FATHER FRANK’S LOG: 7th – 14th SEPTEMBER 2025
I apologise that the log has been absent for longer than usual this summer. Regular readers may recall that in my last submission in June, just before my 74th birthday, I mentioned that I was having some health issues associated with men reaching a certain age, and that I had hoped these would be resolved after an appointment with the urologist on 3rd July. Unfortunately, after two further appointments with the urologist since, the issue remains unresolved. I even had to miss our Provincial Chapter because of it, something I have never done in the past 50 years since entering in 1975. I have now started new medication. I have blood tests lined up mid-October, and another appointment with the urologist on 27th October. So, here’s hoping and praying that the new medication is doing its job.
New medication can be a bit scary when it is first proposed and, as part of the protocol, potential side effects have to be mentioned. There is potential, I was told, for night sweats, low energy, low moods, and suicidal thoughts. That sounded like good fun, especially when I discovered, on collecting the medication that, as well as these side effects being mentioned in the long list outlined on the usual flyer inside the box, that there was also a little card inside, specifically mentioning these four possibilities that the urologist had mentioned. Oh, I thought, maybe there’s more to this than I first imagined. As it turned out, my older brother, the doyen of Scottish sport’s journalism, has been on this same medication for years without any side effects manifesting themselves, albeit he has never had to wear what I have to wear. If there were low moods and dark thoughts, he said, they were more to do with football than with medication. Anyway, I am now 14 days into the medication and nothing has manifested itself so far, except, echoing big brother, in relation to football and the transfer window.
I also mentioned in the last log that we were faced with essential works requiring to be done in St Mungo’s with regard to gas and electricity. At that point we started to do a bit of fundraising and, I have to say, I am deeply humbled by the sheer goodness of people, and by their love of St Mungo’s. I would say that, at the time of writing this log, we have now just about reached our target and may even go beyond it, which will give us some breathing space for anything unexpected, which hopefully won’t be the case. Contractors seem to be very busy at this time, but we hope to have the work done by the end of the first week in October. In the meantime, as we are about to enter into our annual Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows (7-15 September) we are aware that we will be inviting people into a church with no heating. Thankfully the summer weather has been kind and, at this point anyway, the church doesn’t feel too cold at all. So, hopefully, we get through another few weeks till the work is done.
Continuing to bring you up to date, just this week, we, the Passionists, received a long-awaited building warrant from Glasgow City Council, which will allow us to start on the adaptations we want to get done at 1245 Royston Road, the convent previously occupied by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary which will soon, all going well, become the new Passionist Community residence in Glasgow. If everything goes to plan the community should be settled in some time before Christmas. We have liked our home in Bishopbriggs, and it is a fine house which has served us well, but it was just too far away from our places of ministry and had its limitations as a religious house. The new house will be much more conducive to that, especially as the sisters had a lovely oratory, which was something we have been sadly lacking, having had to celebrate our prayer in common around a dining room table – perhaps, appropriately, nourished by the Word of God, you might say. Anyway, please keep all of these things in your prayers as it has been quite a stressful time.
As ever, protect yourself, your loved ones and others, and protect Christ in your lives.
I apologise that the log has been absent for longer than usual this summer. Regular readers may recall that in my last submission in June, just before my 74th birthday, I mentioned that I was having some health issues associated with men reaching a certain age, and that I had hoped these would be resolved after an appointment with the urologist on 3rd July. Unfortunately, after two further appointments with the urologist since, the issue remains unresolved. I even had to miss our Provincial Chapter because of it, something I have never done in the past 50 years since entering in 1975. I have now started new medication. I have blood tests lined up mid-October, and another appointment with the urologist on 27th October. So, here’s hoping and praying that the new medication is doing its job.
New medication can be a bit scary when it is first proposed and, as part of the protocol, potential side effects have to be mentioned. There is potential, I was told, for night sweats, low energy, low moods, and suicidal thoughts. That sounded like good fun, especially when I discovered, on collecting the medication that, as well as these side effects being mentioned in the long list outlined on the usual flyer inside the box, that there was also a little card inside, specifically mentioning these four possibilities that the urologist had mentioned. Oh, I thought, maybe there’s more to this than I first imagined. As it turned out, my older brother, the doyen of Scottish sport’s journalism, has been on this same medication for years without any side effects manifesting themselves, albeit he has never had to wear what I have to wear. If there were low moods and dark thoughts, he said, they were more to do with football than with medication. Anyway, I am now 14 days into the medication and nothing has manifested itself so far, except, echoing big brother, in relation to football and the transfer window.
I also mentioned in the last log that we were faced with essential works requiring to be done in St Mungo’s with regard to gas and electricity. At that point we started to do a bit of fundraising and, I have to say, I am deeply humbled by the sheer goodness of people, and by their love of St Mungo’s. I would say that, at the time of writing this log, we have now just about reached our target and may even go beyond it, which will give us some breathing space for anything unexpected, which hopefully won’t be the case. Contractors seem to be very busy at this time, but we hope to have the work done by the end of the first week in October. In the meantime, as we are about to enter into our annual Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows (7-15 September) we are aware that we will be inviting people into a church with no heating. Thankfully the summer weather has been kind and, at this point anyway, the church doesn’t feel too cold at all. So, hopefully, we get through another few weeks till the work is done.
Continuing to bring you up to date, just this week, we, the Passionists, received a long-awaited building warrant from Glasgow City Council, which will allow us to start on the adaptations we want to get done at 1245 Royston Road, the convent previously occupied by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary which will soon, all going well, become the new Passionist Community residence in Glasgow. If everything goes to plan the community should be settled in some time before Christmas. We have liked our home in Bishopbriggs, and it is a fine house which has served us well, but it was just too far away from our places of ministry and had its limitations as a religious house. The new house will be much more conducive to that, especially as the sisters had a lovely oratory, which was something we have been sadly lacking, having had to celebrate our prayer in common around a dining room table – perhaps, appropriately, nourished by the Word of God, you might say. Anyway, please keep all of these things in your prayers as it has been quite a stressful time.
As ever, protect yourself, your loved ones and others, and protect Christ in your lives.
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