St. Patrick's, Greenock, Scotland
Parish Priest: Very Rev G.J.Gallagher
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
& RECONCILIATION
Tuesday evening,
6.30-7.30pm.
During Confessions we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, so this might also be an opportunity for quiet prayer as well as for Confession.
FINANCE
THANK YOU for last week’s Offertory Collection which came to £1,361.38.
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THIS WEEKEND: ANNUAL MISSION APPEAL on behalf of the Comboni Sisters (who are based in Holy Family). We are having a door collection for the sisters at both Masses today.
R.C.I.A. — THE RITES OF
CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS
This is the process by which adults are brought into membership of the church. It concludes with the celebration of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation & First Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil.
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If you are thinking of becoming a member of the Church, please let Fr. Gerry know before Christmas, so that we can begin the process immediately in the new year.
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The key dates for the celebration of RCIA are:
The Rite of Enrolment with Bishop John in the Cathedral in Paisley on the 1st. Sunday of Lent, 22nd. February 2026.
The Easter Vigil, on Saturday 11th. April 2026 when we celebrate the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion.
POPE LEO’S PRAYER INTENTIONS
December 2025
For Christians in areas of conflict
That Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope.
THE INNOCENTS
Pregnancy testing and counselling done in confidence, Mondays and Thursdays 7.00-9.00pm. Tel. 743809
CAROLS IN THE CATHEDRAL
in St. Mirin’s Cathedral, Paisley at 2:00pm. Bishop John invites us to come together as a diocesan community to praise in song the birth of Our Saviour.
PARISH STALL
A variety of Christmas cards and gifts, along with 2026 Calendars & Advent Calendars, are now available from the Parish Stall in the Hall after 11.00am Mass.
SSVP FOODBANK
The SSVP foodbank is open on Sunday, 12.00pm—12.30pm in the Parish Hall.
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Anyone requiring urgent assistance at any other time, please call our new mobile number: 07746009763
YOUNG PEOPLE Pilgrimage to Paris with Diocese of Paisley Youth in Autumn 2026. Opportunities for prayer, time for retreat, catechesis, sightseeing and much more.
Register your interest today at:
www.tinyurl.com/dpy-paris
For further information please contact:
kerry.miller@rcdop.org.uk
PARISH PRAYERS
We pray for all who are ill or housebound: in particular, we remember:
Joan Birt, Jim Docherty, Annabelle Melville, Tommy Gallacher, Margaret McGarry, Chris Jones, Sandi Bray, George Bennett, Michael Fitzharris, Gina Robb, Isobel Diorio, Anne Faller, Nan Scullion, Lexi Kerr (baby), Linda Scott, Maureen Hanvey, Emma Sinclair, Maureen Houston, Anne Kane, Jessica Glover, Caroline McNeil, Joanne King.​​
We pray for all who have died recently, R.I.P.
Kimberley Sweeney, Kathleen Di Murro, Agnes Kelly, Geralynne Brannigan, Ellen McGuire.
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We remember those whose anniversaries are at this time, R.I.P., especially:
Theresa Gallagher, James Coyle, Angus, Jean & Graham Lyons, Jean O’Rourke, Cathy Clark & Donald McColl, Samuel Loughrey.
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
GRIEF TO GRACE
A Healing Retreat for Victims of Abuse, 7th.–12th. February 2026 in Perth. Grief to Grace is a specialised 5-day programme of spiritual and psychological healing for anyone who has suffered from sexual, physical, or emotional abuse or neglect in childhood, adolescence or adulthood, including those abused by a religious/ member of the clergy. If you are interested in this confidential healing retreat, please contact: Grief to Grace (Scotland) at
margaret.clarke@grieftograceuk.org
HOLY YEAR 2025
ST. MIRIN’S CATHEDRAL
AND THE JUBILEE INDULGENCE
In case you can’t travel to Rome this year for the Holy Year, you can obtain the Jubilee Indulgence by making a visit to our Cathedral in Paisley, St. Mirin’s.
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To obtain the JUBILEE INDULGENCE at the Cathedral during this year, as “Pilgrims of Hope” we undertake a pilgrimage, especially for the celebration of Mass. We can also receive the indulgence by paying a visit to the Cathedral for a period of Eucharistic Adoration. The other conditions for receiving the Indulgence are
That we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation & Penance (in the days around the visit); receive Holy Communion; pray for the intentions of our Holy Father Pope Francis (usually the Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be to the Father).
The indulgence may be obtained once each day and may be applied for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
INVERCLYDE ROYAL HOSPITAL
We have a catholic chaplaincy team who are happy to visit patients in the hospital for non-emergency visits. Please let Fr. Gerry know that you or your relative would like a visit from a catholic chaplain.
QUESTIONS ABOUT ADMISSION TO HOLY COMMUNION
1. There still seems to be some confusion around about the question of divorce and admission to Holy Communion. If you are divorced but have not re-married and you are not “living with someone”, then you are not barred from participating at Mass or Holy Communion. Indeed, the conditions for you to receive Holy Communion are the same as for everyone else; you must be in a state of grace and you must fast for one hour before receiving Holy Communion. People were told in the past that if they got divorced, they were “excommunicated” - this “information” was not correct.
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If you have divorced and then remarried “outside the Church”, or if you are “living with someone”, then you are still very welcome to come to Mass but that may change your situation about admission to Holy Communion.
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2. If at one time you “married outside the church” and your situation has since changed, (e.g. if your spouse, sadly, has died, or if that marriage has ended) and you have not re-married “outside the church” or started “living with someone” then you can be re-admitted to Holy Communion. The conditions for you to receive Communion are the same as for everyone else; you must be in a state of grace and you must fast for one hour before receiving Holy Communion.
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3. If you are in any of these situations (or other marriage situations) and are not sure about how to proceed, please talk to one of our priests or deacons about it and they will be happy to help.
Protecting your Privacy
The privacy notice contained on our website is that of the Diocese of Paisley, St. Patrick’s is a Catholic parish of the Universal Church in the Diocese of Paisley, which is led by Bishop John Keenan, in communion with our Holy Father Pope Francis, in Greenock.
We want you to know that Diocese of Paisley respects the information we hold on you and that we take the security of your information very seriously.
New data protection rules, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), come into effect on May 2018. These regulation will give people greater control over how companies and organisations use their personal information.
We have updated our Privacy Notice in line with GDPR, which sets out information on how we hold and handle your data. It includes:
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what kind of information we collect
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how we use it
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when we may need to share it
Many thanks for your understanding. You can read our full Privacy Notice at by clicking here or a hard copy can be requested from the Parish.