Join us to pray the Rosary next Monday 9 December 2024 at 7:45pm. Register: bit.ly/adventrosary. Event organised by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland's Marriage, Family & Life Office, supported by the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh

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Join Fr Jamie LIVE each next week on Zoom as he looks ahead to each Sunday in Advent. Register at bit.ly/lectionaryadvent

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The  Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem preached at Mass in St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, on Sunday.

Guests included First Minister John Swinney; Rev Dr Shaw James Paterson (Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Dr John Armes (Bishop of Edinburgh, Scottish Episcopal Church) and the Rt Rev Kevin Pearson, former Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway (Scottish Episcopalian Church).

The Mass was streamed on YouTube and you can hear what the Cardinal had to say from 28mins 45secs.

He has spoken out regularly about the violence of the current conflict, and recently called it "the worst" period of violence he has seen in the area for 35 years.

Cardinal Pizzaballa's visit has been organised by the Scottish Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and Archbishop Cushley, who is Grand Prior of the Order for Scotland.

The following day he spoke to clergy and religious at The Gillis Centre in Edinburgh,

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The proposed Bill, which applies only to England and Wales, passed its Second Reading at Westminster by a majority of 330 to 275.

A majority of Scottish MPs voted against the Bill with 29 voting against, 17 for and 11 not voting or abstaining.

Paul Atkin, of the Archdiocesan pro-life office,  said: “Holyrood should not take this vote as support for the Assisted Dying Bill in Scotland - quite the opposite.

"Scottish MPs were intensively lobbied by their constituents and gave the issue deep consideration.

"A majority have been persuaded that assisted suicide is not right for our NHS.”

Bishop John Keenan has reacted to the UK Parliament's decision to pass Kim Leadbeater's assisted suicide Bill at second reading.

He said: "This is a sad day for the sick, the vulnerable and the disabled in society.

"Today’s vote strikes a blow against the foundational principle of medicine  'do no harm'.

"Since parliamentarians have voted to create a category of people that the state will help to commit suicide, doctors will now be invited to help their patients to kill themselves.

"As we have seen across the world, once enacted these laws are rapidly and dangerously expanded."

The bill passed its second reading with a vote of 330 to 275.

How they voted

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Joe works for Catholic maritime charity Stella Maris (formerly known as Apostleship of the Sea) as their Senior Area Port Chaplain for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Christmas is a boom time for supermarkets and shops. However, the tills would not be ringing as much were it not for the men, and occasionally, women, who spend the best part of a year away from their families back home.

People are often unaware that about 90 per cent of goods that arrive in the UK do so by sea. That’s everything from cars to computers and from fruit to clothes.

Recognition

Joe said: “The nature of seafarers working at sea is rarely recognised.

"This is due to most people not having access to port operations and not really understanding how much their daily life depends on seafarers keeping global supply chains moving.”

“I would suggest that only during the pandemic were seafarers acknowledged as key workers.”

Many seafarers come from the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, or India and they find it hard not being with their loved ones at Christmas.

It is not uncommon to hear from a seafarer that he has not spent a Christmas at home for many years.

Our gifts will add sparkle...One ship’s master told me that we seem to be the only ones who care.

This is why Stella Maris Port Chaplains and volunteer ship visitors try to make Christmas in port as special as possible for seafarers arriving here.

Joe explains that often seafarers would like to attend a church service while anchored in port over Christmas, but this is not always possible.

“Although there are no daily operations in port on Christmas Day, the crew still have watch duties and carry out maintenance work on board. Obviously, these can coincide with times of services.”

Celebrating Christmas

Seafarers find different ways to celebrate Christmas, explains Charles Stuart, the Stella Maris Regional Port Chaplain covering Southampton, Portsmouth and other ports on the south coast.

“I've seen Christmas trees made out of plastic water bottles.

The cook will prepare a special meal and the shipping company may give an extra allowance for this. People of all faiths will come together to celebrate a feast day.  Some who have time and can afford it will buy festive food and wine from the supermarket when in port.

“I wish you could see the smiles on seafarers’ faces as I arrive on board with a sack full of presents. Sometimes I even dress up as Father Christmas and bring a volunteer as my elf!

"Seafarers might be strong, hardy people, but their eyes shine as we hand out gifts. For many, it’s their only Christmas present.

“Our gifts will add sparkle to the table and offer a link to the world from which they are so often isolated, and they will remember us for this.

"One ship’s master told me that we seem to be the only ones who care. I also heard from a master of a tanker who told me his company offered only a small chocolate bar for each member of the crew. He said he had them in his cabin, but he was too embarrassed to give them out because he felt this reward was too paltry.”

In the coming weeks, hundreds of vessels will stop in UK ports. Stella Maris chaplains around the UK will go on board to share Christmas joy with seafarers and provide gifts to them.

To find out more about Stella Maris' work, or to make a donation to its Christmas Appeal for seafarers, go to stellamaris.org.uk

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In this video Fr Jamie McMorrin guides us through the Sunday readings to help prepare for Mass and to better understand the new translation.

Join Fr Jamie LIVE each next week on Zoom as he looks ahead to each Sunday in Advent. Register at bit.ly/lectionaryadvent

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The documentary gathers together experts from the medical and palliative care professions, alongside prominent politicians, ethics experts and religious leaders, to construct a unified voice of unease. Watch it below or on YouTube.

It challenges the robustness of tabled safeguards in the UK legislation, by citing the experience of other jurisdictions which quickly eased access and expanded eligibility.

Please raise your voice to protect the vulnerable. Contact your MP today and urge them to vote against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill when it comes before the UK Parliament on 29 November.

Contact your MP using the Write to Them website.

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As a Catholic priest he was a man of faith. Eight weeks before his death on 4th November 2024 he had a meeting with a hospital consultant who diagnosed a malignancy in the bone marrow and who told him he most likely had weeks or maybe months to live.

Reflecting on this shortly afterwards with friends, Fr Gordon said:  “I’m 86 years old and I’m a man of Faith.”

Over those last eight weeks, his faith, fortitude and resilience was apparent to those who visited him at his flat at St Peter’s in Morningside, Edinburgh.

That included Canon Pat Boylan and fellow clergy in the days leading up to his death. “He told us ‘I’m sorry I can’t join you for the meal tonight, but maybe next time’. He actually apologised to us, despite being so ill. That’s typical Gordon – so courteous.”

Early Years

Fr Gordon was born in Edinburgh on 27th August 1938. His early life was spent in Bonnyrigg with brother Douglas, and parents Janet, a teacher, and dad Thomas, an engineer.

He attended the local  primary school going on to high school in Lasswade and later graduated from the University of Edinburgh. Bonnyrigg always had a special place in Fr Gordon’s heart, it was very much home.

Douglas pre-deceased Fr Gordon by six years. Family was always important to him and he maintained regular contact with Douglas’s widow Jo, his nieces and their families based in Nottingham.

There were many trips north and south of the border and the family were particularly attentive to Fr Gordon in his final months.

A convert to Catholicism, he was baptised on 15 June 1960. Prior to joining the priesthood, he worked as a primary teacher at St David’s in Dalkeith.

Former pupil Kathleen King said: “I was in his primary 7 class circa 1961. He was a lovely, quiet and gentle person.”

Seminary

In 1963 he applied and was accepted to the seminary at St Andrew’s College, at Drygrange in the Scottish Borders.

A priest and fellow seminarian remembers Fr Gordon being a model student and being late only once in six years for Morning Prayer. But when being jokingly challenged about it by the Rector, Fr Gordon, in the same spirit, turned the tables  questioning why the others started without him!

He was passionate about music and when he later became the rector at Drygrange he would drive fellow seminarians to Scottish National Orchestra Concerts at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

On one occasion he even helped a young seminarian get the autograph of the famous composer André Previn who was conducting a performance.

Priesthood

Fr Gordon was ordained to the priesthood at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh on 1 March 1969.

An intelligent man, he went on to further studies at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland. He later returned to St Andrew’s College as a member of staff, teaching philosophy.

He served in that role for seven years before succeeding Monsignor John Barry as college rector in 1977.

As a young priest he enjoyed summer visits to the Diocese of Youngston, Ohio, where he undertook parish work. In 1984 he was appointed to his first parish, St Patrick’s in Edinburgh (1984-85).

He then served at St Luke & St Anne’s, Newbattle (1985-88); St Mary's, Bathgate (1988-89); St Joseph's, Burntisland (1989-93); and both St Ninian's, Bowhill, and St Patrick's, Lochgelly (1994-96).

He returned to the Diocese of Youngston in 1993-94 for a sabbatical and returned to serve in St Martin's, Tranent (1996).

On one occasion while serving at Newbattle his car was broken into and he told a priest friend that he suspected children were responsible. When asked why he thought that he replied humorously: “Look at the size of the footprints on the seat - and they’ve eaten all the sweeties.”

Retirement

Fr Gordon retired from parish ministry in 1996 but continued to serve as a supply priest, travelling to celebrate Mass, often at short notice, at parishes across the Archdiocese and providing holiday cover for grateful clergy.

Since 1997, Fr Gordon was a friend of L’Arche, a charity with Catholic roots that supports people with learning disabilities.

Canon Boylan said: “I spoke to a woman from L’Arche. She said he had a great way with people who had disabilities and said it was amazing how well he got on with them.”

He stayed at St Peter’s in Morningside for over 20 years and was a much-loved and welcome presence with parishioners and the various parish priests.

Into his eighties he continued to celebrate Mass up until two years before his death. When he couldn’t celebrate Mass he would sit with the congregation and afterwards enjoy a cup of tea and a chat.

Canon Ryszard Holuka, who taught part-time at St Andrew’s College with Fr Brown, described him as a “a clever, canny man…a gentleman who was academic, even-tempered, and always courteous.”

Fr Gordon was a good friend to many who appreciated his easy-going and calm manner, his listening skills, thoughtfulness, humility and loyalty.

He had a wide circle of friends who were drawn to his unassuming and non-judgemental attitude and his willingness to support them in difficulty.

Fr Gordon had suffered a fall while out shopping in April 2024 and his health had steadily declined. He bore it very well and there was no self-pity.

He appreciated the goodwill and generosity from Canon Kenneth Owens and parishioners at St Peter’s.

He spent the last week of his life at the Western General Hospital and received the Eucharist with the rite of Viaticum from Archbishop Cushley on Sunday 3rd November before dying peacefully the following day.

His family said: “We would like to say how much we love him and how proud we are of him.

"He was a person of deep faith and intellectual Christian commitment who was respected across a range of religious, and other communities; he had an inspirational level of moral integrity and a spirit of stoic acceptance.

"We miss you so much Gordon and will always treasure the many happy memories we have of you.”

May he rest in peace.

The Requiem Mass is celebrated at St Peter’s on Friday22 November 2024 and the committal is at Mortonhall Crematorium.

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He said: "Catholic Education is something close to our hearts and an an important part of how we pass on the faith.

"Catholic Education Week reminds us how important Catholic schools are to us and to our vision of the human person so you can learn to be faithful, rounded and complete human beings as well as faithful disciples of Jesus of Nazareth."

▪ The annual collection for the work of the Scottish Catholic Education Service is scheduled in parishes for this Sunday.

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