Welcome to the Diocese of Argyll & the Isles
Pope Leo XIV
We pray for our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. May God abundantly bless his ministry.
+ Brian
Welcome Message from Bishop Brian McGee
Welcome Message from Bishop Brian McGee
Welcome to the website of the Diocese of Argyll & the Isles, and thank you for visiting. I hope you will enjoy exploring the contents of the site, learning about our Cathedral and parishes, our Led by the Spirit discernment process, our Celtic spiritual heritage and much more.
It is a large diocese, taking in much of the western part of the Scottish Highlands & Islands. It covers over 31 thousand square kilometres and has the most beautiful scenery in Scotland! We welcome many thousands of visitors here each year and we really do WELCOME them! Visitors to the diocese enrich our lives and our liturgies.
For those resident in the diocese I hope you will find this renewed website of interest. In these pages, alongside our Facebook page, I hope you will find the information and news you require to make you an ever more active participant in the life of prayer and service that we endeavour to foster together.
To all site visitors, either local to the diocese of from further afield, I would like to ask your help in giving financial support should you be in a position to do so. You'll find a link to our donation page here and if you happen to be a tax payer in the USA then we have a dedicated donation page where you can take advantage of tax deductions when giving to the diocese.
I travel the diocese a great deal and one of the most enjoyable parts of that is meeting and greeting people! Now I am delighted to do so virtually as well, through this welcome message.
Thank you for visiting and during this Holy Year in particular may you experience the joy and hope that both Pope Francis and myself wish for you.
+Brian
Latest News on
“I am deeply disappointed that our Parliament has taken the first step to permit the state to provide vulnerable people with the means to end their lives prematurely.
Many MSPs, however, expressed significant reservations about the terms of Liam McArthur's Bill.
I hope and pray that MSPs will take time to reflect very carefully on these concerns and reject the Bill before it is passed into law.”
Bishop John Keenan, on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. ... See MoreSee Less
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I warmly welcome the First Minister's commitment to protecting the vulnerable from the existential threat of assisted suicide and upholding the dignity of life by deciding to vote against Liam McArthur's Bill and I hope that fellow parliamentarians will follow his lead.
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Congratulations to the young people of Barra who were confirmed today. ... See MoreSee Less
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I could see nothing from the top of Heaval this morning but the mist was lighter at the statue of Our Lady. May is the month of the Rosary and on my climb I prayed for Pope Leo, the children being confirmed and for all our diocese. Throughout May let us be ‘pilgrims of hope’ who meditate on Christ’s life and our redemption by daily praying the Rosary.
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10 Popes and counting!👏I had a lovely day on the Islands of Barra and Vatersay celebrating Mass, visiting the schools, housebound and St Brendan’s Home. I enjoyed my visit to Peigi Ellie Haggarty, Barra’s oldest resident who is nearing her 103rd birthday. Peigi’s faith is strong and she rejoices at the election of our new Pope, the tenth she has known! Also present were her daughters and Canon John Paul. I look forward to the Confirmations tomorrow.
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I was delighted to join Canon John Paul and the people of Barra to offer Mass tonight for our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. May God abundantly bless his ministry.
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Habemus Papam! Last week Fr Liam McMahon was on Barra visiting his friend Canon John Paul MacKinnon and tonight he is in St Peter’s Square awaiting the appearance of our new Pope! ... See MoreSee Less
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We pray for the Cardinals who, in the Sistine Chapel and under the gaze of Michelangelo’s Last Judgement, begin voting today for the Successor of Peter. Their task is sacred and serious. We pray that they remain open to the promptings of the Spirit.
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I know that tomorrow across the Diocese we will all be praying for the Cardinals as they discern whom the Lord is calling to be the Successor of Peter. The Lord knows who he wants to lead the Church and the Cardinals have a challenging yet precious task of discerning the Lord’s will. I will offer the 10am Mass in our Cathedral for this intention, inviting locals to join and for others further afield to pray in your parishes and homes. Thank you.
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