Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion with the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion in the body of Christ? As there is one bread, so we, though many, are one body for we all share in the one bread.”

St Paul is speaking here of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, and of the unity it both symbolises and brings about. His words are timely in the wake of the pandemic – a pandemic which affected all of us and some cruelly so, which even separated us from the celebration of the Mass and so from one another. We need to come together again and recover our “communion in the body of Christ”. Continue reading →

Bishop Hugh would like to extend an invitation to you to the Pluscarden pilgrimage which takes place on Sunday, 26^th June. Continue reading →

In 1994 St John Paul II celebrated the inaugural World Meeting of Families (WMOF) in Rome. Since then, such gatherings have become a regular feature in the life of the Church held in different cities. The purpose of the WMOF is to celebrate God’s plan for marriage and family life and to allow precipitants to join in prayer, catechesis and testimony. The climax of these celebrations has been a Mass with the Pope, the last one taking place in Dublin in 2018. Continue reading →

Welcome to our Easter issue of the Light of the North

Easter is of course the most important occasion in the year of the Church. Hopefully, you’ll find plenty in this issue of the Light of the North to help you celebrate this “life-saving” event, not least Bishop Hugh Gilbert’s letter (p3). Then, Sister Imelda Ann OP gives us an update on the synodal process which is taking place in the Diocese right now (p4) Continue reading →

Following the most recent announcement by the Scottish Government, all remaining Covid restrictions will be lifted in Places of Worship this Monday, 4th April. Continue reading →

A lovely way to explore the Easter story is by using Resurrection Eggs. Each egg contains a symbol of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, making for an interactive, flexible and fun way to talk about each part of the story, either as a family, couple or individual. They are simple to make (and cheap – use things from around your house!)
Continue reading →

SCIAF is a member of Caritas Internationalis, the global network of Catholic Relief agencies, which is leading a global response to the conflict.  Continue reading →

Across the Diocese of Aberdeen, each week during Lent there are special Masses held called “Station Masses” held across the deaneries.

Would you like to do something more than give up sugar this Lent? Why not try for an occasional mini-pilgrimage to a Lenten Station Mass? Continue reading →

World Day of Prayer is an ecumenical prayer movement bringing together millions of Christians from more than 100 countries to pray, worship and learn, together. Continue reading →

The obligation for Catholics to celebrate Sunday as a Holy Day by gathering together for Mass will be restored from the First Sunday in Lent, Sunday 6^th March.

Given the easing of restrictions in every other walk of life, the Church looks forward to welcoming Catholics back to Holy Mass. As always, the obligation does not apply to those who are sick and their carers or to those aware of their greater vulnerability to the virus. Continue reading →