ST. JOHN’S ST. MARY’S ST. OSWALD’S HAYDON BRIDGE H E X H A M BELLINGHAM SUNDAY NEWSLETTER TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME SUNDAY 5 TH SEPTEMBER 2021 | SUNDAY CYCLE: B | WEEKDAYS: I LITURGY OF THE HOURS: WEEK 3 CLERGY PARISH OFFICE CONTACT Fr Jeffrey Dodds 01434 603119 stmaryshexham.org.uk Fr James Dunne Fr Luke Wilkinson Mon-Thurs. 9:00 - 13:00 [email protected] Rev. Deacon Martin Bell MASSES THIS WEEK Saturday (Vigil) 4th Sep 17:30 Public * Hexham Dominic Broadley Sunday 5th Sep Public * Haydon Bridge 09:00 The Intentions of the Batey Family Sunday 5th Sep 10:30 Public * Live-Streamed Hexham The Intentions of the Cairns Family Sunday 5th Sep 11:00 Public * Bellingham Mick Lynch Monday 6th Sep 09:30 Public Live-Streamed Hexham Pat Peace Tuesday Public * Swinburne 7th Sep 09:30 No Mass Today Tuesday 7th Sep 10:00 Live-Streamed Hexham Requiem Mass for Jim Armstrong Wednesday 8th Sep 09:30 Public * Bellingham Charles Keen Wednesday 8th Sep Public Live-Streamed 09:30 Margaret Armstrong Hexham Thursday Public * Haltwhistle 9th Sep 09:30 Tom & Winnie Shaw Friday 10th Sep Public * Hexham 09:30 Gladys Coates Friday 10th Sep Public * Otterburn Noon Fr. Wilfred Coates Saturday (Vigil) 11th Sep 17:30 Public * Hexham Malcolm Woodhall Sunday Public * Haydon Bridge 12th Sep 09:00 Mick Dowling Sunday 12th Sep 10:30 Public * Live-Streamed Hexham Monica Lenehan Snr Sunday Public * Bellingham 12th Sep 11:00 Lucas Adrian Stokes * Places at these Masses should be booked in advance Mass bookings open at 11:00 am each Tuesday. Places are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. To book a place at one of these Masses, please visit www.heavenfieldpartnership.org.uk or www.stmaryshexham.org.uk Then click on the “Book a Mass” button which is in the centre of the homepage and follow the simple links to the relevant church. Alternatively, you can book a place at Mass by telephoning the Parish Office on 01434 603119. PLEASE KEEP CHECKING THE WEBSITE (www.stmaryshexham.org.uk) FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND ADDITIONS TO THIS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK’S SANCTUARY LAMP INTENTION is MASS AT MINSTERACRES for Fr Jeffrey Dodds Sunday Mass is celebrated at Minsteracres at 08:30 and at 10:30, whilst Daily Mass is celebrated at 08:30. REFLECTION Please book in advance. We might not witness such dramatic deeds as the deaf hearing, or the mute speaking, but we can witness God’s activity in the world on a daily basis. We can participate in MASS TODAY the activity of Jesus by bringing in the excluded, reaching out First Reading: Isaiah 35: 4-7 to those on the margins, and empathising with those who Responsorial Psalm: 145 (146): 7-10 have less. Each time we go outside of ourselves top deal with Response is: the needs of another person, we are acting as an ‘other My soul, give praise to the Lord. Christ’ or an alter Christus. By virtue of our Baptism that is Second Reading: James 2: 1-5 our vocation, to be another Christ on earth, ministering to Gospel Acclamation: those in need wherever and whenever we find them. Alleluia, alleluia! Figuratively, and even literally, we can help to give voice to Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: the voiceless, and assist those who cannot hear to hear. The you have the message of eternal life. voiceless might not be a mute, but instead the marginalised Alleluia! without access to the microphone of public debate. Those Gospel: Mark 7: 31-37 who cannot hear might not be the deaf, but those who are figuratively deaf to the injustice in our world. As another Christ, it is our duty as baptised Christians to enact God’s kingdom on earth. Today we are given a model for doing LIVE STREAMED MASSES that. Hen we do so, our behaviour might be thought of as There is a continuing cost to providing odd, but it is nevertheless our calling and our vocation. our live streamed Masses. If you would like to make a contribution to making possible this service for everyone, please let the Parish Office know ([email protected]). PLEASE PRAY FOR THE RECENTLY DECEASED • AGNES CHANDLER, of Seaton Delaval (latterly of Hexham, who died on 16th August. Agnes’ Requiem Mass took place on 1st September. • RHODA SNOWBALL, of Hexham, who died on 21st August. Rhoda’s Funeral Service will take place at Saint Mary’s on Wednesday 8th September at 1:30pm. • JAMES ARMSTRONG (JIM), of Hexham, who died on 22nd August. Jim’s Requiem Mass will take place at Saint Mary’s on Tuesday 7th September at 10:00am. Please pray for the Repose of the Souls of Elaine, Audrey, Rhoda and Jim, as well as their immediate families and close friends. Requiesce in Pace Please note - current regulations mean that there is a limit to the number of people allowed to attend each Requiem Mass or Funeral Service. These people will be invited by the respective families, which means that these Services are not currently open to the public. If you would like to attend a Requiem Mass or Funeral Service, please contact the relevant Funeral Director, or the family of the deceased. TO OUR NEW PARISH PRIEST FR. JEFFREY DODDS Fr Jeff writes… I was born in North Shields in October 1965 and grew up in the Wallsend and Howdon areas. I have a sister called Tracy, who is four years younger than myself. I was blessed with a happy childhood, and after Sixth Form ‘A’ Levels had my life planned out, or at least that’s what I thought! I was keen to study biology at university and then teach, but God had other ideas and was asking me to consider becoming a priest. At aged eighteen to keep my parents happy, I filled out an application form to begin an apprenticeship as a Design Ships Draughtsman at Swan Hunter’s Shipyard in Wallsend. This was not what I had planned! Surprisingly, I got the job! Four years at Swan’s with wonderful colleagues allowed me to grow and develop as a person. Work was like being with my family each day with lots of support and challenges from men many years my senior. Robson Green, the local actor from this part of the world, worked in the same drawing office just opposite my desk. Little did we know that we would follow similar but different paths later in life! In 1987, I began six years of training and formation at Ushaw College, Durham. My desire to become a priest deepened with study and placements in local parishes within Sunderland. I was ordained a priest on the 26th June 1993 in St Mary’s Cathedral by Bishop Ambrose Griffiths. I returned to serve the people as an Assistant Priest at St Mary’s Church, Sunderland. The next three years saw me involved in various chaplaincy work at Sunderland University, the Oaklea Sisters of Mercy Convent and in the primary and secondary schools. The daily city centre 12.05pm Mass was often well attended and helped me to grown in confidence as I am naturally a shy person. Other appointments have been in parishes at Peterlee, Newcastle University Chaplaincy, Consett, Gateshead, and Stockton for the past five years. Twenty-eight years have passed as a priest and Bishop Robert has now appointed me to serve the people here in Northumberland. I will do this as Parish Priest and as an Episcopal Vicar. I look forward to getting to know the area and understand the unique ministry that rural work brings. Over the months ahead with joy, we will share our time, our gifts and talents as we build the Kingdom of God. I am sure you will see me around with my little dog Jamie who is a miniature poodle. You will find we are most definitely a double act and always ready to say hello! Northumberland has been a land of many Saints over the centuries, and we constantly seek their friendship and heavenly prayers. May we become Saints together in this beautiful, but needy world we live in. May God continue to bring to fulfilment the good work he has begun in us. You are assured of my daily prayers as we begin a new chapter in the life of our parishes. MASS TIMES WITHIN OUR PARISHES A very big welcome to our new Parish Priest, Fr. Jeffrey Dodds and to our additional Assistant Priest, Fr. Luke Wilkinson who, together with Assistant Priest Fr. Jim Dunne and Permanent Deacon Rev. Martin Bell, make up the clergy team who will work collaboratively with everyone within our parishes. We are blessed to have such a fantastic team of clergy, all of whom will minister to our needs and help us along our journey in faith. Over the next 2-3 months, Fr. Jeff will review Mass provision in all of our churches, so keep up to date with any changes which may be made by continuing to read our Parishes Newsletter and/ or referring to our website (www.stmaryshexham.org.uk). NEWS FROM SAINT WILFRID’S … Haltwhistle Churches Together are resuming the Asylum Seekers Collection. Please leave any items at the back of church on Thursdays so that Veronica Yarwood can collect them and then take them to the centre. HOW YOU CAN HELP … You can make donations of food, such as tinned goods (meat, fish, tomatoes, baked beans, sweetcorn, chick peas, kidney beans, fruit), plain rice, sugar, tea bags, biscuits cooking oil, jam, cereals, small jars of coffee.