RC Diocese of Argyll & the Isles

A fundraising concert for St. Columba's Cathedral will take place in the Corran Halls, Oban on Friday 17 February.

Fr. Colin writes about his hopes for the parish in 2012.

Poverty and Homelessness Action Week runs from January 28 – February 5, 2012. Marian Pallister, Argyll & the Isles Justice & Peace commissioner, says: ‘We may not see too many homeless people on the streets in Argyll and the Isles, but as the gap between rich and poor in the UK continues to grow, more people in our own parishes are having to live in temporary accommodation or hostels.....

With apologies for the late posting, due to technical difficutlies in Ecuador.

 Dear Colleagues and Friends,

 I hope this finds you well and enjoying the blessings of the Christmas Season. I have a few pieces of information to pass on.....

Coming into the unusual surroundings of celebrating our Christmas Masses in the hall, I am reminded of visits to the parishes of Fr Colin MacInnes in Ecuador – he had big main churches in the centre but then had a cluster of smaller, more sparse and simpler ones in the outlying areas of his parishes. Perhaps, our move this year from the grandeur of the Cathedral to the simplicity of the hall can bring us closer to the reality of the Christmas story.....

In wishing you a very Happy New Year, I pray that the Lord may be with us all and guide us in our lives of faith through the year ahead, both as individuals and as a believing community.

This coming Sunday we celebrate the Epiphany of Our Lord, recalling the arrival of the Wise Men at the stable in Bethlehem and their acts of homage before the child in the manger......

John Bell died, after a long illness, on 27 December 2011.

Father Sandy Culley celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving on Wednesday 30 November 2011 in Our Lady and St. Mun’s Church in Dunoon to mark the Silver Jubilee of his priesthood, when a packed church of family members, parishioners and guests were joined by Bishop Joseph Toal and many priests from the diocese and other parishes in Scotland.

Excerpts from Bishop Joseph's letter to the clergy (Ad Clerum) December 2011.