St Mary’s Magazine – Easter 2024
Welcome to the Easter 2024 edition of the St Mary’s Magazine.
Please note that there will still be a print version available for those who want one. But now you are here, why not read on, or look back to some of our archived editions?
Happy Easter to all! Hallelujah!
Bishop Dorsey’s Reflections on Passiontide
Beloved in the Lord; Every year, as we approach Lent, I am never quite ready for it. I never know what to expect. I think I know my habitual sins after all these years, but God has a way of using the time to shine the light of the Holy Spirit into shabby corners of…
St Mary’s AGM
Bishop Dorsey was good enough to come and chair our AGM in February, and reports were received on all aspects of the life of St. Mary’s. Marin Matsuzaka and Allison Brown were elected to fill posts on the vestry, and Jenny Cruickshank stepped down as secretary, handing over to David Rose who has been acting…
Diocesan Synod Report
Diocesan Synod was chaired by Bishop Dorsey on 2nd. March, at Elphinstone Hall at Aberdeen University. Aside from some confusion over the revised Canon 65 concerning safeguarding, business went smoothly. Canon 35, the one we all turn to when we want to change anything around the church, is being modified again to take into account…
Easter Egg Collection
The Easter eggs multiplied quickly by the Green Organ this year! This week we were able to deliver sixty-three eggs to Barnardo’s Zoë Galloway and Amy Duncan, who told us it was their only donation this Easter. Thanks once again to all who donated.
World Day of Prayer 2024
The World Day of Prayer service for our area was held once again this year at Rubislaw Church Centre, a lovely venue for all kinds of practical reasons! This year, by coincidence, the material had been put together by the Christian women of Palestine, which made it particularly poignant. The room was decorated with citrus…
East End Garden Area Update: Tree Survey
As part of our plans to tidy up the East End Garden area, a detailed tree survey was carried out by Struan Dalgleish Arboriculture on 27th February. There are currently eleven broadleaf trees in the eastern boundary of the church grounds on a relatively narrow strip of soil along the eastern boundary wall. The two…
Carbon Literacy
Rather to my surprise I was sent in March on a two day (Zoom) carbon literacy course with a number of clergy and laity across the province. This course was less to do with cutting down plastic use and more to do with our carbon emissions, for example from our heating (by using insulation or…
Reflections on Holocaust Remembrance 2024
My name is Ian Duguid and I am an Ambassador of the Holocaust Education Trust. I am writing this in an effort to reflect on this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, that being the 27th of January. I started off as a participant in the “Lessons from Auschwitz Project”, which saw an educational visit to the…
Journey Into Easter
I wonder how Lent has been for you this year? This year I’ve followed daily readings and reflections in the ‘Through Lent with Pope Francis’ book. This book features passages from scripture in both New International Version (NIV) and New Catholic Bible (NCB) translations. I’m not familiar with the NCB translation and although it only…
Social Events
The Social Group has planned a busy calendar of events for this year! – fancy a Pizza and Movie Night? Or another Curry Night? Or pick up a fancy piece or two at our Baking Sale! There will be charity campaigns, too. The 2024 Photography Competition starts at Easter – why not take a few…
Book Review
Paula Gooder, Body – Biblical Spirituality for the Whole Person: In this short book Gooder explores Christian attitudes to the body, diving back into perceptions of body, flesh, spirit and soul in Jewish tradition and Greek philosophy, both of which would have fed into the writings of Paul on which the book concentrates. Where our…
Planting your Spring Garden
For the Garden of your Daily Living Plant three rows of peas: 1/ Peas of Mind 2/ Peas of Heart 3/ Peas of Soul Plant four rows of squash: 1/ Squash Gossip 2/ Squash Indifference 3/ Squash Grumbling 4/ Squash Selfishness Plant four rows of lettuce: 1/ Lettuce be Faithful 2/ Lettuce be Kind 3/…