The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

"On the feast of Corpus Christi", by St Thomas Aquinas
O precious and wonderful banquet!

Since it was the will of God’s only-begotten Son that men should share in his divinity, he assumed our nature in order that by becoming man he might make men gods. Moreover, when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered his body to God the Father on the altar of the cross as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed his blood for our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us for ever, he left his body as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine.
O precious and wonderful banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is set before us as our food. What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.
It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion. It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all his miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.

With sadness, we advise that Fr Tommy Toal died at home in Coatbridge in the early hours of this morning, following a long illness.

Fr Tommy was originally from Coatbridge however was ordained and served in Uruguay. After retiring he returned to live in Coatbridge and provided supply for parishes across the Diocese for many years. He was also very devoted to the Legion of Mary.

May he rest in the peace of the Lord.

Our Lady, Queen of Priests Pray for him

Amid the escalation of war in the Holy Land and the suffering and fear it is causing, Father John Luke Gregory, Franciscan Father of the Custody of ...

📸TOGETHER FOR SANCTUARY

⛪ Last night many gathered at The Immaculate Conception Church in Maryhill for Together for Sanctuary, a moving ecumenical worship service as part of Refugee Festival Scotland.

Organised by (SFAR) and co-hosted by Justice & Peace Scotland, the evening brought together people from many Christian traditions and cultures to stand in solidarity with those who seek sanctuary.

🙏 The evening began with an ecumenical prayer and worship service during which we prayed for peace and intentions for countries close to the hearts of those present: Afghanistan, Ukraine, Congo, El Salvador, Palestine, Nigeria, Sudan, Israel, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, America, Scotland and many more.

🕊️Through prayer, music, reflection and powerful testimonies from people with lived experience of displacement, we were reminded of our shared call to welcome the stranger and build communities of justice, compassion and hope.

💬 Two parishioners from Immaculate Conception, Ruth and Rita, courageously shared their own stories of their journeys to finding sanctuary, security and welcome here in Scotland. Fr Andriy Chornenko of the Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Glasgow offered a powerful reflection after the Gospel of the Good Samaritan reminding us of Jesus’ call to “go and do likewise” for the stranger in our midst.

🍲 After the service we shared food prepared by community members and shared dishes from places such as El Salvador and the Philippines, celebrating the richness and diversity of the Church as one family in Christ.

Thank you to everyone who contributed, participated, and joined us in this beautiful expression of faith, hospitality and solidarity and for coming together to "go and do likewise".