Our School Prayer
O, St. Andrew, hear us pray.
Sail over the sea to give us faith.
Let us have hope
Let us help one another
O, St. Andrew, hear us pray.
Let us share our kindness
Let us share your miracles
O, let us respect our classmates and teachers
O, St. Andrew hear our prayer,
O, St. Andrew, hear us today.
Amen
By Chloe, P6, 2022
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Parish Information
Our Parish is St Matthew’s Parish (Rosewell, Bonnyrigg and Gorebridge)
Father Olufemi Michael Akintolu is our Parish Administrator (St. Matthew’s RC Church, 36 Carnethie Street, Rosewell, EH24 9AT, 0131 440 2150).
Weekend Mass Times are as follows:
Saturday Vigil Mass: 6pm, St. Matthew’s Church, Rosewell
Sunday: 9:30am, St. Margaret’s Church, Gorebridge (this Mass has weekly Children’s Liturgy, as well as a weekly coffee bar after Mass, in the church hall).
Sunday 11:30am: Our Lady of Consolation, Bonnyrigg
Sunday 2:30pm: Nazareth House, Bonnyrigg
For more info re weekday Masses/Confession please click the link below to find this information on the Parish Website. You can also see info on Parish News and Events on their Facebook page.
https://m.facebook.com/stmatthewsparishrosewell/
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Sacramental Information 2024/25
We will soon begin our Sacramental Preparation in school. Mrs Green, Mrs Emsley and Mrs Briggs prepare the children for their Sacraments. Please keep an eye on our website, Twitter/X feed and newsletters for all information regarding Sacramental Preparation and key dates for parents/carers.
Reconciliation – This year 6 of our P3 children we be enrolled for their Sacraments. Children will be enrolled on either Saturday 26th October 2024 (6pm, St. Matthew’s RC Church, Roswell), Sunday 27th October 2024 (9:30am, St. Margaret’s RC Church, Gorebridge) or Sunday 27th October 2024 (11:30am, Our Lady of Consolation RC Church, Bonnyrigg). They will make their Sacrament of Reconciliation on Sunday 15th December 2024 in St. Matthew’s RC Church, Rosewell at 5pm. A information evening for all parents/carers of children who are to make their Sacrament of Reconciliation will take place on Tuesday 29th October 2024, 7pm, Our Lady of Consolation RC Church Hall, Bonnyrigg. If you are unable to attend this meeting then you should meet with Father Michael to discuss your child’s readiness to make their Sacrament. Please keep the Sacramental children in your prayers as they continue through their faith journey.
First Holy Communion – This year 8 of our P4 pupils will make their Sacrament of First Holy Communion. The Sacrament of First Holy Communion will take place on Saturday 10th May2025 (6pm, St. Matthew’s RC Church, Roswell), Sunday 11th May 2025 (9:30am, St. Margaret’s RC Church, Gorebridge) or Sunday 11th May 2025 (11:30am, Our Lady of Consolation RC Church, Bonnyrigg). A information evening for all parents/carers of children who are to make their Sacrament of First Holy Communion will take place on Tuesday 25th March 2025, 7pm, Our Lady of Consolation RC Church Hall, Bonnyrigg. Please keep the Sacramental children in your prayers as they continue through their faith journey
Confirmation – This year 8 of our P7 pupils will make their Sacrament of Confirmation with Archbishop Leo Cushley. The Sacrament of Confirmation will take place on Tuesday 10th June 2024, 7pm, in St. Matthew’s RC Church, Rosewell. Dates for Parental Meetings have still to be confirmed and will be sent out soon. Please keep the Sacramental children in your prayers as they continue through their faith journey
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LAUDATO SI’ SCHOOL
We will be continuing our promise of being stewards of God’s creation and working towards becoming a Laudato Si’ School. Our goals for this year are: Community Involvement & Ecological Spirituality. Please keep an eye on our website and Twitter/X feed to see what we get up to.
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POPE FRANCIS FAITH AWARD
This year the opportunity to participate in the Pope Francis Faith Award will be available to all our P6 pupils. The Pope Francis Faith Award is designed to help children to show ‘signs of love’ in their daily lives and to be active members of their local church. The Faith Award invites young people to use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and to see how they can bear fruit in their homes, schools and parishes.
This year we have four pupils in our P6 cohort who have signed up to the Pope Francis Faith Award. Please keep an eye on our Twitter/X feed to keep up with their journey.
We are also pleased to share that Mrs Quigley, a parishioner from St. Margaret’s RC Church, Gorebridge, will be coming into P6 on a monthly basis to help support and guide the children through their PFFA. We are very grateful for her wisdom, passion and continued support.
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FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION & BENEDICTION
As part of the parish’s efforts to help us achieve more spirituality, the parish will be having Adoration & Benediction in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus every first Friday of the month at 7pm. This will be in rotation in all of their three churches (Bonnyrigg in November, Gorebridge in November, Rosewell in December and so on ). Please note there is no First Friday Adoration & Benediction in October.
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PASTORAL CARE AT NAZARETH HOUSE, BONNYRIGG
Arrangements have been made to continue with Pastoral care to Nazareth House, as before. Therefore, there will be afternoon Mass every Sunday at 2:30pm, a vigil Mass the day before every Holy Day of Obligation at 6:15pm, and Mass at 11am on every First Friday of the month. These and other spiritual programs at the House will be published in the parish bulletin. All welcome.
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PARISH SOCIAL GROUP
The next Social Group meeting will take place soon. All welcome!
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PARISH AGM
Thank you to all those who came along to the Parish AGM on Sunday 22nd September. It was a fruitful meeting with lots of conversations and ideas to discuss and take forward. A report from the AGM will be shared at all weekend Masses on 5th and 6th October 2024.
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RCIA
The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is the pathway for adults who wish to come into full Communion with the Catholic Church. The programme runs once a week from Oct until just after Easter and covers the main tenets and practises of the faith. Candidates are then received into the Church at the Easter Vigil. If you or someone you know would be interested in completing the RCIA, or if you would like to be part of the team supporting the candidates on their journey, please contact Father Michael or Linda Gordon for further information.
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ALPHA GROUP
An Alpha Course will start on Saturday 7th September at 2pm-3:30pm (once a week for 11 weeks) in St. Margaret’s RC Church Hall, Gorebridge. Alpha is open to all and encourages discussion on life and faith. They share some food, watch a film and have a chat. CHECK IT OUT – if you decide it’s not for you, there is no obligation to stay. It’s FREE. You can find out more on: https://alpha.org.uk or have a chat with one of the Parish Alpha Team (Pat McGeever, Linda Gordon, Mairead Gilhuly and Marie-Alice Quigley).
PILGRIMAGE OF HOPE: PREPARING FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR 2025
Pope Francis declared 2025 a Year of Jubilee. Come along to an Archdiocese event to explore what a Jubilee Year is in the context of the year’s theme: ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. The event will be on Saturday 9th November, 10:30am-3:15pm at the Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh EH9 1BB. There will be inspiring talks on preparing spiritually. To register, please visit: https://bit.ly/PrepareJubilee2025
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Sunday Gospel and Reflection
Sunday 29th September 2024 – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
This is the Gospel according to Mark.
At that time, John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”
Reflection
Today, Jesus is teaching us about what is of most importance in our lives. He says it is inheriting the Kingdom of God. Everything that Jesus teaches us is usually intended to have one outcome; that on the last day we shall inherit the Kingdom of God, where, with the Communion of Angels and Saints, we will be praising God forever. Jesus is insisting that we should not let any other thing in this world distract us from having the Everlasting Life. In our verse today, Jesus says that if it is the things we hold dear in our hearts that will make us lose the Kingdom of God, then let them go! If it is our parents, keep off them! If it is money or material wealth, throw it away or give to the poor! If it is a job, quit! If it is a business, close it! For it is better to be poor than live the rest of your after-life burning and gnashing your teeth in the fiery Gehenna. When Jesus talks about gouging out our eyes and cutting off our hands, He doesn’t literally mean that but means shedding off someone or something that may lead you into sin. You can shed off bad habits. They are fun and feel good when doing them but they ultimately lead us into sin. Let us today resolve to identify those things that lead us into sin and shed them off, although mostly, we feel we cannot do without them. Jesus says they are not at all important. What is most important is making sure we inherit the Kingdom of God.
Gospel and reflection taken from: sacredspace.ie and https://catholicreadings.org/
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Our Parish Mission Prayer
Holy Spirit be our guide as we journey towards our Father’s house.
Help us to work together so that our time of mission may enrich our parish of Our Lady’s, St. Matthew’s and St. Margaret’s.
With our friends and neighbours in other churches, help us to bear witness in our community to the love of Jesus Christ so that all people will be drawn to him.
Amen