Image: www.scottishparliament.tv

Time for Reflection: St. Patrick’s Church, Cowgate — A House of Prayer for All

On 10th September 2024, Father Gerard Hatton of St. Patrick’s Church, Cowgate, Edinburgh, delivered Time for Reflection at the Scottish Parliament. Drawing on the words of the prophet Isaiah, which Jesus Christ referenced during the cleansing of the temple, he emphasised the importance of prayer and justice in the house of God. 

Father Hatton reflected on how St. Patrick’s Church continues to uphold Isaiah’s words, “My house shall be a house of prayer.” He also noted that this very phrase serves as the motto of the Oratorian community, to whom Archbishop Leo Cushley entrusted the care of St. Patrick’s Church. This historic church—just a short distance from the Scottish Parliament—has served as a place of worship for Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and now Catholics over its 250-year history, with the upcoming jubilee on 9th October.

Father Hatton described St. Patrick’s as a sanctuary for people from all walks of life, calling it “a house for the lonely and confused, and for people of much faith or little faith.” He highlighted the church’s work with parishioners and the homeless and stressed that it is not a political entity but “a gate through which all may witness a little bit of heaven here in Edinburgh.”

Father Hatton closed by expressing his hope that everyone finds a place to truly be themselves, as he has found in St. Patrick’s: “I know that my St. Patrick’s helps me to be, and that it provokes me to be more.”

You can watch Father Gerard delivering Time for Reflection in the video below.

Source: www.scottishparliament.tv