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The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

The Roman Catholic Bishops in Scotland work together to undertake nationwide initiatives through their Commissions and Agencies.

The members of the Bishops' Conference are the Bishops of the eight Scottish Dioceses. Where appropriate the Bishops Emeriti (retired) provide a much welcomed contribution to the work of the conference. The Bishops' Conference of Scotland is a permanently constituted assembly which meets regularly throughout the year to address relevant business matters.

Members of The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

https://www.holyyear2025.org.uk

Click here to visit the Jubilee 2025 website

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. 

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.

Amen
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Bishops’ Conference of Scotland announces Luisa Campbell as the next General Secretary

The Bishops of Scotland welcome Luisa Campbell to the office of General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland from February 2026, when Fr. Gerry Maguiness completes his second term of office.

In parallel with her working career, Luisa has been actively involved in the life of the Church in Scotland at both parish and diocesan level in the areas of youth work, parish administration, liturgy, evangelisation, RCIA and finance.

Luisa retired early from work in 2020 to pursue her passion for voluntary work in the Catholic Church.

After gaining Master’s degrees in both Engineering and Business Administration, she worked for almost forty years in industry, ultimately as chief executive of a Scottish business which she led for over two decades. Her roles involved leadership, governance, strategy, commercial finance, mergers and acquisitions and organisational development.

During that time, she also acted as a trustee of several charities, served as a non-executive director and as trustee of a large pension scheme.

Luisa grew up in the diocese of Galloway and has lived in both the archdiocese of Glasgow and the diocese of Aberdeen. Her work has taken her to every diocese in Scotland.

She will be the first member of the lay faithful and first woman to take on the role of General Secretary.

Responding to her invitation from the bishops, Luisa said, ‘I look forward to serving the Bishops of Scotland in my new role as General Secretary, bringing together my experience in the Church and in the world of business.’

Bishop Keenan, President of the Bishops’ Conference said, ‘The bishops are delighted that Luisa has accepted this post and will continue the good work carried on by Fr. Gerry Maguiness over the past years. Luisa brings a wealth of experience both as a committed laywoman in the Church who has served our parishes and dioceses loyally over the years and who also has vast experience of life in the world and where she has made a fruitful contribution. We look forward to working with her in the service of the Church in Scotland in the years ahead’.

The Bishops of Scotland would like to take the opportunity of commending and thanking Fr. Gerry Maguiness for his wise, effective and tireless stewardship of the General Secretariat over the past six years. We wish him similar blessings as he takes up the office of parish priest of St. Bride’s in Cambuslang.

Bishop John Keenan
President, Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.

News from the Commissions and Agencies

Archive by category: BCoS FacebookReturn
September 2025
https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/pastors-duty-to-speak-out/


Gregory the Great on pastors duty to preach bold warning to repent. Silence in the face of sin, evil & faults is cowardice & fear.
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One would think that a reputable newspaper such as the Herald would refrain from allowing a public relations consultant making unjustified, spurious and inaccurate criticism of Catholics and Catholic education. Yes indeed public relations in 21st century Scotland!

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Latest newsletter at
https://marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk/newsletter/

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https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/creation/documents/20250630-messaggio-giornata-curacreato.html


MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV FOR THE 10 th WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION 2025 [1 September 2025] ________________________________
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Our Biblical text for this year is Isaiah 32:14-18. The prophet Isaiah pictured the desolated Creation without peace because of the lack of justice and the broken relationship between God and humankind. This description of devastated cities and wastelands eloquently stresses the fact that human destructive behaviours have a negative impact on the Earth.
Our hope: Creation will find peace when justice is restored.
There is still hope and the expectation for a peaceful Earth.
To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but to act, pray, change, and reconcile with Creation and the Creator in unity, metanoia (repentance), and solidarity.

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Pope Leo XIV renews his closeness to the Ukrainian people, appealing for an immediate ceasefire, and prays for the victims of the Catholic school ...
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📢Our new Justice & Peace Scotland Newsletter is here!

This edition includes:
🇵🇸 The Red Line for Gaza Campaign: as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen, stand with us in calling for justice and peace.
🌍 Details of the Season of Creation Conference on Sat 6th September in Stirling.
📸 Highlights from our summer of advocacy events: Together for Sanctuary, Dignity Not Detention, and No To Nuclear Weapons.

Read the full newsletter on our website.

🤍Thank you for your continued support!
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VACANCY: National Director of Marriage, Family & Life Office
Hours: 15 hours per week
Salary: £11,746 per annum
Contract: 2 year with possibility of renewal
Closing Date: 26th September 2025
Applications:
The National Office for Marriage, Family and Life works alongside and is supported by the National Commission for Marriage, Family and Life. They are responsible for the apostolate of the domestic church and promote the teaching and pastoral activity of the Church in marriage, family and life issues. In the context of family life, they support single people, couples and families, as well as the pro-life mission. They draw on the Magisterium of the Church on Marriage and the Family and offer practical support to initiatives in the dioceses of Scotland and on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference. Please forward application letter and CV to info@marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk
Areas for Development:
Working with the Commission, the Office:
1. Develops resources for celebrating the Domestic Church.
2. Develops and supports a national marriage preparation programme.
3. Develops and oversees a programme of enrichment for married couples.
4. Provides resources and referrals to marriage counselling for couples, facilitating a national marriage counselling service.
5. Promotes and develops family-based faith formation programmes for children, adolescents and young adults.
6. Supports families in their vocation, providing resources.
7. Develops a pro-life culture in parishes and facilitates pro-life initiatives.

JOB SPECIFICATION
The successful candidate will work in the following areas:
Communication
 Arrange meetings of National Commission and submit agenda and reports.
 Frequently update the National Commission website (www.marriagefamilyandlife.org.uk).
 Develop a quarterly online newsletter for release in Dec; Mar; June; Sept. Advertise the release of newsletter on website through parish bulletins, diocesan websites and social media; encourage people to subscribe to quarterly newsletters.
 Promote events, such as the World Day for Marriage (2nd Sunday of February); World Children’s Day (last weekend in May); annual Day for Life (3rd Sunday in June); World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly (last Sunday of July).
 Report to the Commission and Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.
Liaison
 Work with Catholic Parliamentary Office (CPO).
 Liaise with associations with shared mission for marriage, family and life: Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES); Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life; Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE).
Support
 Support National Commission permanent working groups.
 Support and raise awareness of diocesan initiatives.
 Support provision of Marriage Counselling services in every diocese.
 Support Catholic families, providing resources.
Organisation of National Events
 Annual Mass at National Marian Shrine in Carfin on the World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly.
 Annual National Conference on Family.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
The successful candidate will have:
 Lived experience of the Church and its pastoral care of family and life issues.
 Ability to be highly motivated, good team player, but capable of working independently.
 Professional and friendly manner.
 Positive and pro-active outlook.
 Good interpersonal, communication and presentational skills.
 Ability to work with and motivate others.
 Organisational and time management skills with the ability to take responsibility, innovate and problem solve.
 Computer literacy with an excellent working knowledge of Microsoft packages.
 Familiarity with and ability to use social media and other communication methods, including online newsletters.
 Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality and discretion at all times.
 Willingness to travel and to work flexibly, including some evenings and weekends.

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August 2025



Whithorn Pilgrimage 2025

Unfortunately, the weather conditions forecast for the Whithorn Pilgrimage on Sunday 31 August are not safe for Mass to be celebrated on the beach.

Instead, two Masses will be celebrated by Bishop Frank Dougan in the Church of St Martin and St Ninian in Whithorn town at 3 pm and at 4 pm. Those travelling by registered coaches will be allocated a Mass time and information will be shared on the journey.

Those travelling by their own transport can choose to attend either Mass.

We regret the inconvenience, but the safety of those participating is our priority. With these measures in place, the pilgrimage can still go ahead.
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https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/08/28/why-im-catholic/


Why I’m CatholicDespite hardships, I have always felt at home in the Church, and would answer any difficulty along with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). August 28, 2025 Dr. R. Jared Staudt The Dispatch 12 Print (Photo: koldunova_anna/us.fotoli...
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