During Lent St Joseph's supports Mary's Meals and their Back Pack Project. More information can be found on the Mary's Meals Web Site: www.marysmeals.org
The St Joseph's Players, a drama group in the parish, was revived in 2009. Although new they have already had great success and you can follow their progress through their own Web Site: http://stjosephsplayers.synthasite.com
St Joseph's Parish is part of the Diocese of Galloway, tradionally the oldest of the Scottish diocese. The diocesan Web Site gives the details of every parish, the times of Sunday Mass throughout the diocese and much more information about the diocese and the Catholic Church in Scotland.
Below are links to the Web Sites of a few of the groups promoted or supported by our parish:
Priests for Scotland is an initiative of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland which aims to address issues of significance to priests working in Scotland. Priests for Scotland is also concerned with the promotion of vocations to the priesthood in the dioceses of Scotland.
Permanent deacons are men ordained to serve the Church in a threefold ministry:
The Ministry of Charity, particularly in the service of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised. Ministry of the Word, proclaiming the Gospel and sometimes preaching at Mass and other Religious Services. Ministry of the Altar, offering service at the altar at Mass assisting the Bishop or Priest, distributing Holy Communion at Mass, in hospital and in the homes of the sick, the housebound and the dying. Deacons may baptise, and officiate at marriages and at funerals.
SCIAF is the largest Scottish international aid agency. From our headquarters
in Glasgow we support over 100 projects in more than 20 countries across Africa,
Asia and Latin America.
SCIAF is also the official aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Founded in 1965 to address the huge gulf between rich and poor in the world They believe that all people have the right to live in dignity, hold their own beliefs, and
share in the world’s resources, and to that end they help people of all religious backgrounds and none,
and are supported by Scots of many different faiths and none.
Those with a particular devotion to the Patron Saint of our parish, St Joseph, might like to visit the Web Site of the shrine to St Joseph at www.stjosephshrine.org.uk
Another significant saint for those of the Diocese of Galloway is our diocesan patron, St Ninian. St. Ninian is acknowledged as Scotland's first saint with the date 397AD celebrated as the beginning of his mission to his people. He landed in Scotland just outside the present day town of Whithorn, the area often being referred to as the "Cradle of Christianity". To this day there is an annual pilgrimage to St Ninian's Cave where Mass is celebrated. More information about St Ninian and the area in which he lived can be found at the Web site of the Whithorn Trust.