Noticeboard

NOTICES
for SUNDAY 10 AUGUST 2025

Welcome to Visitors
We extend a warm welcome to summer visitors to Edinburgh.  We invite you to make the Sacred Heart Church your spiritual home during your stay.  We are open from 7.45am to 7pm (6pm Saturdays) every day.

St John Henry Newman
On 31 July, Pope Leo announced his intention to name St John Henry Newman (1801-90) a Doctor of the Church – a title which acknowledges his contribution to the development of theology and thinking about the Church and its mission.  Newman becomes the 38th Doctor of the Church and only the second British saint since St Bede (d.735).

Music at 10.30am Mass Today
Before Mass: Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) Andante con moto
Offertory: Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933) O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht
Mass setting: Christopher Walker (b.1947) Belmont Mass
Communion: Jehan Alain (1911-40) Choral Dorien
Recessional: Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) Preludium C

華人天主教團體彌撒
Mass for the Chinese Catholic community will be celebrated in Cantonese today, Sunday 10 August, at 2pm. All welcome.

Feast of the Assumption
Friday this week, 15 August, is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a holyday of obligation.  Masses will be at the usual times of 8am, 12.30pm and 7pm.

Training for Readers
Readers, please note the training session on Saturday 6 September from 2 to 4pm.  This is an important opportunity to reflect on the ministry of reading at Mass and to brush up on the skills needed.

Training for Welcomers
There will be a training session for those exercising the Welcoming Ministry in this parish on Saturday 20 September at 4pm for one hour.  Please make this a priority.  Thank you.

Resumption after the Summer
We resume our usual programme of liturgy and activities from Sunday 14 September.  The Schola Cantorum will return to sing at the 10.30am Mass and the Music Ministry Group at the Young Adult 7pm Mass.

GodTalk
Part of the Jesuit mission in Edinburgh is to promote adult faith formation – opportunities for people to deepen their knowledge, understanding and living-out of their Catholic Christian faith.  Over the past year we have given serious thought as to how we might do this better and will be launching a series of seminars in the autumn covering a wide range of topics: “GodTalk” will take place on the last Saturday of each month from 3pm until 5.30pm.

Church Refurbishment
Work continues on the refurbishment plans for the church.  The new boilers are now installed and work on the pipework and new radiators in the church will begin shortly.  This will inevitably cause some disruption and reduction in available seating for a few weeks.  The new ceramic floor throughout the nave and narthex will follow.  And the new benches will begin arriving towards the end of September.  Marble for the new plinth for our statue of St John Ogilvie has arrived from Italy and will be installed opposite St Peter’s Chair in the coming weeks.  The plinth incorporates the bas-relief of John Ogilvie arriving at the Port of Leith in 1613 which is by Zeljko Kujundzic (1920-2003), the Serbian artist who created the bronze statue for this church in 1948.  The new stained-glass windows, by glass artist Sarah Galloway, for the apse above the sanctuary have now been created in the Derix glass studios in Germany and are awaiting shipment to Scotland.  The six panels represent six local saints: St Ninian, St Columba, St Cuthbert, Blessed Duns Scotus, Queen St Margaret of Scotland and King St David of Scotland.  The brickwork which blocked up the old windows around 1900 has been removed and the frames for the new glass will shortly be ready. These works are being funded by the Jesuit Trust which owns the church and other buildings.

Jesuit Residence Refurbishment
Alongside the work in the church, the Jesuit Residence is shortly to be refurbished.  The house, dating from 1908, was built for a community of fourteen – we are now two permanent residents and two visiting Jesuits pursuing studies at Edinburgh University.  The house is too big for our needs so we will be refurbishing the top floor to accommodate all the community’s needs: bedrooms, bathrooms, dining room and kitchen, community room and utility room.  There is already a community chapel.  This work begins in September and we hope will be finished around Christmas time.  This work is being funded by the British Province of the Society of Jesus.

C-Aurora Café-Bar
The festival café-bar in the courtyard in front of the church offers parishioners a 10% discount.  Enjoy a cup of coffee or something stronger and ask for your discount.

Carlo Acutis
The relics of Carlo Acutis visit the archdiocese from 13-15 September by which time he will be a saint of the Church. Saturday 13 September: 6pm Vigil Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral (open until 8pm for veneration); Sunday 14 – Mass at 12-noon; Monday 15 – Mass for schools at 12:45pm.

Season of Creation Conference
The Bishops’ Office for Care of Creation invites you to its National Season of Creation Conference on Saturday 6 September 2025at St. Margaret’s Stirling, 10am to 3pm. Special guest is Lorna Gold, the executive director of the global Laudato Si Movement. More at bcos.org.uk/scc25

National Pilgrimage to Whithorn
The National Pilgrimage to Whithorn in honour of St Ninian will take place on Sunday 31 August. Mass at St Ninian’s Cave will be celebrated at 4pm by Bishop Frank Dougan. More at rcdg.org.uk

RCIA – Sponsors Needed
We now have 21 people enrolled in the RCIA programme – the journey to becoming Catholics at Easter.  We need volunteers to be sponsors for those beginning the journey this September.  If you can help or would like to find out more, contact Andrew Cassidy at ejcpastoral@jesuit.org.uk

Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts
The opening service takes place at St John’s Princes Street on Sunday 10 August at 10.30am – at which Professor Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, will preach.  On Wednesday 13 August at 7.30pm there is a concert at Sacred Heart Church to celebrate 375-years of the Scottish Metrical Psalter.  There is also a Young Poets’ event and a Young Composers’ Competition choral concert and plenty more besides.  Programmes are available in the narthex or online at edinburghsacredartsfestival.org

Nunraw Abbey Guesthouse
offers bed and breakfast or full board accommodation in six single rooms (including a disabled access room on the ground floor) or two family rooms with three single beds; all en-suite. Enquiries to guesthouse@nunrawabbey.com

RCIA – The Journey to Becoming Catholic
Over the summer months we run monthly sessions for those preparing to join the RCIA programme (the journey to becoming a Roman Catholic by baptism or reception into the Church at Easter 2026) in September.  Please bring this to the attention of anyone who might be interested.  To find out more and register a place, contact Andrew Cassidy (Parish Pastoral Associate) at ejcpastoral@jesuit.org.uk

Study Catholic Theology in Edinburgh
Registration is now open for the MA in Applied Catholic Theology at St Mary's University campus in Edinburgh.  Details at bit.ly/catholictheology. Watch the preview webinar on the YouTube channel of the archdiocese.  Queries: stephen.dolan@stmarys.ac.uk

Taizé Prayer
Please note that Tuesday Taizé Prayer has now finished for the summer and will recommence on Tuesday 16 September at 7pm.

Choral Scholarships
We offer eight choral scholarships (two each SATB) singing at the Sunday 10.30am Mass during term time and, for those who are resident in Edinburgh, at Christmas and Easter.  Choral scholarships are open to anyone in full time education from 16+ to postgraduate studies.  The scholarships are funded by a bequest and pay £36 for each Sunday.  Auditions for the next university year (September 2025 to May 2026) take place in September.  We would generally expect applicants to be at Grade 7 or above in classical singing or equivalent.  Please draw this opportunity to the notice of any talented young singer who might be interested.  More details on the parish website and in a leaflet in the narthex and online here. 

Supporting Music at Edinburgh Jesuit Church
Our choral scholarships are funded by a generous bequest.  But we have to buy sheet music and pay royalties on some music we use.  The cost of each new piece we introduce to our repertoire is around £35.  Your support is greatly appreciated, especially if you attend the Sunday 10.30am Mass.   You can make cash donations to the “music” box in the narthex or more a contactless donation in the bookshop after Sunday Mass.

Ministries
A great many people help to keep the Sacred Heart Church open and fulfilling its mission as a Jesuit city church.  We always need more help.  As the summer approaches, please give some thought to whether you are able to lend a hand, however limited your time or energy.  Among the many ministries are:

• Readers for Sunday and weekday Masses

• Eucharistic ministers (Sunday Masses)

• Visitors to the sick and housebound

• Cleaners

• Hospitality (coffee after Sunday Masses)

• Collection counters (Mondays monthly 10am)

• Welcomers (at Sunday Masses)

• Voluntary choir

• Singers/instrumentalists at Sunday 7pm Mass

• Flower arrangers

• Help with the bookshop (after Sunday Masses)

• Altar servers

  Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more: ejc@jesuit.org.uk

Please remember in your prayers all those of our parish who are sick or housebound including Mary Cherry, Patrick Conboy, Sandra Fleming, Benedicte Gasparde, John McManus, Phyllis Reid, Betty Saria and Anthony Strachan.

Edinburgh Jesuit Centre Mailing List
Each Friday afternoon, we send out a short email reminder of concerts, talks, retreats and other events at Sacred Heart Church.  Join the mailing list by emailing ejcpastoral@jesuit.org.uk  You can unsubscribe at any time.

Events in the Archdiocese
Click here for a full list of forthcoming events in the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.