The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome.

How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were is borne out by the conditions Saint Boniface found on his first missionary journey in 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since they were in many instances uneducated, lax and questionably obedient to their bishops. In particular instances their very ordinations were questionable.

These are the conditions that Saint Boniface was to report in 722 on his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful.

In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of papal control.

During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation.

In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Saint Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.

Football is a universal pursuit that brings joy and happiness to millions of people throughout the world. In many ways, it mirrors the joy and happiness that the universal Church brings to people across the continents through our beloved faith and that's something to celebrate!

What holds a life together?

In tonight’s video, Bishop Hugh Gilbert reflects on the meaning behind his episcopal motto: “In him all things hold together.”

Taken from St Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, Bishop Hugh shares how these words have shaped his understanding of faith, reminding us that amid the complexity of life, it is Christ who brings unity, purpose and meaning.

Reflecting on our relationships, activities and responsibilities, Bishop Hugh explains why Christ remains the centre around which everything finds its proper place.

Watch now as Bishop Hugh shares the inspiration behind his motto.

Saint Charles Lwanga was one of the 22 Ugandan Martyrs who gave their lives for Christ in the late nineteenth century. He embraced the Catholic faith and was baptised in November 1885, less than a year before his martyrdom. He became a courageous witness to the Gospel and a moral leader among the young pages of the royal court.

As chief of the royal pages, Charles was respected for his strength, leadership, and character. He instructed many of his companions in the Catholic faith and even baptised some of the younger boys himself. During a time of growing persecution under the ruler Mwanga, Charles encouraged his fellow pages to remain faithful to Christ and to live lives of purity and courage.

Mwanga, influenced by fear and superstition, began to see Christianity as a threat to his power. Christians refused to take part in immoral acts, violence, and pagan worship, which caused suspicion within the royal court. Charles and his companions were eventually imprisoned for refusing the king’s demands and for remaining steadfast in their faith.

Condemned to death, Charles faced martyrdom with remarkable peace. On 3 June 1886, at Namugongo, he was burned alive for refusing to renounce his faith. Even in the face of death, he remained calm and prayerful, offering his life for Christ.

When Pope Paul VI canonised Charles Lwanga and his companions in 1964, the Church recognised their extraordinary witness of faith, purity, and courage. Today, Saint Charles Lwanga is honoured as the patron saint of African youth and Catholic Action throughout much of Africa.

Gospel
Mark 12:18-27
‘He is not God of the dead, but of the living.’

At that time: Sadducees came to Jesus, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.’
Jesus said to them, ‘Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.’