The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

We are deeply moved to share a heartfelt letter by Fr. John Berinyuy Tata, Vice Chancellor of Pax Higher Institute in Cameroon.

He sent the following letter to Bishop Joseph Toal, Bishop of Motherwell Diocese.

LETTER OF GRATITUDE

I write with a heart overflowing with gratitude to God and to you for the fraternal love, spiritual solidarity, and unwavering prayer you offered during my recent captivity in Baba I. For two weeks, when uncertainty and danger surrounded me, your prayers rose like incense before the throne of God, becoming for me a shield of grace and a source of profound consolation.

Though you were far away in Scotland, your closeness was tangible.
Your intercession strengthened my spirit.
Your compassion lightened my burden.
Your faith reminded me that the Body of Christ is truly one united across continents, cultures, and circumstances.

To My Lord Bishop, thank you for holding me in your paternal heart, for encouraging your clergy and faithful to pray for my safety, and for showing such genuine pastoral concern. To the priests and religious, thank you for offering Masses, rosaries, and personal sacrifices on my behalf. To the Christian faithful of Motherwell, thank you for every prayer whispered, every candle lit, and every intention offered. I assure you that not a single act of charity is forgotten before God.

In the quiet and darkness of captivity, your prayers became rays of light sustaining my hope. I experienced in a very real way the power of the communion of saints and the strength of the universal Church standing as one family. Please accept my heartfelt thanks. May the Lord reward each one of you a hundredfold. I continue to hold you in my prayers and ask God to bless the Diocese of Motherwell with peace, joy, and abundant grace.

With renewed gratitude and fraternal affection,
I remain,
Fr. John Berinyuy Tata
Vice Chancellor

Today, we mark the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. The influences of Vatican II can be seen in every aspect of the modern Church – in our understanding of divine revelation, the universal call to holiness, the sacred liturgy, religious freedom, ecumenical dialogue, the participation of the laity in the life of the Church, and so much more.

Find out more about the Council at: https://ow.ly/Gn7Q50XFKYu

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854.

Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception.

That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." —Catechism of the Catholic Church

Fr Paul invites all who use British Sign Language to join him each Sunday for Holy Mass at St Augustine’s, Milton at 12noon.

This weekly Mass is a dedicated space for the deaf community to come together as we celebrate Holy Mass. .

Yesterday, Archbishop Nolan alongside Fr. Tom Kilbride and Canon David Wallace were present at St Andrew’s West Parish Church in Glasgow for an ecumenical Advent Carol Service, joined simultaneously by a congregation gathered in The Lady of Shepherds Melkite Catholic Church in Beit Sahour, Bethlehem. The service was hosted by Friends of the Holy Land. (Glasgow and Bethlehem have been twinned since 2007, with a friendship agreement in place since 1992.)

Through the blessings of modern technology, the two congregations were able to worship together despite the miles that separate them.

The Church of Scotland was represented in Glasgow by Rev Dr Kleber Machado, parish minister, and Rev George McKay, Presbytery Moderator, while Rev Dr Stewart Gillan of St Andrew’s Scottish Church, Jerusalem took part from Bethlehem.

Music was led by Ronan McQuade and the wonderful St Aloysius College choir.