The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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!

⚽ Justice & Peace Scotland Play in the SCIAF Shield!

A huge thank you and well done to our Justice & Peace Scotland team who laced up their boots for the very first SCIAF Shield 5-a-side tournament this past weekend!

Representing J&P Scotland were Anthony, James, Niall, Colin, John, and Corin with our Campaigns and Communications Coordinator, Andrew Smith, proudly leading the team as captain.

🏆 Congrats go to the deserving winners, the team from St Aloysius & The Sacred Heart parish in Chapelhall. We may not have lifted the trophy but we had a brilliant time taking part, scoring SOME goals, and supporting a great cause.

Here’s to next year’s Shield: watch out St Al's, we’ll be back! 💪⚽

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.

📢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!

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 [email protected]
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.