Divine Mercy Sunday Year C

St John the Evangelist Parish
 Aurs Rd., Barrhead G78 2RW

 He is Risen, Alleluia.
 
Divine Mercy Sunday
      27 April 2025  
                          
 
Rev Monsignor John Canon Tormey: Parish Priest
Rev Fr Joseph J McGill:   Assistant Priest
Rev Denis Murphy:  Deacon
Email: [email protected]  Tel- 0141 881 0769
Website: www.stjohns-barrhead.org
 
Mary Hallan: Safeguarding Co-Ordinator: [email protected]
 
LAST WEEK’S COLLECTIONS
First Collection GA: £347.00.  NGA £1546.37
Holy Places: GA £575.60  NGA £755.75
SCIAF BOXES £299.00
Monthly Standing Orders: £4,271.50
 
St Conval’s Cemetery Mass
This Sunday at 2pm. Main celebrant
Monsignor John Tormey
 
Response to Psalm:
“Give praise to the Lord for he is good,
His mercy endures forever.”
 
May 10th In the Parish Hall, AGAP Theatre presents “The Margaret Sinclair Story” (marking 100 years since the death of Venerable Margaret Sinclair) National Tour.
The true story of the Edinburgh factory girl who could be Scotland’s next canonised Saint brought to life in this acclaimed production en route to the Edinburgh Fringe. An ordinary life lived with cheerful holiness amidst the challenges of her time, proving that saintliness is something we can all aspire to. Performed by Rachel Callaghan, a living relative of Venerable Margaret Sinclair. Written & Directed by Stephen Callaghan. Sat 10th May at 7.30pm – St John the Evangelist, Barrhead: Tickets: £10/£7/£5 (Pay What You Can – you choose.) from www.agap.org.uk/tickets or call 0749 534 7884. (50% of ticket sales will support the parish renovation project.) See posters for more details.
 
We pray for those who have died recently:   Pope Francis, Monsignor Charles Cavanagh, Lynne Ewing, Patricia Wheelan, Michael Docherty
 
We have had sympathy messages on the death of our Holy Father from Blair McDougall, MP, Rev Tim Mineard, St Andrew’s C.of S, and from congregation and minister of URC.
 
We pray for the anniversaries of:
Fr John F McNamara, O.C.D., William McNamara,
Matilda McGorrian, John McGorrian, Margaret Ellis,
James McShane, Maurice McGuire, James Bisland, Bernardine Wilson, Anne Richardson, John Marshall,
Joseph McKee, Catherine Kerrins.
 
Funerals
Michael Docherty Wednesday 7 May 10am
Patricia Wheelan Thursday 15 May 10am
 
Lourdes Hospitalité: Booking is now open for the Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, 28th June-3rd July 2025. please contact Anne Louise pilgrimage co-ordinator on 01475 638132
 
Catholic Mothers Play and Pray Group 
Tues 10.30am in Parish Hall, All children and mothers welcome Contact Rachel Callaghan for more details 07508835310
[email protected] 
 
Coffee Mornings:  £237 was presented to the building fund from recent events. Thank you all who use the Sunday Teas.
 
New Sunday Missal in Stall
Orders have now arrived.
Red cover: £19.95 White cover: £22.95
Jubilee Year Items also available in stall.
 
Summer Fete Saturday 7 June 2025
We need more volunteers for our summer fete, even just to help set up and put away tables. Also required, are abled bodied people to help erect the gazebos. Please help.
 
Raffle Tickets are now available for selling.
Raffle Tickets: Can you please take away a bunch of tickets and when you get them sold, please hand in ticket stubs and money to the sacristy. We have great prizes, including a 40” Samsung TV. Envelopes with sets of tickets can be collected from the back of the church. Thank you.
      Donations Can now be handed in to the church hall, back room or in the donation box in the church porch: Toys, jewellery, plants and home baking, (the day before the fete), arts and crafts, bottles and gifts for the wheel of fortune
      and the tombola. Alcohol can be given to SSVP members before Mass or handed into the sacristy.
 We will also have a bouncy castle, beat the goalie and other games for all the family.
 
Parish Renovation Project
The Diocesan Property Office conducted a due diligence report with three options for our parish church:
Option One: Restore the Present Building.
Option Two: Rebuild a new church on the present site.
Option Three: Build on a church extension to the existing hall and demolish the existing church.
 
Here are the budget costs for these options:
Option One complete refurbishment: £1,554,042
Option Two new Build: £4,182,773
Option Three Hall Extension: £1,563,285
 
The Parish Pastoral Council met to discuss this report on March 25. Clearly Option two is beyond our means. Option one was favoured, but option three was also seen as a possibility.
 
The Diocesan Property Office has since informed the parish that along with our present building fund savings (over £543,610) and what the diocese can lend the parish, our total budget including VAT and Fees cannot go over £900,000 for any of these projects.
      This presents a challenge. It was suggested by the diocesan and finance and property committee that we could sell off some land to help fund option three.
 
A further meeting took place with the Diocesan Property Manager, the Project Manager from KSNPM, and two parish reps on 10 April. It is possible to do a reduced project for Option One costing £907,000 (including VAT and Fees). This would make the building wind and water tight, and would include repair of gutters, repairs to upper and lower roofs, walls, removing insulation in cavity walls, drying out wall and replacing plaster, repainting the church, and refurbishing windows. It would exclude new windows and leave the heating system as it is for the time being.
 
Any church building will always need an ongoing maintenance plan, which will allow us to make further improvements, once we get the church into a good state of repair and have paid off the diocesan loan.
Option Three can still be done but it means we have to sell land and demolish the existing church. Therefore, my own opinion is that I feel that option one will allow us to retain
a separate hall, and return the church to a good condition, and allow the parish church of St John’s to retain its prominence in the town of Barrhead.
 
I invite everyone to a general meeting for the whole parish in the church at 7pm on Tuesday 6 May.
 
We will meet with the Parish Priest, Diocesan Finance Director, Diocesan Property Manager, the Project Manager from KSNPM, and the Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council, to inform parishioners about how the project could be undertaken, and to allow for questions and suggestions. We would also look at how we would repay the diocesan loan. There will be a format for asking questions.
As a parish community I ask you to pray earnestly for the successful outcome of this enterprise.
Monsignor John Tormey. Parish Priest.
 
St John’s, Barrhead Diocesan Finance Report from Jackie Brett,  Diocesan Finance Director
 
The profit and loss account for year ended 31 December 2024 shows a profit of £48,339.
Income            £248,924
Expenses         £200,585
Profit               £48,339
This represents a 19% profit.
 
The balance as at 31 December 2024 on the parish loan to Diocese was £91,922.
The balance as at 31 December 2024 on Investment with Diocese was £451,688.
 
The buying power of a £10 per week donation in 2015 is equivalent of £14.20 per week in 2025 after adjusting for inflation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of the parish and would ask parishioners wishing to increase their standing orders or set up new standing orders to complete a standing order form and gift aid declaration, if applicable and return them to the parish priest. These forms can be obtained from the parish website. Alternatively, you can set up regular faster payment to the parish via your online banking system. Thank you. Jackie Brett, Diocesan Finance Director
 
Parish bank details as follows:
St Johns Church
Sort Code 80-05-54
Account No 00761597
 
Times of Sunday Masses: Sat Vigil 4pm. Sun: 10am, 11.30am, 5pm.
Weekdays: Mon to Saturday 10am. Workers Mass: Each Wednesday at 7.30am
Daily Adoration in Church: 9.00am – 9.55am.
In Oratory: 10.30am-9pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Daily Rosary: 9.25am.
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessions): Monday to Friday 9.30am -9.50am      
Saturday: 10.30 am – 10.50am & 3.15pm – 3.45pm



Fatima Vigils at Howwood resume on Monday 12th May
and every 12th of the month until October. Rosary Procession
(round the grounds, weather permitting), Mass, followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, ending with Benediction. In this Holy Year of Hope we will focus on praying for peace in our divided world. The hall opens at 7pm, and the Rosary procession starts at 7.30pm. Tea/coffee available in hall after Benediction. Please consider making this a parish activity for the Holy Year. All welcome.