St. Bernadette

Introduction

Before the church was built, services were held in the local Miners Welfare Hall or the Oratory of the Chapel House. The first church was a temporary building, later used as the parish hall. The church building was completed in 1964.

Music and liturgy

The choir enhances the celebration of Mass with their singing. The Music Ministry Group enhances Masses with music, including singing, instruments, and electronic equipment.

The Children's Liturgy presents the liturgy to young children in a format they can understand. Readers read the liturgy at all masses, during weekends and weekdays. The Sacristan Group prepares the altar and liturgy before Mass, including altar cloths and sacred articles.

Parish life

The parish runs a Bereavement Group, Cafe Soubirous, Communications Group, Faith Sharing Group, Hall Committee, Holey Soles, Legion of Mary, Malawi Partnership, Music Volunteers, Parish Support Groups, Patricians, Project Wellspring, and RCIA. The Food Bank Group provides a drop-in service for families requiring emergency food and toiletries. The Ecumenical Group supports the North Motherwell Churches Together initiative. Eucharistic Ministers assist in the distribution of Holy Eucharist during Mass, to Avondale Care Home, or to housebound parishioners.

The Fabric Committee oversees the maintenance of the parish buildings and grounds. The Finance Committee reviews the finances of the Parish and advises the parish priest on all finance-related matters. The Flower Arrangers prepare floral arrangements for various feasts and special occasions. The Passkeepers welcome parishioners and visitors to the Church, assist with enquiries, and help with collection baskets during Mass.

The Bulletin team prepare the bulletin in advance of the weekly mass and print off copies to be used at the weekend masses. The Church Stall group run the church stall at mass times, on a rota basis.

The Faith Sharing Groups meet in small groups to read and discuss pre-prepared readings and prayers during Lent and Advent. The Holey Soles are the parish's walking group, organising monthly walks and an annual weekend away.

The Partnership between the parish and schools and St Anne's Parish in Malawi and its associated educational organisations was officially launched in September 2014. The Partnership's aims are spiritual, social, and educational and include links between schools and sponsorship of critical programmes that help socially deprived pupils, especially young girls, to pursue their education. In the Spring of 2021, the committee decided to bring the partnership to a close, but it was agreed to restart and continue the project.

The partnership provided funds to the Nursery School and the Secondary School, and enabled the refurbishing of the Parish office. The RCIA group share their faith and help candidates in preparation to become Catholics.

The Legion of Mary's main work is home visitation, and it also carries out tasks such as school Rosaries in May and October, nursing home visitations and rosaries, organising parish retreats, and running a monthly discussion group. Legionaries visit people in their homes, nursing homes, schools and hospitals.

The early parish established groups such as the Society of St Vincent de Paul, the Union of Catholic Mothers, the Legion of Mary, the Catholic Men's Society and the Boys' Guild. The parish runs a monthly 'Sausage Sunday' event, with proceeds split between Malawi and local food poverty. The Patricians group meets to discuss topics to build knowledge of the Catholic faith.