Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
28th September 2025
 
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]
 
LAST WEEK’S COLLECTIONS
First Collection GA: £508.50 NGA: £1,055.44
Building Fund GA: £40.00
Vocations GA: £35.00
 
Response to Psalm         “My soul, give praise to the Lord.”


Church Hall Coffee Mornings: 
A reminder that the Coffee Bar on a Tuesday has restarted as have teas and coffees in the hall after 10am Mass on a Sunday.

Parish Hall Getting Ready to Move:
The Stage Curtains have now been fitted as we prepare to move into the Parish Hall later in the autumn. Thanks to Anne White who oversaw the installation through the week.
 
RCIA for St John’s Parish: 
If you know of anyone who wishes to enrol for the RCIA to become a Catholic, please let one of the priests know. The first session at the Parish house was held on Wednesday 24th September and was very well attended. All are still welcome!
 
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.
 
We pray for those who have died recently:
Jack Finell, Marlyn McEwan

We pray for the anniversaries of:
Patrick Collins, Margaret Gallacher, Anne Logue, William Logue, Anthony McLachlan, Gerald McLaughlin, John McLaughlin, Jimmy MacDuff, Mary MacDuff, John Joseph Weldon.
 
Funeral Mass this week:
The Requiem Mass of Marlyn McEwan will be celebrated on Thursday 2nd October at 10am.
 
Safeguarding Induction Training – 2025:
Safeguarding Induction training has been organised into one course only.  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]
Tuesday 18th November at 7pm in the Diocesan Centre, Paisley, PA1 1HR.
 
This year’s annual safeguarding announcement will be read out at all masses on Sunday 5 October to coincide with the Feast of the Guardian Angels.
Reconciliation and Healing Service:
Speaker - Joe Livingston
Theme - The Sacredness of The Sacred Heart.
Opportunity for Confession and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament with our former Parish Priest, Canon Joe Balmer.
The night will also include music (Praise and Worship) and teas and coffees.
Sunday 28th September at 5pm
Tyburn Nuns, Benedictine Monastery,5 Mackerston Place, Largs, KA30 8BY

Pilgrim of Hope Production:
AGAP Theatre will be performing ‘Pilgrim of Hope’, a new play for the Jubilee Year, written and performed by Stephen Callaghan. The play will be performed at St Bernard’s Church in South Nitshill on Thursday 2nd October at 7:30pm, following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tickets are available at Eventbrite or at the door on the evening.

Acutis Evenings: 
S4-6 pupils are invited to the next Acutis Evening for catechesis, dinner and prayer, on Friday 3rd October. It will take place in St James’s Church and halls (Greenock Road, Paisley) from 6-8pm. Please note that (one-time) registration for these events is necessary. Parents/ guardians should visit www.tinyurl.com/dpy-acutis-evenings. Email Fr Ryan Black for more info at [email protected].
First Fridays for Life - 3rd October - St Francis of Assisi, Port Glasgow:
Will you fast and pray every First Friday for Life? Bishop John invites you to fast and pray on the First Friday of each month to protect the unborn child and for the flourishing of the Pro-Life movement so that our society will build an authentic culture of life. Join your priests throughout the diocese on the First Friday of each month as we pray for life! The first Mass of the new season will be offered in St Francis', Port Glasgow, on Friday the 3rd of October at 7pm; Adoration & Confession from 6pm.
 
Lourdes Hospitalite:
The reunion for those who came on pilgrimage 2025 will take place on 5th October at 2pm. A Marian devotion will take place in St Ninian's Church, Gourock followed by a cup of tea and sharing of memories in the hall. All welcome.

12th National Divine Mercy Conference Hosted by the Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland:
Saturday 25 October 2025, St Mirin’s Hall, Incle Street, Paisley, PA1 1HR: 10am – 5pm.
Holy Hour at 3pm Holy Mass 4pm – St Mirin’s Cathedral.
THEME: May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13).
 
Spred Volunteer Drivers Needed:
The Diocese is looking for drivers who could help bring our friends with additional support needs to their Spred group on either a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening. This would involve taking them to / from the Centre at St Peter's Church, Glenburn, once a fortnight, term time only. If anyone is interested and wants to find out more please call 0141 884 8866 or email [email protected]

Be Still and Know that I am God, 14 - 17 November 2025:
A three-day retreat led by Fr Roger Dawson, SJ, aiming to help participants find a greater attentiveness and disposition to God’s presence in their lives through a disciplining of the mind and awareness of the present moment.

National Director of Marriage, Family & Life Office Vacancy: The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland is looking for a new National Director of Marriage, Family & Life Office. The successful candidate will work in various areas alongside the National Commission for Marriage, Family & Life and will, among others tasks, organise and promote national events, liaise with associations with shared mission, and support single people, couples and families, as well as the pro-life mission in the context of family life. For more information, please visit: https://rcdop.org.uk/news/vacancy-national-director-of-marriage-family-life-office
Ongoing Maintenance Report and Budget Spend for 2025:
The hall gutters and downpipes which were blocked have been repaired by Cairn Building Solutions for £576. The Roof of the Hall will be repaired at a cost of £5,197.00 plus VAT. Some ridges had been blown off in the February storm. All of the top ridges will be taken off and replaced with new ones.
The hall stage is being prepared for the celebration of Mass. New lights have been fitted. The hall fuse boxes have been completely redone at a cost of £2,000.
The hall stage has new curtains and rails fitted with an estimate cost of £2,400. These are good quality curtains to provide a long-lasting feature for the church hall. We have also acquired an altar and tabernacle stand which has been painted and cleaned for £500. The ceiling of the stage will be varnished, and some paint work has be done around the walls of the stage with an estimated cost of £500.
A further £250 was spent on the annual electrical testing for the church and house, by DS Electrics. This will bring our budget spend for this year to around £12,673. We have set aside £30,000 for this year’s ongoing repairs and improvements to the parish.
This month, the boilers will have their annual maintenance check. We do not have an estimate for this as of yet.  We are well within our projected budget for ongoing work for 2025 and we will keep you informed on how our parish funds are being used to improve the parish buildings.