Friday 27 July 2012

Seventeenth Sunday of the Year


Seventeenth Sunday of the Year

29th July 2012 

Parish Mass Book   -  page 112

 
Mass Times and Intentions

                                      6.30 pm  Vigil People of Parish
Sunday  29th July                11.00 am  John Beckwith                                                                                                 
Monday                      10.00 am  Eucharistic Service
Tuesday                     10.00 am  Requiem  -  Henry O’Donnell
Wednesday                10.00 am  Fr Ciaran McDonnell
Thursday                    10.00 am Fred Devine
Friday                         10.00 am  Margaret Faulder
 
                                     6.30 pm  Vigil Joan & Joe Caine
Sunday  5th August            11.00 am  People of Parish 
 
Sacrament of Reconciliation 
Saturday 5.45 pm - 6.15 pm
and at any time upon request

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Friday 9.30 –10.00 am
First Sunday of the Month 4.00-5.00 pm
 
Please pray for 
· all who are sick,

· Wyn Darling and all who have died recently,

· all whose anniversaries occur at this time. 

           Day for Life
          This Sunday is the annual ‘Day for Life’ where the Church wishes to celebrate the sanctity of life and the dignity and value of all human beings. This year the theme is ‘Use your body for the Glory of God’ (1 Cor 6:20). The theme is acknowledging that the Olympics Games, which started on Friday, are a great celebration of the human body. The Church very much wishes to affirm the worth and importance of the human body; it is to be celebrated and respected. In the weeks ahead the great agility, speed and strength of the human body will be celebrated and admired. In the film ‘Chariots of Fire’ the committed Christian, Eric Liddell, acknowledges that God had made him fast so the wanted to use his speed to glorify God. I guess most of us will not have the gifts and talents that will win Gold medals. But we are gifted and it is important to appreciate that it is not the type or quantity of gifts that matter but how we use those gifts. This point is made in a song I came across twenty years by the singer Eddi Reader, called ‘What you do with what we have got’. The song is about a gifted person but who sadly used his body  in a destructive way and the song goes on to make the point that the gifts our bodies are given  only matter if they are used in a creative and life giving way. So as races are won, the victor conquers and world records are  broken perhaps the following words could  be kept in mind,



Between those who use their neighbours and those who use the cane,

Between those in constant power and those in constant pain

Between those who run for glory and those who cannot run,

Tell me, which ones are the cripples and which ones touch the sun?’ (Khan/Reader/Dodds)

A retiring collection will be taken
Mass Times 
As you will see from the results posted on the notice board there was a clear majority of you who wanted Mass at 10.00 am on a Sunday morning. The ratio of the vote was two to one.  We need to make a decision now in order to inform the editor’s of the Northern  Catholic Calendar which is published for Advent so the change of Mass time will NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL SUNDAY 2nd DECEMBER.

 
Parish Mission    
On the board there are lists for the various sessions that will need to be prepared for people to volunteer  My friend Michael Legrue who has been to the parish and led a music workshop in May last year, will assist with the music for the mission.  He will also be coming for the weekend of 15/16 September so I would like to use that weekend as an opportunity for those who want to be involved in the mission to come together to pray, reflect, and work together for the liturgies for that week.  So if you would like to be involved please keep that weekend free. 
Refugee and Asylum Seekers

There will be a collection next weekend for tins of food and meat (not pork).  Please leave your donations in the Narthex.  Further donations on the first Sunday of the month. 

Called to the Supper of the Lamb

Day of Reflection for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Costello Centre, Alnwick, Saturday 22nd September 10.30 am to 4.00 pm, led by Kathryn Turner.  Please bring a packed lunch, tea/coffee provided.  Cost £5..  Tea/coffee provided cost £5.

Prepare the Place

A training day for sacristans at St Joseph’s, High West Street, Gateshead, Tuesday 25th September 10.30 am to 3.00 pm.  Tea/coffee provided.  Please bring a packed lunch.  Cost £5.

The Catholic Bishop’s Mental Health Project

This project, funded from Day for Life offers support and resources to local Catholic communities as they respond to those facing difficulties in mental health.  It seeks to identify and highlight good practice in pastoral acre for those with mental health needs, their families, and their carers.  Reports from the project, examples of good practice and further resources can be found on www.mentalhealthproject.co.uk

The Year of Faith

Pope Benedict has called for a ‘Year of Faith ‘ starting on October11th. The aim of the year is to deepen and strengthen people’s understanding of their faith. You will be hearing more about this on a Pastoral Letter from Bishop Seamus in September. There is a significant diocesan programme of which more details will be  given later. This will include prayer services in every school and a number of talks in October and November exploring the major documents of the Second Vatican Council















Friday 20 July 2012

Sixteenth Sunday of the Year


Sixteenth Sunday of the Year

22nd July 2012 

Parish Mass Book   -  page 109

 
Mass Times and Intentions

                                      6.30 pm  Vigil Goonan family
Sunday  22nd July              11.00 am  People of Parish                                                                                                        
Monday                      10.00 am  Eucharistic Service
Tuesday                     10.00 am  Requiem  -  Fred Devine
Wednesday                10.00 am  Margaret Faulder
Thursday                    10.00 am Owen, Molly & Patrick Ruddy
Friday                         10.00 am  Trevor Corbett 
                                     6.30 pm  Vigil People of Parish
Sunday  29th July              11.00 am  John Beckwith
Sacrament of Reconciliation 
Saturday 5.45 pm - 6.15 pm
and at any time upon request 
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Friday 9.30 –10.00 am
First Sunday of the Month 4.00-5.00 pm

Great News for St Bede’s Primary School 
It was great news to hear from the latest monitoring visit of the Ofsted inspectors that they have decided that the school can now be taken out of ‘Special Measures’ and judged  the school to be ‘satisfactory’ in its overall assessment. On behalf of the parish I would like to offer my sincere thanks and respect to all the staff, past and present of the last two years who have worked so hard address the issues raised by Ofsted in 2010. They have brought about significant improvements in the life and work of the school; warm congratulations to all involved. This has involved a large number of people in senior leadership positions within the school and external to it whom I know have spent much time and effort in ensuring that the school would make the necessary progress; much gratitude to all involved, including Nick Bowen, Kate Horn, Joan Riley and all the members of the Interim Executive Board, Joanne Clifford-Swann, Con Todd and past and present members of the shadow governing team 
School Summer Holidays 
As the academic year comes to an end, I would like to wish all staff and pupils at St Bede’s and St Benet’s a well deserved break. The pressures and demands involved in education just seem to get greater each year. Gratitude and respect to all involved in the education of our young people.
Mass Times  
The parish council has proposed from the first Sunday of Advent the Sunday morning Mass will be at 10.00 am. Today is the last opportunity for you to place your vote — ballot papers are available in the Narthex  today -  you are given a choice of either 10.00 or 11.00 am for you to express your preference.  On completion please place in the wooden box in Narthex.  

Carmelites Meeting today Sunday at 2.00 pm.  All are welcome.



First Holy Communions 2013

We had an introductory session on Tuesday. If you were not able to attend that meeting but would like your child to take part in the programme  from September could you  please contact me as soon as possible. After many years Alison Johnson moving on from her role as Parish catechist for the programme. I would like to thank her for the tremendous amount of work she has given to sacramental preparation for children in the parish over the years


Parish Mission   
On the board there are lists for the various sessions that will need to be prepared for people to volunteer  My friend Michael Legrue who has been to the parish and led a music workshop in May last year, will assist with the music for the mission.  He will also be coming for the weekend of 15/16 September so I would like to use that weekend as an opportunity for those who want to be involved in the mission to come together to pray, reflect, and work together for the liturgies for that week.  So if you would like to be involved please keep that weekend free. 

Sick and Housebound

It is important that our sick and housebound feel they are part of the Church and are able to receive the sacraments.  If you are aware of any sick and housebound among your family and friends who are not able to attend Mass  regularly due to illness or infirmity could you please let me know.  I appreciate how people think that the parish priest has a lot to do but it is essential that especially during a time of sickness that parishioners receive Holy Communion and the sacrament of the sick as required.

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land – 6th – 13th May / Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi – 20th – 27th October 2013 
Booking Forms for both pilgrimages are accessible on the Diocesan website - http://www.rcdhn.org.uk/eventyearfaith/yearfaith_pilgrimages.php - or if people do not have internet access, Holy Land forms are available from Fr Peter Stott at St Joseph’s, North Shields and Rome and Assisi forms are available from Fr Michael McCoy at St Anne’s, Pennywell. Interest for both pilgrimages seems to be increasing so those interested are asked to get their forms completed and returned to Tangney Tours as soon as possible.  Tangney Tours also have Bookings Forms available from Gill Didino on 01732 886666.


Children’s Liturgy

Sincere thanks to Judith Wills and Christine Priest who are moving on from this role. Your hard work over the years is much appreciated. Iam very  grateful to  those who have offered to follow  in the their  footsteps. It is so encouraging that  a number of parishioners  have volunteered. Could those have still CRB forms outstanding please complete them as soon as possible. Many thanks.