The Baptism of the Lord, 11th January 2026

St John the Evangelist Parish
Aurs Rd., Barrhead, G78 2RW.
 
The Baptism of the Lord
11th January 2026
 
Rev Monsignor John Canon Tormey: Parish Priest
Rev Fr Joseph J McGill: Curate
Rev Denis Murphy:  Deacon
Email: [email protected]  Tel: 0141 881 0769
Website: www.stjohns-barrhead.org
 
Mary Hallan: Safeguarding Co-Ordinator: [email protected]
 
Times of Holy Mass:
Sunday: 4pm (Vigil), 10:00am, 11:30am and 5:00pm.
Weekday Mass: Monday-Saturday 10:00am.
Workers’ Mass: Wednesday 7:30am.
Holy Days of Obligation: Vigil 7:00pm, 8:00am and 10:00am.

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession):
Saturday 10:30am-11:00am, 3:15pm-3:45pm.
Monday-Friday 9:30am-9:50am​.
 
Last Week’s Collections:
First Collection GA: £354.60 NGA: £972.15
Building Fund GA: £215.00
Justice and Peace GA: £581.50 NGA: £545.62
Christmas GA: £65.00
 
Response to Psalm:
‘The Lord will bless his people with peace.’
 
St Vincent de Paul Society:
The SVdP provide spiritual, social and financial support to anyone in need. We visit parishioners of St John’s at their homes or in local care homes. If you know of anyone who might benefit from this offer from the members of the SVdP, please get in touch by calling: 075123 02877 or speak to one of our members after Mass who will be collecting for the Society in the porch. (All information will be treated confidentially).
 
December 100 Club Winners:
1st – £100 – Marie McCool – no.132.
3rd – £30 – P. Reid – no.37.
4th – £20 – E. Casey – no.113.
5th – £20 – Patrick Doyle – no.103.
More places available if you would like to join the 100 Club to support the parish funds. Draw takes place monthly.
 
St John’s Parish Website:
You can keep up to date with funeral dates, Mass times, church restoration news and Parish events by visiting the Parish Website: https://www.stjohns-barrhead.org
The photos from the afternoon Tea are available to view online. 
 
We pray for those who have died recently:
Patricia Byrne, Jeanette Mathews, Robert McCann, Tommy Collins, Joe Gribbon, and Jim McGauley.
 
We pray for the anniversaries of:
John Anderson, Jim Brown, Anne-Marie Carbary, May Cheney, Brian Corcoran, Mary Doyle, Mary Lynagh, Bob Malaney, Charles McAleavy, Dominic McCue, Liam McLaughlin, Gregg Thomas McMaster, Anne McQuade, Bernadette Mowbray, Patricia Murphy, Clare Murray, Maria O’Hara, Tommy O’Hara, Rosalinda Pinto, Margaret Sanford, Alec Wylie, Nan Wylie and Sandra Wylie.
 
Funerals Notices:
Requiem Mass for Patricia Byrne will take place in St Charles’s Paisley at 12:00 noon Monday 12th January with the Vigil reception at 6:00pm Sunday 11th January.
 
Requiem Mass for Joe Gribbons will take place in St Aloysius Church, Hill St, Glasgow at 10am on Saturday 17 January, onto Lynn Crematorium. All parishioners welcome.
 
Requiem Mass for Robert McCann will be celebrated at 10:00am on Wednesday 21st January with the Vigil reception at 6:00pm Tuesday 20th January.
 
St John’s Burns Celebration – Cancellation Notice:
Unfortunately, we regret to inform parishioners that the planned Burns Celebration will not be going ahead. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause and thank everyone for their interest and support. We look forward to celebrating together at future parish events and will share details as soon as they are confirmed.
 
Piety Stall:
This is the last week to order Western Catholic Calendars.
There is a Donation table in the stall, please come and have a look.
 
Diocese of Paisley Young Adults Talk (Wednesday 14th January):
The Young Adults New series on the Doctors of the Church begins on Wednesday 14th January at 7:00pm in the Diocesan Office, with a talk on St Augustine by, our very own, Fr Joe McGill. All young Catholics 18-35 are welcome. For more information contact Fr. Joe McGill at [email protected] or Fr Paul Laverty [email protected] 
Prayer to St. Michael:
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of Battle; 
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl through the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
 
 
Restoration Fund Update:
St John’s Social Committee are delighted to announce that, in addition to the £10,000 raised at the summer fête, ongoing fundraising initiatives including the Afternoon Tea, Hogmanay Party, Dr Who raffle, monthly quizzes and more have contributed a further £9,461.65 towards the Church Restoration Fund! Thank you again to everyone who has contributed in any way to raising this incredible amount. We look forward to your continued support and generosity in the year ahead!
 
The Social Committee meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm in the tea room. If anyone has any fundraising ideas, initiatives, grant awareness or simply wants to get involved, please come along — everyone is welcome.

'A community’s strength is found in the kindness of its people, and together we can achieve far more than we ever could alone.’
 
St John’s Primary Parent Council Laser Light Spectacular (Friday 30th January):
St John’s Primary Parent Council is delighted to present a Laser Light Spectacular on Friday 30th January at 6.00pm, taking place in the grounds of St John’s Church Hall.
This family-friendly event features an exciting laser show synchronised to popular favourites, including Taylor Swift, Fortnite, Stranger Things, Disney and more. All funds raised will go towards a fun and safe playground upgrade for the children of St John’s Primary School.
For tickets or further information, please contact Jennifer on 07846 600881.
 
Retrouvaille Programme (Thursday 12th February):
The Retrouvaille programme helps marriages. It can bring hope and healing to relationships and the next session is on Thursday 12th February.
www.retrouvaille.org.uk   Tel: 07887 296983
 
Love & Beauty in St John’s Spiritual Canticle (Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd February 2026):
2026 marks the centenary of the declaration of St John of the Cross as a Doctor of the Church. In honour of this anniversary, Fr Matthew Blake OCD, will offer a weekend reflecting on the themes of love and beauty in the most celebrated poetry of the great Spanish mystic. 
https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/love-beauty-in-st-johns-spiritual-canticle/
 
New Diocese of Paisley Vocations Website:
Our new Vocations web pages are up-and-running! You can check them out at rcdop.org.uk/dp-vocations.
Please join us in praying for more vocations to the Diocese of Paisley – “He is There!”.
You can also support us by liking, sharing and following our Vocations social media pages:
Instagram: @dioceseofpaisleyvocations
TikTok: @paisleyvocations
X: @DoPVocations
Marriage Preparation Courses 2026 – Diocese of Paisley:
We invite engaged couples to register for one of the Marriage Preparation courses on offer in 2026. The course consists of two evening in-person sessions, and one Saturday morning workshop, which will be held in St. Mirin’s Cathedral Hall, Paisley. For any additional details or queries please contact Rebecca Harrison at [email protected]
The cost for the course per couple is £70 which includes a gift with additional reading materials, couple exercises, books and light refreshments during the workshop. Once couples have registered we will contact them directly regarding attendance at the course and a certificate will be issued upon completion. This course fulfils church requirements regarding preparation before marriage and is a wonderful opportunity to meet other couples and share in fellowship. You can follow the link to access further information https://www.rcdop.org.uk/marriage-preparation or use the QR code to see the course dates and go straight to our booking page. We look forward to seeing you!
 
Safeguarding Induction Training – 2026:
If you are a new volunteer, or one who completed Part 1 training more than two years ago, you are invited to sign up for one of the following training sessions.  Please contact Sarah Jane Colhoun at the Safeguarding Office to register.  Tel: 0141 847 6138 or [email protected]
 
Dates:                                                                      
Saturday, 10th January, 10:30 am, St Joseph’s Clarkston 
Tuesday, 10th February, 7pm, Diocesan Centre Paisley 
Saturday, 28th March, 10.30am, St Joseph’s Greenock  
Tuesday, 21st April, 7pm, Diocesan Centre Paisley 
Saturday, 16th May, 10.30am, St Mary’s Greenock 
Tuesday 9th June, 7pm, Diocesan Centre Paisley
 
2025 Diocesan Safeguarding Action Plan:
A copy of the completed Safeguarding Action Plan for 2025 is now available on the Diocesan website.  This plan was reviewed at the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Group on 11.12.25 and has now been approved by Bishop John.  As always, we extend our thanks and gratitude to all our Clergy, PSC’s and church volunteers who commit themselves to ensuring our church communities remain as safe and protected as humanly possible.