Ss Peter and Paul

Feast of Ss Peter and Paul

29th June 2015

Parish Mass Book  -  page 172

                                  Mass Times and Intentions

                                       6.30 pm   Vigil  Sylvia Southcott

Sunday  28 June                 10.00 am   People of Parish

                                                                                                                                        

Monday                        10.00 am   Eucharistic Service

Tuesday                       10.00 am   John & Elizabeth Hogg

Wednesday                  10.00 am   James Chadwick

Thursday                      10.00 am   Fr Jack Taggart   

Friday                           10.00 am   Sick Person

                                       6.30 pm   Vigil  In Thanksgiving

Sunday  5 July                    10.00 am   People of Parish

 

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Friday 9.20 - 9.50 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday 5.30 pm

 

Please pray for:

· Fr Michael Corbett and all who are sick,

· all who have died recently,

· all whose anniversaries occur at this time. 

 

Ss Peter and Paul

Today we celebrate the two great pillars of the early Church. With St Peter we celebrate the importance of our identity as belonging to the church, and being part of the community of disciples of which he was the first leader. 

With St Paul we celebrate that we are all part of God’s mission to witness to Christ in the world.  May this feast day deepen our sense of belonging to the church and inspire our sense of mission beyond it.

A special collection today for Ss Peter and Paul.  If you wish to gift aid your offering please use the green envelope from your box.

Changes in the Parish

In talking to people and having had a meeting of the parish council on Monday I sense that people are saddened, surprised and uncertain in the light of the changes in the parish that have been announced recently.  The parish is very much in my thoughts and prayers.  I appreciate that the next few weeks and months will be a challenge and a new beginning for this community.  I think it is important that people remember what has been achieved in recent years and acknowledge the many gifts and strengths of this parish.  In the remainder of my time here I wish to encourage a strong sense of self-belief in you as a community and also encourage you to be willing to show initiative in the various areas of parish life and to fully cooperate with other members of the parish community.

At the meeting of the parish council I reminded them of the key pastoral practices that have been the blueprint of my time here and how they are very similar to the areas that we’ve been asked to reflect on in the moving together in hope process.  I’ve asked the parish council to use these two frameworks for the parish ministry as a foundation for moving forward.

Moving Forward Together in Hope

I appreciate that some have questioned the value and purpose of still engaging in this process in the light of the recent changes.  I would like to remind you all that the major purpose of this process is to explore how our communities can flourish as disciples of Christ.  That question seems more pertinent and relevant now that this parish will have to share a priest.  Also recent changes should not be seen as pre-judging new structures that are deemed to be necessary for the Northumberland deanery.  Therefore, we carry on with the process as previously stated.  I would like to thank Tony and Katie Hart for their willingness and commitment to proceed with this process.  I have also asked Moira Quinn to offer her assistance to this process.

At the parish council meeting last Monday it was decided that between the council they would seek to complete as much of the first part of the questionnaire as possible. The council will meet on Monday 13th July to collate their answers.  There will be a form available for us to establish the age profile of the parish.  Please fill in this form as soon as possible.

Your new Parish Priest

We continue to pray for Fr Peter Stott our new parish priest as he prepares to take up his new appointment.  On 29th June he celebrates his Silver Jubilee, so we especially remember him at this time.  I have sent the card many of you have signed on behalf of the whole parish.  Fr Peter will come to us with his twenty five years experience as a priest in a parish (twice as much as the present incumbent!)  and also with a strong set of administrative and oversight skills having been Diocesan Chancellor co-ordinating the office at Bishop’s House and is still the organiser of the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Baptisms

Please pray for Euan John Anderson, Ellie Paige Turnbull who were baptised on Saturday  and Theo William Davison, Harry James Otley Wilkins and Lily Eleanor Morton who will be baptised today.  We also pray for their parents and families.

Refugee/Asylum Seekers

There is a collection next weekend for tins of food (not pork) for refugee and asylum seekers.  Please leave in Narthex. 

Christ in the World

The meeting will be on Friday 10th July at 7.00 pm. We will carry on our discussion concerning the ’making a noise for Bedlington’ campaign. I will also give a brief overview of the Pope’s encyclical ‘Laudato Sii -  Be Praised’.  There are copies of the summary I have written in the Narthex.

World Youth Day

Please contact me as soon as possible if you are thinking take in this pilgrimage in July 2016

School Mass On July 12 St Bede's School will lead us in our Sunday Mass