her from all stain, so too thou wouldst permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who livest and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Work is no longer a route out of poverty as rising numbers of parents with jobs are unable to support their families, according to a report. It found that 3.7 million, or one in eight, working people lived in poverty, up from 2.3 million just before Tony Blair became prime minister in 1997. Once family members are included, eight million live in poverty in families where at least one adult works. In addition, it said almost 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners are living in poverty than four years ago, with little progress in reducing poverty among working-age adults.

The hard-work, dedication and commitment of over 250 students at Maryvale Institute International Catholic College came under the spotlight at this year’s graduation ceremony in the wonderful setting of St Chad’s Cathedral. Hundreds of people attended the formal presentation of the Further and Higher Education Awards 2017 on Tuesday 21 November. A procession of the graduands was followed by an academic procession from outside the cathedral into the grand building, where family and friends had gathered to support their loved ones.