Peace be with you.
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Parish Bulletin for the _17th Sunday of the Year C.doc
St. Peter's Primary School Latest Newsletter.
OTHER NEWS
Here we include other items of news from the parish.
As you are aware, Margo MacDonald, one of our MSPs, has presented an “End of Life Assistance” Bill, which seeks to legalise ‘physician assisted suicide’. In other words, doctors would be allowed to prescribe or administer a medication to cause the immediate death in those requesting it. The wording of the bill also opens the door for euthanasia.
This bill is a threat to the current values of our society, where we care for people through their suffering, rather than abandoning them to thoughts of suicide. The End of Life Assistant (Scotland) Bill Committee are calling for written evidence from all interested parties on the general principles of Bill proposed by Margo MacDonald. Written evidence needs to be submitted not later than 12 May 2010.
In order to help you submit your opposition medical and other health professions in Aberdeen have come together to produce a brief information leaflet indicating some of the arguments against legalising assisted suicide. Click here to see this document.
To help you word your submission, Dr Stephen Hutchison , a Consultant Physician in Palliative Medicine working in Inverness has written this document.
For further details on how to submit your evidence, click here.
Click below to watch a video on doctors speaking about "assisted Dying".
GOODWILL TRIP TO INDIA JAN/FEB 2010
Earlier this year, St. Columba’s parishioners Margaret Duncan and Jo and Paul Costello travelled to India to visit a number of missions run by the Divine Word Missionaries (SVDs), before heading off to Andhra Pradesh to visit Fr. James Puppady, a diocesan priest from Kerala who has worked in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh since ordination.
After a nineteen hour delay due to the heavy snow, they finally landed in the steamy heat of Mumbai. Next day they travelled by train to the neighbouring state of Gujarat – the birthplace of Mahatma Ghandi - now a hotbed of Hindu fundamentalism. Since 2002 there have been outbreaks of violence perpetrated against Christians in general and the Catholic Church in particular. This persecution has recently broken out in the next state, Madhya Pradesh. This is particularly sad as the Church has a history of helping the poor of all castes and creeds and educating their children.
Two years ago, Maureen Cromar and Margaret Duncan visited the SVD Mission in Muvalia with a donation from St. Columba’s SVDP group. This enabled Fr. Adaikala, the priest in charge, to provide a roofed dining area for the children as well as mosquito netting for dormitory windows. It was nice to know that the donation really made the children’s lives a little more comfortable, especially during the monsoon season when heavy rain meant they had to eat their meals in cramped classrooms.
Photo - Roofed dining hall
After a hair-raising journey by jeep on deeply pot-holed roads, they travelled to the next state, Madhya Pradesh where they spent a night at a remote mission station called Tapa. This consists of a small school, hostel and church for the tribal children. After being given a royal welcome, they were escorted to a nearby village where conditions could only be described as medieval. People have to walk long distances to fetch water and they scratch a meagre living by working for farmers who pay them a pittance for their labours; life is very difficult.
Photo - Working to pick the rice we enjoy!
But again with typical cheerfulness, these poor people welcomed us and sat us down on their charpoys (string beds) and plied us with chai – the hot, sweet Indian tea which is boiled up with the milk on an open fire.
Photo - Tribal Mission at Tapa, Madhya Pradesh
Next stop was a mission which receives funding from the Scottish Charity, Mary’s Meals. A group of sisters rescue destitute children from the railway station before they fall into the hands of unscrupulous traffickers. These children jump on trains with no idea of where they are headed to escape terrible poverty or parental violence and are mostly illiterate; some can’t even tell the sisters where they came from. Without the funding provided by Mary’s Meals, the sisters could not afford to look after these children, as aid which previously came from the USA has been withdrawn throughout the whole of India and sent to Malawi instead. Many charitable institutions are desperately seeking to find alternative funding just to provide food for the poor.
Photo - The Railway Boys, Kandwa
It was time now to travel down to Southern India to the state of Andhra Pradesh where they spent a month with Fr. James Puppady who has a large parish church and seventeen village outstations to take care of. He spent some time working at Holy Family parish in Mastrick and has made several trips back to Aberdeen where he has many friends. A number of St. Columba’s parishioners sponsor the education of poor children. At a cost of £80.00 per year, this enables Fr. James to pay for their education and purchase uniforms and books. It was wonderful to meet these children who are so grateful and take back photographs for their sponsors in chilly Aberdeen.
Photo -The present village church.
Work has already started on a new church which is being sponsored by St. Columba’s Bridge of Don.
Photo - Fr. James and the new St. Columba’s
This is to be named St. Columba’s and the villagers are very excited and proud that they will have a smart new church, although I’m not sure they know who St. Columba is!
Photo - Proud parishioners of the new St. Columba’s
A donation from St. Columba’s Bridge of Don covered building costs so far and parishioners are now busy raising funds to enable Fr. James to complete the building. If anybody would like to make a donation or raise funds for this church, Fr. James would be delighted. It is possible to sponsor payment for a door, windows etc. and full details of costs are available. But any donation large of small would be gratefully accepted. Payments may be made directly into a special bank account – details as follows:-
Bank: - Clydesdale Bank, Ellon.
Sort code: - 82-63-10
Account number: - 00104458
Account name: - St.Columba's Church (India)
2010 GENERAL ELECTION
Scottish Catholics Bishop's Conference Election Message
Catholic Church in England & Wales Election Information
Christian Institute Briefing Paper
As Christian citizens, we should think carefully about how we should vote. The Christian Institute is a registered charity and cannot endorse any political party or candidate in the Election. It cannot tell you who to vote for. That is a matter for you. What they can do is provide you with factual information about the policies of the political parties and key background information on legislation and public policy. This is set out in this Election Briefing. 
HAITI EARTHQUAKE APPEAL
Here is the latest information we have from Haiti sent to us by Peter McMillan, the SCIAF Parish Officer.
Because of the many donations we have received, we were able to pledge an initial £100,000 to the church’s response, which is being co-ordinated in Haiti through Caritas Internationalis, the international network of Catholic aid agencies, of which SCIAF is a member. Caritas Haiti responded immediately the earthquake struck, and they have now been joined by Caritas USA and 11 international Caritas staff with specialist skills. They will co-ordinate the work of helping those who have survived the tragedy, which has killed so many and destroyed so much. By the end of this week there will be a team of around 24 Caritas staff in Port au Prince.
Their initial target is to help 50,000 survivors with water, sanitation, shelter and food. Parishes are helping provide basic services in camps for survivors. Food packages are being distributed and water storage containers, water purification tablets, hygiene kits, cooking utensils and plastic sheeting are being prepared in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Bishop Pierre Dumas, President of Caritas Haiti, sent this message yesterday (19th January):
“I believe that our charity and the way in which we live this crisis will help increase our humanity. It will help us be more generous, open and available to each other, because the symbolic ways of living together have been destroyed. All of the symbols which join us together: the cathedral, the president’s palace, ministries, the schools, religious communities and many more places are in ruins.”
Michelle Hough from Caritas International said: “Every night around 11.30pm, people who are sleeping in the street start to sing and pray. It’s one of the few signs of hope amid the shock and devastation. The streets of collapsed houses and rubble look like a post apocalyptic landscape.”
We have already received many donations from parishes and we know that more collections are planned for his weekend. We will have Gift Aid envelopes available tomorrow, which can be used for donations for Haiti. If you would like any, please call us on 0141 354 5555 with the quantities you need. Our volunteers will dispatch them first class.
With many thanks for all your support and generous donations, which are arriving every day.
Peter McMillan
SCIAF Parish Officer
Office 0141 354 5555
Direct 0141 354 5508
Mobile 07902841276
URGENT APPEAL FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE: Thousands of people have already lost their lives. Countless others are trapped under rubble or awaiting medical attention. Please donate now to help SCIAF reach the survivors. Click here to donate online or call us on 0141 354 5555.
SCIAF, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, is the official aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland, working in over 20 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America to support some of the world's poorest people.
FAMILY COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE (FCE)
During Advent of 2008 the parish began this experience where families and groups in the parish were invited to prepare for Christmas as we worked towards our parish goal of becoming a community of communities. Each week a theme was introduced at the Sunday Mass and, using a booklet, families and groups gathered around a table with a small crucifix, bible and candle to reflect and pray as a Small Christian Community on the appropriate theme for that week. These themes were from JP II's letter on the role of the Christian family/Small Christian Community:
Everyone in the parish was invited to say the FCE prayerdaily during advent either as a family/group or individually.
SISTER BRENDA BRENNAN
Maybe you have seen a new face around the parish?
My name is Brenda Brennan and I am a Franciscan Missionary of Mary – fmm. In the past some of my sisters worked in St.Columba's parish, and now I hope to do my little bit by working for a few days each week in both St. Peter's and St.Columba's. I have heard glowing reports from various people about how good the parishioners are, and I look forward to getting to know you and working with you for the building up of the kingdom.
A little bit about myself
I am a Glaswegian but speak English quite well! Like many Catholics from Glasgow I have Irish connections. I was educated in Glasgow and later when I was a sister I studied theology and pastoral subjects in Dublin.
I went to South Africa in 1972 and until 1999 did educational work in various capacities in parishes, dioceses, and nationally. I have always loved my work in formation, in training leaders, and in producing formation journals 
and pastoral material. My last five years in South Africa were spent teaching in the national seminary in Pretoria. Over the years I have been in educational work in the church I have built up a lot of resources which I will be happy to share with you if you so desire.
Returning to UK in 1999 I was sent to Coventry! During my seen years there I continued to be involved in educational work. Last year I came up to Ellon, and it is from that I will come to the parishes, generally on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.
I hope you like my vision
for a parish 
Perhaps one of the most positive pastoral experiences I have had over the years both in Africa and in UK is with the Small Christian Communities or house groups which I have seen transforming a parish into the sort of community that I am sure we all want. I believe this is the way forward for any parish that really wants to grow.
We are one body in Christ and the Church and Eucharist is the centre of our life together. However, to share our faith we need a smaller grouping, which results in the parish becoming a community made up of smaller communities (of course there is also room for members of the one body who choose not to be part of one of these smaller groups) In the outline below we see the centrality of the Eucharist, and the Small Christian communities in the parish reflecting together regularly on the gospels and then trying to respond to the message of the gospel in their everyday life.
To get to know the parish, and to visit you on behalf of Father Keith and the parish I am looking for parishioners to go round the homes with me on a Friday and Saturday. One week it will be St. Peter's and the next St.Columba's. We will have a meeting at 7.30 on Friday 12 September at St. Peter's to talk about this and decide how to organize ourselves. Please speak to me if you would like to help in the visiting and I would love to see you at the above meeting. Click here for my contact details.
FR. KEITH'S CONVERSION STORY - BO SANCHEZ INTERVIEW
On Saturday 21st June Bo Sanchez, the Preacher in Blue Jeans, visited Aberdeen and spoke at St. Peter's. Having never heard of him before I was interested to see what he be like. Well, he turned out to be a gift for us. What a speaker! A real encouragement to all of us who listened. After the talks were over Bo interviewed me for his daily podcast. I thought you might be interested in watching it.
GEMMA'S LOURDES JOURNAL
My Journey and My First Day by Gemma Hunt Sunday 23rd March I got up very early in the morning and went on a long bus journey to Prestwick Airport. It was good in the plane – I sat by the window. When I arrived at the hotel I found out that I was sharing a room with 2 other girls from my group – Group 118. It was wet the first day. I got badges to put on my hat. My Second Day Monday
It rained all day. I bought a groan tube at a shop. I drew a picture on Fr. John's stole.
Rachel, a 
carer, Hilary, a youth carer and me went on the stage waving flags during the HCPT concert. Then I went to a café and joined in the singing and dancing to Father Abraham Had 7 Sons.
My Third Day Tuesday - Rain
We had mass in the small Rotunda on the prairie. After lunch we went on a train and fired water
pistols at other groups. It was fun. Then we went to a café and had ice cream. Lots of other groups were there singing. At night I held a torch at the Torchlight Procession.
My Fourth Day Wednesday - Rain I went to the baths this morning but the queue was very long, so I went to the grotto instead.
I lost a lens from my glasses in the morning on the way to the grotto.
There was a fancy dress party in the evening, it was super. Everyone was dressed.
My Fifth Day Thursday - Rain Ged, my Group Leader, found my lens in the cereal bag – miracle! There was Trust Mass in the underground basilica – lots of singing, bubbles and face paints, in the afternoon we all had our photo taken. We looked around the basilica – lots of lovely wall pictures. I had ice cream in another café.
My Sixth Day Friday Today I got a bus to Bartres, the village where Bernadette lived. There were sheep in the fields. 
Hilary took a picture of me colouring in my journal. I walked up to Hosanna House where there 
was a lovely view of the Pyrenees Mountains that had snow on them. I put on my party top to go to the café – it was sunny all day.
My Seventh Day Saturday It was sunny today. We walked to where St. Bernadette lived and went into two churches. We got our faces painted. I had a green crocodile on my face. Then we bought a candle each to the grotto to remember all our families. We had a leaving ceremony for the Youth group and gifts from HCPT were handed out to everyone. My Eighth Day Sunday 30th March We went to a café for breakfast, and then got the bus to the airport where we had a picnic lunch. The plane journey was great fun. I wanted it to be bumpy.
Two members of St. Columba's RC Church Bridge of Don, Maureen Cromar and Margaret Duncan spent the month of February travelling to various mission stations in India. They write:-
The first two weeks of our trip were spent in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh where the work of the Church goes on despite opposition from certain anti-Christian factions. In particular, the Divine Word Missionaries (SVDs) undertake to educate the poor tribal children who otherwise would be destined to spend their lives as uneducated day labourers earning less than one pound per day. The SVDs provide hostels and schooling at various sites to help break this cycle of poverty and it was at one such place that we spent the first week. Money which parishioners had kindly donated will be put to good use in providing better facilities for these poor children. 
The joy of these children is infectious despite their lack of material things and it is humbling to see how a few coloured pencils are so gratefully received and how little it takes to make their faces light up. The SVDs continue to strive to improve conditions at the mission stations and a new school is currently under construction at Muvalia where we stayed.
In addition we visited several tribal villages where the villagers eke a meagre living from the poor, dry land. It is hoped that funds can be raised to drill a well which will enable the villagers to grow crops all year round and be less dependant on the vagaries of the rainy season. Despite their dire poverty, we were treated as honoured guests
and served with cups of hot sweet Indian tea, known as 'chai'.
In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, we were welcomed by Fr. James Puppady, a diocesan priest from Kerala who has devoted his life to working amongst the poorest villages. Fr. James has one large parish church and sixteen outstations where mass is conducted once a month. Some villages have managed to construct a tiny church whilst others have mass in what is little more than a shed with three sides and a leaky roof! 
As Fr. James has only one young assistant priest to help him, he relies on the work of faithful catechists who travel around these villages and we were pleased to be able to provide funds to purchase several new bicycles for them. In addition, a number of parishioners had kindly agreed to sponsor the education of a poor child for a year at a cost of £80.00 per child. These children are particularly bright children who without the help of Fr. James would otherwise be unable to complete their education.
It was heartening for us to see the simple faith of these poor people lived out in the struggles of their daily lives and we both felt that our faith had been enriched and strengthened. We were most impressed by the dedication of the priests and sisters who live out their lives in poverty alongside the poorest and most marginalised members of society. Indeed the words of Christ were demonstrated: "Whatsoever you do for the least of these my brothers, you do unto me" ( Mat 25:40).
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
Cardinal Keith O'Brien is using YouTube to warn of the dangers in the Government's "Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill". In this 5 minute film, which will be copied to DVD and sent to all UK MP's, the Cardinal reiterates his opposition to the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos and highlights recent opinion poll findings on the subject. Parish Resource Pack With the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently passing through the UK Parliament, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has sent out a resource pack to parishes to raise awareness about the Bill and to help Catholics pro-actively respond to it. The parish resource pack highlights Church teaching and looks at the ethical considerations of elements like hybrid embryos, stem cell research, the welfare of the child and the Bill's possible impact on abortion legislation.
Public meetings (pdf)
Click here for the cover letter – Archbishop of Cardiff (pdf)
Click here for a one-page parish briefing (pdf)
Click here for the Parish Resource Pack (pdf)
Click here for a flyer highlighting public meetings in 2008 (pdf)
Click here for weblinks to documents/references in the parish resource pack (pdf)
Read the Bill (as introduced and with amendments)
Majority of Peers oppose use of human embryos; Lord Alton calls for Hunt Test to be put into law View the Survey of Members of the House of LordsDecember 2007 (pdf) Write to your MP
To find out the name of your local MP on the parliament.uk website You can email your local MP through the writetothem.com website
In 2000 to mark the Millennium we hosted an ecumenical carol service, Carols by Candlelight, little realising that it would become an annual event. 
This year our singers were joined by 20 more from local Christian churches, and by young readers and instrumentalists, 
to put on a programme of readings and carols followed by mulled wine and mince pies.
As a result we helped raise £340 for Mary's Meals, to provide school dinners for children in developing countries.
