Our diocese has arranged the services and pastoral ministry of our own Catholic Marriage Counsellor.  If you are concerned about your relationship and feel you are both unable to reach a conclusion alone, it is likely that you will benefit from marriage counselling. The counsellor is there to maintain a neutral, non-judgmental position. Click on the image for more information or to get in touch.

The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is proposing spiritual, pastoral and cultural initiatives to accompany families in the face of contemporary challenges. The project is intended to support parishes, dioceses, universities and ecclesial associations in celebrating the Year “Amoris Laetitia Family,” which has been announced by Pope Francis.

Our Thirty Three Day Consecration to Jesus through Mary begins Saturday 9 January at 9.00pm UK time. All you have to do is join Bishop John's livestream on his Facebook page each evening at 9.00pm for around 10 to 15 minutes as he reads a chapter and leads you in the prayers. It will remain on the Page so that if you miss the livestream you can play it as catch up anytime.

MARRIAGE MATTERS (www.twoinoneflesh.org.uk) Second Sunday of Advent (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-4 2 Peter 3:8-14 Mark 1:1-8) Let us be a sign for all

MARRIAGE MATTERS (www.twoinoneflesh.org.uk) First Sunday in Advent (Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:1, 3-8 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:33-37) Thanking God for each other “Stay awake for you never know when the time will come…!”

Fertility Care Scotland clinics teaching Natural Family Planning methods are still open remotely

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Wis 6:12-16 1 Thess 4:13-18 Matt 2:1-13) Always be ready Jesus said we must always be ready for His second coming, ready to meet Him. Being ‘ready’ doesn’t mean spending all the time doing religious things. For married couples, being ‘ready’ means being ready to listen to each other, sharing thoughts and feelings. Keep your ‘love tank’ full by thinking of ways he or she can be surprised by love.

Ahead of the World Meeting of Families with Pope Francis in Dublin 2018 we will be sending you weekly reflections for couples and families based on the Sunday’s Readings. Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mal 1:14 – 2:2, 8-10 1 Thess 2:7-9, 13 Matt 23:1-12) Do we both work hard and devotedly? We cannot avoid being challenged by the devotion, protection and love given to the followers of Jesus by St Paul and his companions. Can we say with equal certainty that in living our vows and commitments, we work as hard and devotedly? Yet this is what we married couples are called to strive for in our relationship with each other.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Isaiah 55:10-11 Rom 8:18-23 Matthew 13:1-23) Listen to the person behind the words The stony ground is when we are too engrossed in the telly, reading or working on the computer to listen to our partner. The thorny ground is where we disengage with such but not wanting real involvement, suggest a cuppa as a diversion. We are called to be fertile ground by real listening – hold hands, look in each other’s eyes.

Marriage Matters: Maintain a common purpose. Remember our courting days and the long, thrilling conversations we had about our future together. They were part of our falling in love and of establishing a common purpose in married life. St Paul reminds us of the mark of a Christian: “Be united in your convictions and your love, with a common purpose and a common mind.”

More than half of complaints made about Love Island have been about smoking rather than scenes of a sexual nature, Ofcom has said. The reality dating show puts single men and women in a Majorcan villa together in order for them to find love and ultimately win a cash prize, and so far this series there have been several on-air instances of intimate behaviour between couples. But while a lot of the focus of the show - which airs after the watershed at 9pm daily - is about the islanders' love lives and bedroom antics, the frequent scenes of contestants smoking cigarettes has caught the attention of viewers.

Sometimes we all need a little encouragement to cultivate good habits. "Daddy! Guess what? The Rosary Lady at school knows who you are.” Ummm, ok. What “Rosary Lady”? “There’s a lady at school who comes in every Wednesday to help us pray.”

On Tuesday 27th June, the British Medical Association (BMA) will vote on decriminalising abortion, potentially making it legal for any reason up to birth. The vote comes after MP’s voted in favour of Diana Johnson’s ten minute rule Bill urging decriminalisation in March.

In honor of Our Lady of Fatima - to consecrate our country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Please come and join us for this special event - during the centenary celebration of the Fatima apparitions. What is Fatima & why is it relevant today?

Heading off on holiday...I love to visit churches when oh holiday! Check out these inspirational churches, they may be near you!  Great to see that St. Aloysius Church in Glasgow makes the top 16!!

“Is he only a learned man?” St. John Paul II asks at one point. “No! He is more than that. Is he a prophet? Yes – but he is even more. Is he a social reformer? Much more than a reformer, much more. Look at the Lord with attentive eyes and you will discover in Him the very face of God.”

The two great saints, St Peter and St Paul were a dynamic duo, but they had a complicated and tetchy relationship. There was even a painful time when they were at odds with each other. In Galatians II, there is an account of St Paul reprimanding St Peter because Peter was giving a contradictory example to the Gentiles who they were trying to evangelise. Peter had been raised as an observant Jew, who was Our Lord’s anointed as the first Pope. However, as the first Pope he was becoming hypocritical, he was preaching one thing to the Gentiles, yet he was living differently to the way he asked the Gentiles to live. Our Lord Jesus Christ always denounced the hypocrites in the Gospels and it follows that hypocrisy is a toxin that inhibits the faith from growing in a soul.

Stephanie Gray was the co-founder of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and served as its executive director for several year before starting the ministry which she now runs, Love Unleashes Life. She spoke in April as a part of the Talks at Google series, a program that brings a variety of speakers to the company’s headquarters to discuss their work. Gray has participated in more than 800 talks and debates on abortion. Gray’s talk centered around the idea that there are three qualities that lead us to call someone “inspiring:” They place others ahead of themselves, have “perspective” on their sufferings and situation in life, and do the right thing even in difficult situations. She linked these criteria to the process of dialoguing with others about abortion, emphasizing question asking.

Father Martin Xavier Vazhachira had served at St John The Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Corstorphine, Edinburgh, since last year. His body was found on the beach at Dunbar on Friday afternoon. The cause of death has yet to be established. Father Vazhachira, 33, was originally from India. Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh Leo Cushley led the service. About 200 people attended. The archbishop said of those attending mass: "They're bewildered and saddened by what has happened." He said they would miss their priest greatly, adding: "He was a very kind and gentle man and people here had grown very affectionate and fond of him already in this short space of time so they really don't know what to make of it.

It's a time of great joy and expectation within the Diocese of Paisley as we journey with our brother Jonathan towards his Priestly Ordination this Friday 30th June - the feast of the First Martyrs of the See of Rome. Daily, we keep Jonathan & his family in our prayers as they continue to prepare for this special day.