St John the Baptist & St Kentigern RC Parish, Edinburgh

11/02/2026

You all are most welcome to join our Lenten Parish Retreat

06/02/2026

https://ssjohnbandkentigern.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Newsletter-07.02.26.pdf

16/12/2025

Our Christmas Mass times are as below:

St John the Baptist: 5.30pm Carols
6.00pm Mass
11.30 am Mass (25th)

St Kentigern: 8.00pm Carols
8.30pm Mass
9.30am Mass (25th)

Thanks and kind regards,
Fr. Binu

24/10/2025

MASS FOR THE DEAD: This year All Souls’ Day falls on Monday the 3rd of November: We Will have Exposition and Office of the Dead at 6.30 pm followed by Mass at 7.00pm at St John The Baptist. You all are welcome to come to pray for the repose of the souls of your loved ones.

24/10/2025

St Vincent de Paul: Mass for the Sick
St. John the Baptist and St. Kentigern’s
The next Mass for the Sick is being held at St John the Baptist on Saturday 25 October at 11am. All are invited and there will be Anointing of the Sick. There will also be refreshments afterwards, as usual. If any help is needed to get to church, please contact a St Vincent de Paul member at St John’s or St Kentigern’s.

03/10/2025

Let us Pray together for Peace!

01/10/2025

10/08/2025

August 15th - The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Holy Day of Obligation - There will be an additional Mass at St Kentigern at 6.00pm (9.30 am at St John)

Please spread the news!

28/06/2025

My dear People of God, today, we celebrate two of the greatest pillars of the Church—Saint Peter and Saint Paul—two men whose lives were completely transformed by Jesus Christ, and through whom the Church took root, grew, and reached the ends of the earth. On the surface, Peter and Paul could not have been more different. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee—impulsive, loyal, sometimes fearful. Paul was a scholar—a Pharisee with Roman citizenship—zealous, articulate, at times fierce. But it was not their backgrounds that made them great. It was their encounter with Jesus, their radical openness to grace, and their willingness to live and die for the Gospel.
Peter encountered Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and even though he stumbled—denying Jesus three times—he was forgiven, restored, and entrusted with the keys of the Kingdom. Jesus made him the Rock upon which He built His Church. Paul encountered Christ in a blinding moment on the road to Damascus. From a persecutor of Christians, he became the greatest missionary the Church has ever known, bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles, founding communities of believers, and writing letters that continue to shape our faith today.
Together, Peter and Paul show us the power of God to transform human weakness into strength, and to build His Church not on perfection, but on mercy, love, and zeal for the Kingdom. As a parish community, their feast invites us to reflect: How is Jesus calling me, as He called Peter and Paul? What gifts or experiences do I bring to this community—and how might the Lord want to use them? Am I willing, like Peter, to repent when I fall, and begin again in love? Am I willing, like Paul, to go beyond my comfort zone for the sake of Christ?
Peter and Paul were not heroes because they were flawless. They were saints because they said yes—again and again—to the call of Christ. Their lives challenge us not to settle for comfort or complacency, but to be bold witnesses of the Gospel, right here in our parish, our families, our workplaces, and our world.
Today, let us thank God for Peter and Paul. Let us ask their intercession for our parish—that we may be built on the same rock of faith, courage, and love. And may our community, like theirs, become a beacon of hope and truth in a world that longs to see the face of Christ.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us!
Fr. Binu Palakapally IC

08/06/2025

My dear People of God, today we celebrate Pentecost, the great feast of the Holy Spirit—the birthday of the Church! On this day, the frightened disciples were transformed into bold apostles. The locked doors of the Upper Room burst open, not by force, but by fire—the fire of the Spirit. And from that moment, history changed forever. But Pentecost is not a moment trapped in the past. The same Holy Spirit who descended on the Apostles is alive and active in the Church today. The question is: Are we open to receive Him again, with expectant hearts and willing hands?
A Church on Fire: The early Church had no wealth, no buildings, no social influence. Yet it turned the world upside down—why? Because it had the fire of the Holy Spirit. That same fire is meant to burn in us. Pentecost invites us to rekindle that flame—not just as individuals alone, but as a parish, as a collective living body of Christ.
Have we grown too comfortable in our routines? Too quiet in our witness? Too hesitant in our mission?
Today, we are called to rise again—to pray with deeper faith, to serve with greater love, and to speak with new boldness. The Church needs a new Pentecost, and it starts with us.
Let the Wind Blow Again: The Spirit came as a rushing wind. Wind is invisible, but its power is undeniable. You cannot contain it—you must move with it. So too, the Holy Spirit is calling us to move out of our comfort zones and into the world that hungers for meaning, healing, and truth.
This Pentecost, let us ask:
• What gifts of the Spirit lie dormant in me?
• Where is the Spirit calling me to serve?
• What fear must I surrender so that God’s fire may burn more brightly in me?
A Parish Reawakened: Imagine our parish as a place of revival—a community where the Spirit is alive in our worship, in our ministries, in our families, and in our outreach. A place where the sacraments are not just received but lived fully! Where every Mass is a sending forth. Where young and old alike know they are loved, gifted, and called. Where we touch one another’s lives with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit!
This is not a dream—it is our mission. And the Holy Spirit is ready. Are we?
Fr. Binu Palakapally IC

21/05/2025

6th Week of Easter 24/25 May to 31st May

18/05/2025

My Dear People of God, On this Fifth Sunday of Easter, as the Church celebrates the Gospel message of love at the heart of Jesus’ farewell discourse, the universal Church also witnesses the historic formal inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, a moment charged with significance and hope.
“Love One Another As I Have Loved You”. In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers His disciples what He calls a “new commandment”: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34) This commandment isn’t simply about kindness or civility—it is rooted in sacrificial love, a love that gives itself fully for the other. It is a love revealed most powerfully in the cross, and one Jesus invites His followers to imitate. As Pope Leo XIV begins his pontificate, this command becomes not just the heart of Christian discipleship, but also a guide for the Church’s mission under his leadership. His commitment to dialogue, humility, and global peace mirrors this Gospel call to self-giving love.
A Sign to the World: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) This Gospel verse carries a profound message in the context of a new papacy. The Church’s witness is most credible not when it exercises power, but when it lives love—a love that is inclusive, forgiving, and just. Pope Leo XIV’s emphasis on servant leadership, listening, and outreach to the marginalized echoes this identity of the Church as a community marked by love. In the early days of his papacy, Pope Leo XIV has already shown gestures of outreach, such as addressing Jewish communities with openness and pledging a focus on peace and synodality. These are not political gestures—they are Gospel gestures. They are expressions of the love that Christ commands.
Love That Shapes the Church’s Future: This Sunday, the Church does more than look back to the upper room; it looks forward. The commandment to love challenges each of us to be active participants in shaping a Church that resembles Christ: inclusive, compassionate, and courageous. Pope Leo XIV’s election is historic, but more importantly, it is evangelical—a call for renewal, unity, and bold witness. As we continue to walk through the Easter season, and now under the guidance of a new shepherd, may this commandment become our personal and collective mission as a parish – rooted and grounded in Christ – to love as Christ has loved us!
Fr. Binu Palakapally IC