There are a few notices I want to bring to your attention this week:

FUNERAL Tuesday morning
There is a funeral Mass on Tuesday morning at 10am for the repose of the soul of John Crossan. Again, due to government restrictions on numbers, this Mass will be for John’s immediate family only.

FIRST COMMUNIONS/SATURDAY MORNING MASSES
Throughout the month of September and the first Saturday in October, the Saturday morning Masses in the parish are First Communion Masses for our children who were supposed to receive the Sacrament in May but due to the lockdown were postponed.
Because there are limited numbers allowed in the church and also given we have so many children receiving the Sacrament, the SATURDAY MORNING MASSES FOR THE NEXT MONTH WILL BE FOR THE CHILDREN AND THEIR LIMITED INVITED GUESTS ONLY. THEY ARE NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PARISH.
I apologise to all those who normally come to Saturday morning Mass but I’m sure you will agree and understand the importance of the children receiving the Lord. If you are among those unable to come on Saturday mornings, please offer your sacrifice in prayer for the children.
(The Confirmations for S1 will be arranged after all children have received First Holy Communion.)

RCIA--NEW MEMBERS BEING RECEIVED INTO THE CHURCH
This weekend our parish receives into the Church two adult converts to the faith. It has been a bit of a convoluted route to full reception for Karen and Stephen due to the coronavirus, lockdown and restrictions but nevertheless this is a time of great joy for them and the whole parish as we welcome two new members into our community. It may not be the great Easter Vigil (when adult converts are usually received into the Church) and there may be restrictions on numbers celebrating the event, sanitising, facemasks, etc., etc. but well done to them both for making it through their journey to this point!! Please keep Karen and Stephen in your prayers.
If interested in joining RCIA for the next session, have a word with Fr Joe or Fr Jonathan.

CLERGY MOVES
On Friday, Bishop John very reluctantly made some clergy moves. Unfortunately, they do affect us in St John’s. Bishop John has decided to move me to become the Administrator of St Mirin’s Cathedral. Fr Joe Blamer, PP in St Thomas’ will also take on the role of PP here at St John’s alongside Fr Jonathan. This is a time of change which is always unsettling for all concerned—People and Priests—but I know you understand and appreciate how difficult this is for the Bishop. Let’s all pray and work together for the smooth transition as I head to Paisley and Fr Balmer takes up the reins here.
On a personal note, may I say how happy and truly blessed I have been here in St John’s for the past two and a half years and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kindness and support and especially your prayers. God bless you all!!

This is the full list of moves:
Canon Oliver Freney has stepped down from being Administrator of Saint Mirin’s Cathedral and is currently on leave of absence.
Fr Joe Burke, currently PP of St John’s in Barrhead, will move to become Administrator of St Mirin’s Cathedral and of St Colm’s Kilmacolm.
Fr Joe Balmer, currently PP of St Thomas’ Nielston, will also become PP of St John’s Barrhead, having charge of both parishes.
Fr Eoin Patten moves from St. Cadoc’s and Canon Eddie Cameron, currently PP of St Peter’s Glenburn and St Paul’s Foxbar, will move to become PP of Saint Cadoc’s, Newton Mearns.
Fr Andrew Coleman, currently PP of St Laurence’s Greenock and chaplain to Notre Dame High School, will move to become PP of St Peter’s, Glenburn.
Fr Eoin Patten will become the PP of St Laurence’s in Greenock and chaplain to Notre Dame High School.
Fr Jude Okorie, currently PP of St Mary’s in Paisley, will also become PP of St Paul’s in Foxbar.
Fr Ryan Black will take up his first priestly appointment as Curate at St Mirin’s Cathedral, Paisley. Deacon Don Keane, currently serving in St Laurence’s, Greenock will move to exercise his ministry in St John’s, Port Glasgow.
Also, Canon Eddie Cameron to Diocesan Convenor of Fundraising and to lead our Diocesan Fundraising Team.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please keep in your prayers all those who have asked us to pray for their intentions, especially for the repose of the souls of John Crossan, Paul Gillan, William Houston, Janice Connor, Michael English and Alice Morgan who all died recently
As well as Belle Finnie, Betty Mooney, Joe Kenny, Neil Duffy, Bernard and Margaret McDermott, Marion Rose McDermott, Andrew Curran, John De Souza, Jim Carroll and Greta Doyle whose anniversaries occur around this time.
May all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

Reflection on this week’s Scripture
Today’s gospel is rather shocking. It presents us with Jesus’ foretelling his own suffering and death and then clearly stating that his followers too would have to suffer. This all sounds more than a bit disconcerting but how true those words are! As his modern day followers, do you always find it easy to practise your faith; do you at times have to make choices which are actually sacrifices, giving up something you’d rather do or taking on something when in fact you’d rather not? Are others respectful always of your beliefs? This is what the Lord is talking about—doing what He asks of us and in so doing, putting Him before ourselves. It’s not always easy in reality to be a witness to our Faith. We may not be physically crucified but we may well face criticism, mockery, insults. We may run the risk of being ostracised or shunned. It can happen in a family situation, workplace or even in the street. A brief look at the past two thousand year history of our Church shows how true those statements actually are-- perhaps even more so in our modern, secular, materialistic and increasingly atheistic society. And yet, this is what our God asks of us. Why? Because His message, His Good News is needed more than ever.
We are given beautiful consolation, though. He promises us we will never be left orphans, that He will always be with us. And we believe that wholeheartedly. We know He loves us. And that is what is at the root of our strength and courage—LOVE. What the Lord did for us and what we do in serving Him is and should always be rooted in love, His love for us and our love for him. Love makes sacrifice possible.
This week, let’s ask the Lord to deepen our love for Him and always allow Him to work in others through our words and actions. Amen.

Note from Fr Joe
A couple of changes to the timetable:

ADORATION – FRIDAY 28TH AUGUST
There won’t be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Friday 28th August after the 10am Mass as there is a Funeral Mass taking place at 12 noon; this is to allow time for preparing the Church for Mass.

THURSDAY MORNING MASSES
As you know, we haven’t been having Mass on Thursdays since the re-opening of the church. The reason for this is our excellent team of cleaners spend quite a long time on Thursday mornings deep cleaning the church for us. However, may parishioners--including the cleaners-- have requested we resume the Thursday morning Mass which we are happy to do. So, continuing on from previous weeks, there will also be Mass on Thursday mornings at 10am. Because the cleaners won’t then be starting the deep clean until after the Mass, it means they will be giving most of their Thursday to working in the church. May I take the opportunity on behalf of the whole parish to thank the cleaners as well as all the stewards and everyone else who is working so generously to enable us to have the church open for Masses and services. Without this small army of volunteers, our church would have to remain closed. Please consider joining the cleaning group or becoming a steward—the more, the better!! The only condition is that you have no major underlying health problems which would make you more susceptible to the Coronavirus e.g. if you have been shielding, etc.
If interested, have a word with Fr Joe or Fr Jonathan.

CHURCH OPENING TIMES
Please note the church will be open ONLY during the publicised timetabled slots. There have been a few requests to leave the church open longer but sadly we cannot do so. Remember, to be open we have to have stewards on duty and proper sanitising of those entering as well as the building. It is not possible to simply leave the doors open as in the past for anyone to pay a visit whenever they like. Please God, those days will return soon but in the meantime, we have to be very careful to maintain the highest standards of hygiene and keep all those visiting the church as safe as possible.
So our parish church is open every weekday for morning Mass at 10am and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there will be Exposition and Private Prayer from 10:30am until 1pm.
On Sundays it is the normal timetable for Masses, including Saturday Vigil.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please remember in your prayers all those in civic authority as we navigate these challenging times; may they be given a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Also please pray for those who are in need or are sick or dying.
We also remember all those who died recently, Paul Gillan, Pat Donelly, Mary McKenna,
And the anniversaries James Cannon, Jacqueline O’Neill, Tommy & Maisie McCafferty, Teddy Boyland, Patrick Conafray, Agnes Geddes, John Delaney, Eamon Delaney, Sacramenta Coelho, John Hughes, Jean Millar, James & Elizabeth Canberry, James Canberry Jr, Raymond & Patricia Canberry and Jean Fenn.
May the Lord hear and answer all our prayers, according to his will for us. Lord, hear us.


Reflection on this weekend’s Scripture Readings

‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ – The great C.S. Lewis once said “the person of Jesus Christ demands a choice from each of us”; in His presence we simply cannot remain neutral. Either He is truly the Son of God, and therefore, worthy of all our love and devotion or he is an imposter, and we must flee from him; but what we can never do is avoid Him entirely! In our gospel reading this weekend, Our Lord turns to His disciples, looks them straight In the eye and asks them this all important question “who do you say I am?”. Pope St. John Paul II said “we all know this moment, In which, it is no longer sufficient to speak about Jesus by repeating what others have said. You must say what you think, and not quote an opinion. You must bear witness, feel committed by the witness you have borne and carry this commitment to its extreme consequences. The best friends, followers and apostles of Christ have always been those who heard within them one day the definitive, inescapable question, before which all others become secondary and derivative: ‘For you, who am I?’. A person’s life, his whole future, depends on the clear, sincere and unequivocal answer, without rhetoric or subterfuge, that he gives to this question.” Jesus now turns to His disciples in this age, you and I, and once more asks that all important question “For you, whom am I?”. Let us pray that our response will be that of St. Peter, filled with faith and love, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Note from Fr Joe
A couple of changes to the timetable:
 
MASS BOOKING SYSTEM
Following on from last week’s success, our parish booking system for weekend Masses will be opened online on Tuesdays at 9AM. Thank you for your continued patience, and perseverance as we trial a new day for booking Masses.
 
THURSDAY MORNING MASSES
As you know, we haven’t been having Mass on Thursdays since the re-opening of the church. The reason for this is our excellent team of cleaners spend quite a long time on Thursday mornings deep cleaning the church for us. However, may parishioners--including the cleaners-- have requested we resume the Thursday morning Mass which we are happy to do. So, continuing on from last week, there will also be Mass on Thursday mornings at 10am. Because the cleaners won’t then be starting the deep clean until after the Mass, it means they will be giving most of their Thursday to working in the church. May I take the opportunity on behalf of the whole parish to thank the cleaners as well as all the stewards and everyone else who is working so generously to enable us to have the church open for Masses and services. Without this small army of volunteers, our church would have to remain closed. Please consider joining the cleaning group or becoming a steward—the more, the better!! The only condition is that you have no major underlying health problems which would make you more susceptible to the Coronavirus e.g. if you have been shielding, etc.
If interested, have a word with Fr Joe or Fr Jonathan.
 
CHURCH OPENING TIMES
Please note the church will be open ONLY during the publicised timetabled slots. There have been a few requests to leave the church open longer but sadly we cannot do so. Remember, to be open we have to have stewards on duty and proper sanitising of those entering as well as the building. It is not possible to simply leave the doors open as in the past for anyone to pay a visit whenever they like. Please God, those days will return soon but in the meantime, we have to be very careful to maintain the highest standards of hygiene and keep all those visiting the church as safe as possible.
So our parish church is open every weekday for morning Mass at 10am and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there will be Exposition and Private Prayer from 10.30 until 1.00pm.
On Sundays it is the normal timetable for Masses, including Saturday Vigil.
 
HABEMUS NOVUM SACERDOS
We have a new priest! Congratulations to Father Ryan Black who was ordained to the sacred priesthood on Saturday by Bishop Keenan at St Mirin’s Cathedral. We wish him many joyful years of service to God and His holy people in our diocese. Fr Ryan will offer his first Mass of Thanksgiving today, the Solemnity of the Assumption, at St Francis’, Port Glasgow.
 
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please remember in your prayers this week all those involved in our schools as they return for their first full week since March.
Also please pray for those who are in need or are sick or dying.
We also remember all those who died recently,
And the anniversaries of Helen Dunne, Geraldine McGinty, Fiona O’Brien, Archie McGinty, Lauren Husk, Rosemary McGinty, Anne Burgess, John & Anne McGuire, George McLean, James Harris Devine, Patrick Kerr.
May the Lord hear and answer all our prayers, according to his will for us.   Lord, hear us.
 
 
Reflection on this weekend’s Scripture Readings
Dear brothers and sisters, 
 
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven; all Marian feasts are moments of celebration and beauty, gifted to us by Our Lord to give us hope. Life, as we know, is not without its difficulties; this is particularly true for the followers of Jesus. From the very beginning, all of them, at one time or another, met the Cross in their lives. The feasts of our mother Mary are heavenly signposts which remind us of the eternal reality our hearts are made for, where life and joy reign forevermore; where she is, we are called to. So, these feasts act as a holiday, when we can lift up our hearts; they are a time of repose when we can contemplate her beauty; they are a time of consolation as we look to the reward that Mary enjoys and trust in the Lord who offers the same heaven to you and I.
 
Amen

Note from Fr Joe
A couple of changes to the timetable:

MASS BOOKING SYSTEM
A few parishioners have indicated they are having difficulty on Mondays when trying to book online for the following Sunday Masses. I think the issue may be the sheer volume of parishioners from this and many other parishes who are trying to book via the system at the same time. To free this up, we have decided to hold off our church bookings until the Tuesday morning at 9am. This means that starting this week, you will not be able to book online for St John’s until the Tuesday morning. Please pass this on to others you know who use the booking system on line. Hopefully this will alleviate any frustration caused on Mondays.

THURSDAY MORNING MASSES
As you know, we haven’t been having Mass on Thursdays since the re-opening of the church. The reason for this is our excellent team of cleaners spend quite a long time on Thursday mornings deep cleaning the church for us. However, may parishioners--including the cleaners-- have requested we resume the Thursday morning Mass which we are happy to do. So beginning this week, there will also be Mass on Thursday mornings at 10am. Because the cleaners won’t then be starting the deep clean until after the Mass, it means they will be giving most of their Thursday to working in the church. May I take the opportunity on behalf of the whole parish to thank the cleaners as well as all the stewards and everyone else who is working so generously to enable us to have the church open for Masses and services. Without this small army of volunteers, our church would have to remain closed. Please consider joining the cleaning group or becoming a steward—the more, the better!! The only condition is that you have no major underlying health problems which would make you more susceptible to the Coronavirus eg if you have been shielding, etc.
If interested, have a word with Fr Joe or Fr Jonathan.

CHURCH OPENING TIMES
Please note the church will be open ONLY during the publicised timetabled slots. There have been a few requests to leave the church open longer but sadly we cannot do so. Remember, to be open we have to have stewards on duty and proper sanitising of those entering as well as the building. It is not possible to simply leave the doors open as in the past for anyone to pay a visit whenever they like. Please God, those days will return soon but in the meantime, we have to be very careful to maintain the highest standards of hygiene and keep all those visiting the church as safe as possible.
So our parish church is open every weekday for morning Mass at 10am and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there will be Exposition and Private Prayer from 10:30am until 1pm.
On Sundays it is the normal timetable for Masses, including Saturday Vigil.

ORDINATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD
This Saturday Bishop John will ordain Deacon Ryan Black to the Priesthood in St Mirin’s Cathedral. Please keep Deacon Ryan in your prayers. There are MANY restrictions just now, including a maximum of only 50 allowed to attend the ordination, but it is a sure sign of God’s blessing that we have a new Priest being ordained to serve in our diocese.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please remember in your prayers this week all those involved in our schools as they return for the first time since March.
Also please pray for those who are in need or are sick or dying.
We also remember Claire Quinn and Flora Cummins, who died recently
And the anniversaries of Alex Lafferty, Margaret McGoldrick, Rita Marie Dunne, John McShane, Anna McCready, Lawrence McGowan, and George Howell
May the Lord hear and answer all our prayers, according to his will for us. Lord, hear us.


Reflection on this weekend’s Scripture Readings
Dear brothers and sisters,

There are moments all throughout sacred scripture, in both the Old Testament and the New, that could rightly be described as ‘cinematic’; epic scenes which many of us first encountered as children, and have remained in our memories ever since. This weekend’s Gospel taken from St. Matthew, in which, Jesus walks on water to save His friends, invites Peter to do the same, prevents him from drowning, and calms the sea, is no exception. Indeed, this scene is a blockbuster!

After sending His disciples across the water to prepare the ‘other side’ for His arrival, Jesus, from a hilltop where he was at prayer with his Father, could see that the powerful elements of this world, strong winds, and crashing waves, were overcoming his dearest friends and that they were in danger of not reaching the place where He sent them. The Lord immediately rushed to their aid without delay; He never fails his friends.

As He approached their creaking ship, they began to scream fearing the presence drawing closer was a ghost; but ‘at once’, the Gospel tells us, Jesus called out to them in reply “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” At the sound of His voice they recognised Him, and were instantly at peace; ‘I know my own, and my own know me’ we read elsewhere in the Gospel.

These consoling words “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid”, are spoken now to you, for you, by that selfsame Lord who once calmed the storm for His dearest friends. Our Lord recognizes that in our lives we have our moments of weakness, fatigue, and difficulty, those ‘strong winds, and waves’, in which, it seems as though we are in danger of sinking, and not reaching the ‘other side’, but as it was then, so it is now, the Lord comes to our aid, through the power of His Sacraments, the abiding gift of His Presence, providing us with every grace and heavenly blessing we need to reach definitive ‘other side’ that is Heaven our true home.

Let us take courage, as He offers it to us, that Christ the Lord never forgets nor abandons his dearest friends, even though at times the winds are against us, His divine help will never be lacking. He will not pass us by, but rather draw all the closer, and speak those words of consolation, strength, and peace, “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.”

Amen

A word from Fr Joe
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St John’s,
There are three big pieces of news for you this week!

Number one, our church is re-opening for Sunday and daily Masses!! It has been a LONG wait and there are many restrictions still in place but at last, we’re getting there! Remember there is a booking system in place for the Sunday Masses as we are allowed a maximum of only 50 in the church at any given time. Last week the Masses booked out within hours for this weekend. The system will open again on Monday morning for next weekend’s Masses. You are asked to book online if possible via our website but there are some places kept back for those unable to book online who can then phone Fr Joe at the parish house. There is no need to book for daily Masses unless the numbers start to rise above 50, so we will keep an eye on this. When coming to Sunday Mass, the stewards will check your name against the booking list. At weekday Masses they will ask your name and contact details. This is for the government “track and trace” system in case there was a further outbreak of the virus locally. The livestreaming of all Masses in the church will continue, so it is possible to follow Mass from home. In fact, the Bishops still encourage those who are elderly or shielding or have underlying health conditions to join in Mass from home rather than take any risks by coming into a busy church. Keep in mind also that the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays was lifted by Pope Francis during the pandemic and continues to be lifted until the Holy Father tells us otherwise. This means there is no sin in missing Sunday Mass but you are very much encouraged to join in a Mass via the internet, if possible, or indeed one of the weekday Masses where numbers are not as busy. You are obviously encouraged and expected to continue with your daily prayers as you do already.
Thanks be to God, we are back for Sunday Masses and let’s continue to pray it will not be too long before we are back to normal altogether!!

Our second big piece of news is that Father Laurent will be leaving us at the end of July. He was due to return to Uganda in September but has been given permission to remain in Scotland for another year. However, Bishop John has informed us that he wishes to move Fr Laurent to St Mirin’s Cathedral in Paisley. We are very sad to hear the news and we thank him for his two years of service, fun and much joy and laughter he has given us in St John’s. It has certainly been a joy to have had Fr Laurent with us. A small consolation is that he is not going far-- Paisley is only a few minutes away by car, so no doubt we will be seeing him again often back in Barrhead!!
To replace Fr Laurent, Bishop John has decided to move Fr Jonathan Whitworth, currently in St Mirin’s cathedral, to join us here in St John’s. Fr Jonathan will also take over from Fr Joe Balmer as the lead Chaplain to St Luke’s High. So while we are sad to see Fr Laurent go, we are very happy to welcome Fr Jonathan to Barrhead. I know you will all give him a St John’s welcome when he arrives at the end of the month!

The third and final big piece of news is the new parish timetable. Please take note of the small changes so you know what is on and when in the parish during these days;
Sunday Masses—no change
Vigil (Sat) 4:30pm; Sunday 10am, 11:30am, 5pm (Places MUST be booked in advance for all Sunday Masses)
Weekdays, excluding Thursdays Morning Mass 10am
Exposition of the Blessed sacrament for Private Prayer and Adoration
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10:30am to 1pm. (If there is a funeral at 10am, the Exposition will begin after the funeral)
Confessions
Saturday mornings
10:30am onwards. (Please note confessions are not being heard in the confession boxes during the pandemic but rather in the Oratory. Bigger room with better airflow, as directed by the Bishops.)

So, Friends, this is a big week for us. Let’s continue to pray for each other as we take another very important step on our coronavirus journey and also let’s offer a special prayer for Fr Laurent and Fr Jonathan.
God bless you all!
Fr Joe


Please keep in your prayers
Funerals this week
Marie McCormack (Service in St Conval’s Cemetery Tuesday at 10:30am)
Maureen Coogan (Requiem Mass in church Thursday at 10am)
May McVitie (Requiem Mass in church Friday 10am)

Also the anniversraies of: Maisie McMaster, Bid McGauley, Hugh McManus and Patrick McGowan,

As well as all those who have asked us to pray for them. Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Reflection on this Sunday’s Scripture
Friends,
This weekend’s Gospel presents us with another parable from Jesus. This time He gives the image of weeds growing among the wheat and what should be done about this. With all Jesus’ parables, as you know, he is using imagery the people will easily understand to give a much deeper teaching. The passage isn’t really about weeds and wheat but about sinners and good people existing side by side. Because of the existence of evil (the weeds) which seeks to undermine good (the wheat) and stop good flourishing, Jesus is teaching us there will always be those led astray by satan who will seek directly or perhaps without even realising it, to undermine the work of God. This may happen in the world at large, or in local society, or even our own Church or families.
​
How do we deal with this? Well, we are asked to be like the patient farmer in the parable who represents God. He sees what is happening, he recognises where it is coming from and the purpose of the enemy who wants to stop good flourishing but he is patient. The patience will not last forever, a time of harvest and judgement will come when the weeds will we rooted out so that the good will flourish. He sees everything, knows everything and is always watching over us. Following that example, we are asked to be understanding, patient, merciful, forgiving. The Pharisees will would weed out sinners, cast them off and leave them to wither. We are called to be not like them.

So, this weekend we are told two things by the Lord: firstly, God sees EVERYTHING and we should take comfort in that. Even if evil at times seems to have the upper hand, the Just Judge will act in His own good time and always be victorious. Secondly, in our attitude towards sinners, we are called to be not like the judgmental and condemnatory Pharisees but rather like our God—understanding, patient, merciful—because we know that in each one of us there can be weeds growing among the wheat, that we too are sinners in need of God’s patience and mercy.
Amen.

Reflection from Fr Laurent on this Sunday’s Scripture Readings
On this 14th Sunday, mother church invites us all, to reflect in a special way on Jesus’ humility, kindness, gentility and compassion for the poor, weak and unprivileged. These virtues of our Master and saviour, are very necessary for us all in our Christian journey; to help us live and relate well with others .
 
The first reading this Sunday, foretells the humility of the king who was to come; Christ Jesus. The reading gives great hope of good life to the poor in spirit and the oppressed.

In the second reading we are reminded of the need and importance of living in the spirit of the creator. God’s spirit makes us His own beloved children. Let us pray for the grace to  submit to God’s spirit, because once we accept to give in to God’s spirit, (to allow the spirit to direct our lives), then just like Jesus we shall possess the fundamental virtues necessary for our Christian life.
 
Jesus in the gospel reading reveals to us the master key to find favour with Lord. This key of humility and gentility is necessary for us to unlock the secrets that God would never make known to the proud hearted.
 
We pray for the grace to be humble, kind  and gentle children of our heavenly father, so as to do His will. Amen.
 
Note from Fr Joe
“This has been a momentous week in the near one hundred and eighty year history of our parish. After months of locked doors, we are now open again for private prayers and reflection. Please God, it won’t be too long before we can celebrate Mass again together! As Parish Priest, I must say a HUGE thank you on behalf of the whole parish community to the scores of people who volunteered to be Stewards and cleaners for the re-opening of the church. It would have been simply impossible to re-open without their generosity. All has gone very smoothly and we were able to re-open the church in a safe and sanitised way.
 
Remember we are open every day, excluding Thursdays, from 11am until 2pm for you to visit for private prayer and reflection. If visiting, please follow the directions of the Stewards on duty who will ensure you have a face covering, sanitise your hands and give some general guidance. Remember, the toilets in the church must remain closed due to the coronavirus--sorry!
God bless you all and maybe see you if you are visiting this week.”
Fr Joe
 
Funerals this week
Jim Geddes – Requiem Mass on Tuesday at 9.30am
Jim McCaffrey – Requiem Mass on Thursday at 10.00am
Please remember, there are strict restrictions on numbers attending funerals to reduce the risk of contagion. Only immediate family and friends may be in the church, agreed with the family beforehand so we know exact numbers attending. Thanks to the camera now installed in the church, you can follow live from home funerals or anything else happening in the building 24 hours a day. To do so, just click here or search St John's Barrhead on YouTube.
 
Please also keep in your prayers
Canon Barney Canning (former PP in St Thomas’, Neilston), Annemarie Cassidy, Maureen Coogan and Margaret Brown who all died recently.
As well as William Breslin, James Wilson and Maisie Fitzgerald whose anniversaries occur around this time.
May they all rest in peace with the Lord in Paradise. Amen.

Reflection for 12th Sunday of the Year (A)
This Sunday's Gospel contains the beautiful words of Jesus urging us to trust in a loving God: “Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing… So do not be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows!”

Jesus is sending out his disciples to begin witnessing to him. He knows they are apprehensive at what might happen to them: will they be accepted or rejected? Will they be treated well or maybe even stoned to death? It takes real courage to stand up for what we believe in if others are opposed to it. It’s so much easier just to keep the head down, say nothing and toe the line, even if we know in our hearts it is not correct. For those disciples two thousand years ago and for us today, knowing that God is with us, watching over us, that He knows and sees everything, gives us the encouragement and strength we need to face whatever this world throws at us for believing in Him. The words of Jesus are there to guide and help, to allay fears and inspire trust. ​

As I have said to you often, our faith is not there to shield us from life, helping us live in a comfortable wee bubble but rather it’s there to help us face the trials and issues this world throws up every day. I never cease to be amazed at how the Holy Spirit is at work! Just this week, someone sent me a link to an Irish singer, Eimear Quinn, singing a beautiful song called “The Watchman” – maybe try to google it or look it up on YouTube. The words are very comforting about how the Watchman, God, watches over us and the person who sent it to me was saying how she finds such comfort in the lyrics. That conviction that we are loved and being watched over gives us strength in times of difficulty and danger and we have certainly been living through such times over the past few months with this Coronavirus!

So this week, as we look forward to the re-opening of our parish church next Sunday for private prayer, let’s thank God for his watchful love and ask Him to help us deepen our faith and trust in Him. God bless you.

Note from Bishop John
Re-opening of Churches in Paisley Diocese
Following the guidelines issued by the Bishops Conference Covid-19 Infection Control Group, we are delighted to announce the opening of our churches from Sunday 28th June.

While other parts of the country may re-open sooner, we are particularly aware that the virus has impacted our local community more heavily and tragically. The people of Paisley diocese were disproportionately harmed by it and, sadly we now know, Inverclyde had the highest level of infection and deaths in Scotland. In light of this it is good for us to be sensitive, steady and careful in our approach, ensuring our people’s trust that all our parishes are fully prepared for re-opening, with volunteers and PPE in place.

From Sunday 28th onward, churches may also open on weekdays for limited periods of time if all the sanitation and social distancing guidelines laid down by the Covid-19 Group can be followed. Parish priests who are not comfortable that such guidelines are in place will be supported in their decisions to hold off for up to another week after Sunday 28th June.

All of us who have been looking forward to the day of our churches re-opening, clergy and faithful, are glad at this news. I know that those who hoped our doors would be open immediately for private prayers from Monday will understand our short delay and the particular considerations in play in our diocese that make it more appropriate for us.

I thank Canon Tom Boyle, Father Paul Brady and Monsignor Gerry Gallagher who are our diocesan representatives on the Covid-19 Infection Group both nationally and in the diocese for all their good work and continuing to advise us well as things develop around the country.

I assure you all of my prayers and blessings.
+Bishop John


Note from Fr Joe
As Bishop John says, nothing would please myself and father Laurent more than to be able to throw open the doors on Monday, the day the First Minister says we can re-open. We have waited for the day since March 19th but a few more days to ensure as far as possible the safety of everyone visiting churches throughout the diocese, given all we have already been through, is not too big a cross to bear. Difficult as it is, it is just one more small sacrifice we unite to the Lord’s great sacrifice for us on the cross!

Next Sunday, 28th June, we will be open for private prayer and reflection from 11am until 3pm! Let’s count down the days together!

Meeting of Volunteers for re-opening the church
Would all those who volunteered to help in the re-opening of our parish church, please come along to a meeting in the church on Wednesday evening at 6pm. We will discuss then the roles which must be in place for the re-opening next Sunday. We have a great group of volunteers so far but would like even more—the more, the better!!

PLEASE NOTE:  There is a change in the guidance of who can be a volunteer! Anyone, including those aged 70+, who is in good health (no underlying conditions) is now able to volunteer.
If interested, please contact Fr Joe and give him your contact details before Wednesday.

Live streaming of daily Mass
Until we are able to join together for Holy Mass in the church (please God, sometime next month), remember we now have a camera installed in the church which streams daily Mass live at 10am every day, including Sunday. Even if you miss the Mass, you can rewind over the course of the day to when it started.

Online Day for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Saturday 27th June, 1:00pm-2:30pm
Talks by Fr Matthew Carlin, Fr Jonathan Whitworth, Monsignor Denis Carlin on the Spirituality of Adoration, Scripture and the Eucharist and a history of Eucharistic Adoration. There will be Adoration and Benediction at the end of the meeting.

To access Zoom, either download the Zoom App onto your tablet or computer or click on the link and type in the meeting ID below.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98109408120
Meeting ID: 981 0940 8120
All Welcome!