Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we come to the end of our Easter season, those final words of Christ should be the words that ring in our ears every day. They are a command that the Lord made to his disciples before he ascended to his heavenly Father, and they are a command he makes to us daily.

So how, in the Church in Scotland, must we respond to that command?

First of all, we do so in our own communities, our homes, our workplaces. The best way for someone to encounter Christ is through a person of faith. That means you. You could be the best chance a person might have to see what faith in Christ is all about.If it means so much to you, then a friend or a colleague might begin to wonder what you have that they don’t.It’s not very glamorous, but your day-to-day faith can be a real sign of the Christ who wants to be present to others in their day-to-day. Will you be a living sign of the presence and love of God to your neighbour?

And we proclaim the Good News collectively, through our parishes, our dioceses, and as members of the Catholic Church spread throughout the world. Just look at how people engaged with us after the death of Pope Francis and at the election of Pope Leo.

Not everyone can make that first physical step into a church. It’s not that easy if you are coming for the first time. If they can take a peek through something like a social media post, that might be the thing that helps them overcome their uncertainty. Not everyone will be lucky enough to have a face-to-face encounter that brings them to Christ. So, we must use all the means available to reach out to them. It is not good enough to wait for our brothers and sisters to come to us. We must do all we can to go to them.

In the meantime, please continue to pray for the spread of the Gospel, and please do support this weekend’s collection.

On this Communications Sunday, let us renew our commitment to open our arms to others so that they may the receive the welcome offered by the risen Christ. Let us go and make disciples of all nations.

Yours in Christ,

Bishop Frank Dougan

Bishop of Galloway

FULL LETTER AVAILABLE AT THE PORCH OF THE CHURCH