Cushley tour unveils future of St Andrews and Edinburgh

The Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh is embarking on a tour to unveil his vision for the future of the diocese.

In what he describes as a “wee movie with a big message”, Archbishop Leo Cushley has launched a film on social media with the aim of “bringing the joy of the Gospel to a contemporary Scottish society in desperate need of the healing love of Jesus Christ”.

Archbishop Cushley has set out his plans for the archdiocese in a pastoral letter entitled “We Have Found the Messiah”, which was read at Mass on Palm Sunday. In addition, every parishioner attending was given a booklet summarising the archbishop’s plans for restructuring and progress in evangelisation. The letter and booklet will be followed up by a tour of 31 venues within the archdiocese.

The restructuring is needed due to the fact that by 2020, St Andrews and Edinburgh will have only about 33 diocesan priests while there are 111 parishes. There are an estimated 28,000 people at Mass every Sunday.

The archbishop said: “My big message is that the renewal and, yes, growth of the Catholic Church in our part of Scotland is very possible but only if we create vibrant Christian communities.”

There has already been one important personnel change in the archdiocese but it is stressed that this is occasioned by health concerns only. Mgr Patrick Burke is to be the new administrator of St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. He succeeds Mgr Michael Regan, who has resigned with immediate effect after a period of poor health. Mgr Burke, a former official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is a vicar general in the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, the parish priest of St Andrew’s, Ravelston, and administrator of St John the Baptist, Corstorphine.