R.C. DIOCESE OF MOTHERWELL

/ministries

11th May 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wish you the continued joy of the resurrected Lord during this special Eastertide.

Over the weekend I have been in Rome and, although I have not been to St Peter’s, I sense the Eternal City’s happiness on the election of Pope Leo XIV. With the whole Church, we in the Diocese of Motherwell thank God for the gift of Our New Holy Father, while expressing gratitude for the Papacy of the recently deceased Pope Francis I. I will celebrate a Diocesan Mass for Pope Leo on Monday 26th May in Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral, Motherwell, at 7pm and invite everyone to attend. The Catholic Faithful of Motherwell Diocese have always had a great affection for, and loyalty to, each successor of St Peter, and I trust you will wish to express this in regard to Pope Leo as we seek God’s blessing on his ministry as Bishop of Rome and Universal Pontiff of the Catholic Church.

I have come to Rome for the Ordination to the Diaconate of Kieran Burt, a parishioner of St Joseph’s, Blantyre and a seminarian in the Pontifical Scots College in Rome over the last six years. Kieran was ordained as a Deacon along with Matthew McCafferty of the Archdiocese of St Andrew’s and Edinburgh by Archbishop Leo Cushley in the Basilica of St Paul ‘s Outside the Walls on Saturday May 10th. Kieran’s father and mother, brother and sister, other family members and friends, priests and deacons came to Rome also, and for us all it was privilege to be there both for the ordination and for the election of Pope Leo.

Deacon Kieron will shortly finish his formation at the Scots College and will return to the Diocese for his ministry as Deacon, known now as the Vocational Synthesis Year. He will spend this time in the Parishes of St Barbara’s, Muirhead, and St Joseph’s, Stepps, with Frs Kenneth O’Brien and Danny Rooney. Our prayers will be very much with him as he prepares at home for ordination as a priest.

Another of our seminarians at the Scots College, Aidan Kelly, from the Parish of St Ninian’s and St Cuthbert’s, will be accepted as a Candidate for Holy Orders later in May. Having the World Day of Prayer for Vocations today on Good Shepherd Sunday encourages our continued prayers for Vocations for Holy Orders and Consecrated Life. Our new Holy Father, Leo, like Francis before him, belongs to a Religious Congregation, the Augustinians, thus highlighting the importance of Religious men and women, ministering alongside the Diocesan Clergy.

One of those in formation for Ordination as a Permanent Deacon in Motherwell Diocese, Paul May, of St Cadoc’s Parish, will also be accepted as a Candidate for Holy Orders at 10am Mass in St Mark’s, Rutherglen, on Sunday 22nd June. Please pray for Paul also and others preparing for Ordination as Deacons.

Since early last year we have been running and promoting the Wellspring Programme in the Diocese. A lot of good work has been done in parish renewal initiatives and through the five Diocesan Priority Missions – Adult Formation, Education, Youth Ministry, Liturgy, and Care of the Poor. It is felt that the Marriage, Family, and Life Mission should also be designated as a priority, and I agree that this happen under the leadership of Deacon David Harper. Deacon David will now dedicate his diaconal ministry to the Marriage, Family, and Life Mission, and will seek opportunity to explain and promote it in the parishes. In order that he has time to do this he will no longer be Parish Deacon at Francis Xavier’s, Carfin.

There has been much interest in the New Pope’s choice of name. He himself has linked it to Pope Leo XIII, and in particular his desire at the end of the 19th Century that the Church relate to the social issues of the times, notably in regard to labour and capital. Indeed Pope Leo XIII’s Encyclical, Rerum Novarum, is often seen as the beginning of Catholic Social Teaching as we know it today. With this important area of the Church’s Mission in mind, and now with encouragement from Leo XIV, it is most appropriate that we are taking steps to re-establish a Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission. In order to do this there is an open meeting in the Diocesan Offices on Thursday May 22nd at 7.30pm and I invite you to come along, particularly if you agree that it is important that the Church takes a strong interest in the problems of our times, both at home and abroad. Pope Leo has already referenced some of them, and the political choices being made here and in other countries do merit the Church’s Christian perspective and accumulated human wisdom. The meeting will be preceded by the Thursday Evening Mass in the Cathedral at 7pm, and those coming to the meeting are encouraged to attend. Paul Foley of St Mark’s and St Anthony’s has accepted the task of coordinating the Motherwell Diocesan Commission, as well as representing the Diocese at the National Commission. Fr Colum Martin has agreed also to be the Spiritual Director for the Motherwell Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission. Fr Colum has also been asked to be Spiritual Director for Aid to the Church in Need (Scotland), and I agreed that he take on this responsibility also.

Thank you for reading this. It developed into a longer letter than anticipated, but hopefully it does show we are a Diocese filled with strong faith desiring to serve the Lord and his people in the fullest way possible.

With my prayers and best wishes,

Yours in Christ,

+ Joseph Toal