Catholic Newspaper for the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle
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$ . : , No. 768 April 2020 £1 1R $$BUIPMJDCat OFXTQBOFXTQBQFSholic neBQFSwspap GPSer f UIFor th EJPDFEJPDFTFe dioFTFcese PG of ))FYIBN Hexham & /FXDBTUMFNeXXDBTUwcastlUMFe 2FWREHU S ¼ ¼ q Mass and prayer .org.uk. in coronavirus times Photo: Mazur/cbcew Together alone we seek spiritual communion as coronavi rus spreads by Alison Rebello blessed sacrament and devotions live communion with Pope Francis as he ou r churches for the Easter Triduum, able, we pray for safety and protection. streamed at 5pm each afternoon. performed the extraordinary Urbi et staff at the Ushaw visitor centre in For those who have died from coron- FROM the day our priests were Other churches live streaming Masses, orbi papal blessing, granting a plenary Durham have called on us to sit in our avirus we pray they rest peacefully with forced to close their church doors and daily prayer and reflection and adoration indulgence to the faithful whilst re- homes or stand on our doorsteps, bal- You. celebrate Mass without people pres- of the blessed sacrament include St minding us that Christ is our hope and conies or in our gardens at 10am on For those who have lost loved ones, ent, the clergy and the faithful have Charles’, Gosforth; St Teresa’s, Heaton; our anchor. Easter Sunday and sing the joyful we pray for comfort in their grief. rushed to ensure those less fortunate St Mary’s, Hexham; St Paul’s, Cramling- Two days later, thousands joined to hymns Jesus Christ is Risen Today and For all who experience fear or anxiety, were cared for. ton; St Mary’s, Forest Hall; St Edward’s make an act of rededication as part of Thine be the Glory as an acclamation of we pray for peace of mind and spirit. As the world grapples with the COVID- Church, Whitley Bay; St Mary’s, Sun- the Rededication of England as Our Christ’s resurrection. For affected families who are facing 19 pandemic our diocese is united in derland; Stockton Family Parish; St Lady’s Dowry. We are asked to telephone our friends difficult decisions between food on the prayer for those affected by the virus Mary’s, Newton Aycliffe; St Thomas of Priests and deacons, along with the and loved ones and ask them to join us. table or public safety, we pray for poli- worldwide, for NHS workers and for all Canterbury, Billingham; St Cuthbert’s, SVP, have urged people to keep in con- In Durham, The Parish of the Durham cies that recognise their plight. who are isolated and vulnerable. Chester-le-Street; St Bede, Sacriston, and tact with the vulnerable and all who Martyrs has asked people to join them For our brothers and sisters around the Stories detailing acts of kindness trav- St Augustine’s, Darlington. may need assistance so that no-one in in spirit, to light a candle on Palm Sun- world, we pray for shared solidarity. elled between partnerships by phone, Some parishioners are using Zoom, our diocese is left without help. day and say this prayer, kindly adapted For public officials and decision-mak- email and social media. Skype, WhatsApp and church Facebook Mother General of the Little Sisters of by staff and students at St Leonard’s ers, we pray for wisdom and guidance. Mass was concelebrated by Bishop groups to maintain contact and to pray the Poor has also appealed to families School: Father, during this time may your Robert, Fr Michael McCoy and Fr Peter together. to say the Rosary together for all af- For all who have contracted coron- Church be a sign of hope and love to all. Stoddart and live streamed on St Mary’s On Friday, March 27, 11 million peo- fected by coronavirus. avirus, we pray for care and healing. Grant peace. Grant comfort. Grant YouTube channel, with adoration of the ple tuned in to be joined in universal Although we will not stand together in For those who are particularly vulner- healing. Be with us, Lord. Amen. THE annual Celebration of Wareing, the diocesan co-or- ples taking part in diocesan mar- MBE is Marriage Mass was due to be dinator for marriage and fam- riage preparation – but sadly, celebrated by Bishop Robert ily life. due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at St Mary’s Cathedral at 11am Bishop Robert had invited it is likely that this Mass will not Linda’s on Saturday, May 16, to give each parish community to be go ahead. thanks for the sacrament of represented by married couples Please turn to page 10 for just marriage, writes Deacon Rob of all ages – and engaged cou- more information. Jericho 10x2_Layout 1 23/01/2014 17:47 Page 1 reward q Much-loved ACORN GARDENING Monkwearmouth parishioner SERVICE Linda Longstaff All Gardening Work Undertaken JERICHO recently enjoyed throughout the North East Combines the Contemplative life with a very special Jericho Benedictines day out at SAVE £££’s on 5x2 an active apostolate Bucking ham l TidyAco upsrn ga lrd Treeening Work l Palace with her Planting6 xl2 Gravelling l to the destitute. family where Hedges Cut or Removed Vocation information from: Bro. Patrick, she received The Jericho Society an MBE for “We don’t cut corners - just hedges” many years ‘Mater Salvatoris’ of hard work and FOR FREE ESTIMATES CALL Harelaw Farm, Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire PA10 2PY dedication. Well ROBERT ON Tel: 01505 614669 done Linda! 0191-2747580 or [email protected] Turn to page 07950548305 10 to read all about it. Northern Cross www.northerncross.org.uk 2 NEWS April 2020 Listen! Our Year of the Word retreat by Shawn Miranda and Dame Werburg Welch. Owing to illness, the artist was unable to complete the work and the tapes- Nina McAninly tries languished in their unfinished form for many years until the project was revived and fi- IN CONJUNCTION with the dedication of 2020 nally completed last year. This gave us a unique as The Year of the Word by the Catholic Bishops opportunity to view the works before they would Conference of England and Wales, the diocese eventually be shipped to Kenya. of Hexham and Newcastle organised a retreat to Some of the participants also took the opportu- Stanbrook Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in nity to engage the nuns in one-to-one conversa- Wass, Yorkshire. tion which gave them a unique window into the The theme of the retreat was Listen and its aim religious life that is not often known to the was to help young adults establish a deeper rela- Catholic laity. tionship with Christ through greater reflection of Aside from our engagement in prayer and his word in the sacred scriptures. study, we had numerous opportunities to have Sister Laurentia, one of the Benedictine nuns great fun through the sharing of food and song from Stanbrook Abbey, served as our spiritual di- and playing games. rector throughout the retreat. Some of the participants enjoyed a leisurely We were taught the traditional monastic practice walk in the woodland areas surrounding the of the Lectio Divina, a technique of reflective read- abbey whilst others visited the ruins of Byland ing of a passage of scripture, and were told that this Abbey, a Cistercian monastery originally simple practice could be used to perceive the mes- founded in 1135. sage God intended for us to receive from his word. The retreat proved a worthwhile experience for Crucially, we had learned that there was a pro- all the participants in helping develop a deeper found difference between an empty reading of the relationship with Christ through the scriptures. passages of the bible and a deep and reflective en- We learnt that even in those moments where we gagement with the passages to truly listen to God’s no longer feel close to God, we can reconnect voice in our lives. with Him through reading and listening to His As part of our stay in Stanbrook Abbey we had word. the privilege of joining the Benedictine Sisters in Equally, by sharing His word with others we their daily praying of the Divine Office. are helping God’s spirit reach more people and These are a set of prayers originally developed by spread His love. As God breathed life into Adam, q St Benedict of Nursia and evolved over the centuries, he does the same to us through His word, and we Getting together heeding the call of Psalm 119 to praise God seven should let His word stay with us, reflect upon it for a photo with times a day. The recitation of the prayers, together and let it guide our thoughts. By doing this we the Sisters outside with the chanting of the psalms, was a very mean- can become closer to God and give him the the abbey on a ingful experience for all of us in bringing us to closer power to direct our lives. blustery day, union with God and with our Catholic brothers and We take this opportunity to thank the Sisters of above, and the sisters who had lived through ages past. Stanbrook Abbey for their gracious hospitality striking abbey, Participants were also treated to a viewing of and spiritual direction. left, which can masterfully-crafted tapestries depicting the stations It is our hope that this retreat will be the first of just be seen, of the cross. many activities organised by the diocese for the nestled in the The work was originally commissioned to be spiritual renewal and strengthening of young Yorkshire given to a church in Molo Kenya using designs by adult Catholics of Hexham and Newcastle. countryside. Divine Mercy 18x4 q Some of the Elect with Bishop Robert after the service.