Archbishop to lead Glasgow pilgrims to Rome for Holy Year

Archbishop to lead Glasgow pilgrims to Rome for Holy Year

Plans have been announced for a pilgrimage from the Archdiocese of Glasgow to Rome for the Holy Year.

Next year, 2025, has been designated a Jubilee Year by the Holy Father and an estimated 32 million pilgrims are expected to flock to Rome to visit the basilicas and gain the Jubilee Indulgence.

With accommodation in the eternal city filling up quickly, pilgrims are being advised to book early to ensure they can make the trip.

Archbishop Nolan will lead the Holy Year pilgrimage – returning to a city he knows well, having studied for the priesthood there during the 1975 Jubilee and later served on the staff of the Scots College in the city.

The Glasgow pilgrims will travel to Rome in September, when the most extreme heat of the summer is past but temperatures will stil be pleasantly warm.

Also included in the pilgrimage plans will be a day trip to Assisi to the city of St Francis and St Clare and pilgrims will take part in the Holy Father’s General audience.

The cost will be £1200 per person. To enquire or book a place call Alba Tours on 01698 262941 or email annemariecairns@yahoo.co.uk

Cathedral swap for Canon Andrew as he is named a bishop

By Ronnie Convery

A Glasgow priest who has spent much of his ministry serving in the Cathedral will soon have a Cathedral of his own – in Dundee.

For the Holy Father has appointed Canon Andrew McKenzie, Administrator of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow, to be the new Bishop of Dunkeld.

Canon Andrew, who is 59, succeeds Bishop Stephen Robson, who resigned due to ill health in December 2022 and Bishop-elect Martin Chambers, who was named to Dunkeld earlier this year but died before being ordained bishop.

Commenting on the news, Archbishop Nolan said he was delighted, while recognising that Glasgow’s loss was Dunkeld’s gain.

The Archbishop said: “May I congratulate Fr Andrew McKenzie on his appointment as Bishop and may I also congratulate Dunkeld Diocese who now acquire a fine priest as their leader and guide.

“In his 36 years of priestly service, the Archdiocese of Glasgow and the wider Church in Scotland have benefited from his talent, his commitment, his perseverance, and the high standards he has set in a variety of ministries.

“He has shown care for parishioners and care for his fellow priests, with a devotion also to the worthy celebration of liturgy and the praise and worship of God.”

Reacting to his appointment, Canon Andrew said: “I am humbled by the trust that Pope Francis has placed in me by inviting me to be the next Bishop of the Diocese of Dunkeld. With faith in God’s guidance, and with some nervousness, I accepted his invitation.

“I look forward to getting to know the priests and people of the diocese and to joining them in the work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I take courage in the understanding that I will not be working alone, for each of us has a role to play in the work of evangelisation.

“I have good memories of the diocese from a previous role as Director of Priests for Scotland when I was a regular visitor to Dundee at the invitation of Bishop Vincent Logan. I look forward to reconnecting with people and places.

“I know that this has been a difficult time for the Diocese of Dunkeld with the unexpected death of Bishop-elect Martin Chambers. We remember him and continue to pray for his eternal rest.”

The new Bishop holds a degree from St John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. He has worked in seminary formation, as National Director of Priests for Scotland and with the National Liturgy Commission and has wide pastoral experience including time as Parish Priest at St Joseph’s Tollcross and St Andrew’s Cathedral. He has recently been co-ordinating the programme of discernment of pastoral provision in the Archdiocese of Glasgow.

St Patrick’s closure will mark the end of an era

By Ronnie Convery

One of Glasgow’s oldest and best-known parishes is facing closure as population changes and the shortage of clergy begin to bite.

Parishioners at St Patrick’s in Anderston were given the news last month as it became clear that the small Mass-going population faced insurmountable hurdles to keep going with massive repairs and increasing costs.

Parish Priest, Canon Paul Gargaro, said: “Sadly, we are now facing the situation that the future of our church and parish is not good.

“When we compare ourselves with the other parishes in our pastoral area we are the quietest by attendance at Mass and by numbers of other sacraments.

“When we look around the church during Mass we can see how few people are here, we can see our average age, and we can see the poor condition of the building.

“Our attendance at weekday and seasonal services is very poor. We couldn’t fill one day for 40 hours, we had six people at our Advent penitential service, our daily Masses and devotions can sometime be attended by only five or six people.

“The shortage of priests means that the Archdiocese needs to send priests where places are busier – there are some parishes with more people at weekday Mass than we get over the whole weekend.”

Compounding the problems faced by St Patrick’s parishioners is the fact that they are facing a medium-term repair bill of almost £2million.

Canon Gargaro said: “We don’t have two million, and there is no realistic way of raising it, and even if we could get it, would this be the best way to spend it?”

He added: “We can expect the church to close, although no final decision has yet been made. The Archdiocesan estates department will now be looking at options for the future of the building, including looking for planning permission for possible future uses (such as conversion to flats, a hotel, etc.). The money that is made by selling the property will be divided between the neighbouring parishes.”

The church will remain open until arrangements for the future are in place, to avoid the risk of vandalism and neglect.

When the closure finally does takes place the parish will be made part of one or more of the neighbouring parishes (St Peter’s, the Cathedral, St Aloysius) and the boundaries redrawn.

Any process towards closure is likely to take at least a couple of years – this may be longer if the process of looking at new uses for the church is extended; or it may be shorter if there is a sudden need for expensive repairs.

‘Welcome home’ as SCIAF moves in with the Archdiocese

“It’s like coming home”, that was just one of the comments from SCIAF staff as they settled into their new HQ in Glasgow’s Archdiocesan Offices last month. 

The international aid charity made the move from West Nile Street, in a bid to cut costs and move closer to its roots in the Catholic Church, settling on the third floor of the glass building next to the Cathedral. 

Thanks to lots of hard work, the SCIAF staff are already feeling very much at home, many commenting on how nice it is to be by the river and commenting on the warm welcome they’ve all received from everyone in the building. 

Mark Camburn, Director of Integral Human Development said: “The new office makes me think a lot about our partner the Diocese of Quibdó, in Colombia. There are some really interesting parallels between the two.  

“Our partners in Quibdó work at a Diocesan building on the banks of the mighty river Atrato, right beside the Cathedral. It is so similar to our new set-up, on the banks of the Clyde, and right beside the Cathedral. Maybe it’s because I’m planning a trip to Colombia just now, but I think about this link every time I come into the office!” 

SCIAF’s Chief Executive Lorraine Currie said: “To move a charity from one office to another at the busiest time of their year – Lent – is no small undertaking. The reason it was so smooth was down to great collaborative working between us and the Archdiocese and of course the tremendous hard work and organisational skills of our ‘move’ team. I can’t thank them enough. 

Inspirational

“We have downsized and it feels like a strong but leaner home for us. The move has been a chance for us to save some money. SCIAF, like many other charities is having to deal with rising costs in the UK, therefore this move will help us continue to ensure as much as possible of our supporters’ donations to our mission of helping the world’s poorest people. 

“All our staff seem to be settling in really well and the views of our beautiful Cathedral, while we work and attend meetings, are nothing short of inspirational.”