St Mary's Catholic Church, Paisley

08/09/2026

08/09/2026

🙏 A Grateful Thank You

We offer our sincere thanks to the generous benefactor who recently donated £75 to parish funds.

Your kindness and support are greatly appreciated and will help us to continue the work and mission of our parish. May God bless you for your generosity.

08/09/2026

🙏 Thank You!

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who gave their time on Sunday to help clean the parish hall. Your hard work and generosity are greatly appreciated—the hall is looking fantastic!

We are very blessed to have such a willing and supportive parish community.

08/09/2026

⏰ Mass Time Change

Please note that Mass tomorrow will be celebrated at the earlier time of 9.00am.

07/09/2026

Today’s Gospel – Luke 6:6–11

Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. His condition affected not only his daily life but may also have made it difficult for him to participate fully in the prayer of his community. Jesus restores more than his hand—he restores his dignity, his place in the community and his life of prayer.

Today, we might ask: what has become “withered” in our own spiritual lives? Is tiredness, disappointment, guilt or resentment preventing us from reaching out to God?

Jesus says to each of us: “Stretch out your hand.” When we bring him the wounded and lifeless parts of ourselves, he can heal us and help us begin again.

01/09/2026

Saint Paul tells us today that “the Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God.”

That may sound rather mysterious, but it points to something very practical: we cannot come to know God simply by thinking harder. God is not a puzzle to be solved. God is a person to be encountered—and it is the Holy Spirit who opens our hearts to that encounter.

The Spirit often speaks very quietly: through a desire to help someone, a feeling of compassion, a growing sense that we need to forgive, or an uncomfortable awareness that something in our life needs to change. These movements may seem ordinary, but they can be the voice of God within us.

Of course, not every thought or feeling comes from God. That is why we need discernment. We can ask: Does this thought lead me towards greater faith, hope and love? Does it make me more compassionate, more generous and more free? Does it help me to become more like Jesus?

Saint Paul ends with an astonishing phrase: “We are those who have the mind of Christ.” To have the mind of Christ means learning to see as Jesus sees—to notice the person who is overlooked, to forgive the person who has hurt us, and to recognise God’s presence in places where others see only weakness or failure.

Today, let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us listen more deeply, so that little by little, the mind of Christ may become our mind, and the heart of Christ may become our heart. Amen.

29/08/2026

Bishop Keenan has announced a series of clergy moves and appointments today, Friday 28th August 2026.

Father Laurent Bahati, currently Administrator at Saint Aidan’s, Johnstone and Christ the King, Howwood has been stepped down from this role to resume the role of Curate in these parishes as well as in Saint Margaret’s, Johnstone.

Monsignor Gerard Gallagher, currently Parish Priest of Saint Patrick’s, Greenock will move to become Parish Priest of Saint Aidan’s, Johnstone, Saint Margaret’s, Johnstone, and Christ the King, Howwood.

Canon David Boyd, currently Parish Priest of Saint Bernadette’s, Erskine and Saint John Bosco’s, Erskine will move to become Parish Priest of Saint Patrick’s, Greenock.

Canon John Eagers, currently Parish Priest of Saint James’s, Renfrew and Saint Columba’s, Renfrew will move to become Parish Priest of Saint Bernadette’s, Erskine and Saint John Bosco’s, Erskine.

Father Paul Brady, currently Parish Priest of Saint Margaret’s, Johnstone, will move to become Parish Priest of Saint James’s, Renfrew and Saint Columba’s, Renfrew.

Canon Des Berry, currently Parish Priest of Saint Joseph and Saint Patrick’s, Wemyss Bay will retire.

Canon Michael McMahon, currently Parish Priest of Saint Conval’s, Linwood will move to become Parish Priest of Saint Joseph and Saint Patrick’s, Wemyss Bay.

Father Joe McGill, currently Curate at Saint John’s, Barrhead, will move to become Parish Priest of Saint Conval’s, Linwood. He has also been appointed Chaplain to St Benedict’s High School, Linwood.

Moreover, as well as the above clergy moves, Bishop Keenan has made the following appointments:

Father Jonathan Whitworth has been appointed Vicar Episcopal for Education.

Father John Morrison has been appointed Director of Diocesan Pilgrimages.

Canon Joe Balmer has been appointed Vicar Episcopal for Caritas.

Father Ryan Black has been appointed Chaplain to Trinity High School, Renfrew.

Father Paul Laverty has been appointed Chaplain to Saint Luke’s High School, Barrhead.

Father Thomas John has been appointed Spiritual Director to the Diocesan SSVP.

Canon Jim Duggan and Father Maurice Callaghan have been appointed as Canons de numero of the Cathedral Chapter.

These appointments will take effect on Friday 18th September 2026.

Please pray for all priests and parishes involved. Bishop Keenan has expressed his gratitude to all those involved in this set of moves and changes, for their willingness and desire to serve the Diocese of Paisley in these new roles. In a special way, he has expressed his gratitude to Canon Des Berry for a lifetime of service to the diocese and wishes him many happy years of well-deserved retirement. Finally, he has complimented Father Matthew Carlin on his readiness to serve as Vice-Rector of the Pontifical Scots College in Rome.