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HomeNewsVicariate for Faith & Mission Update (May 2025)

Vicariate for Faith & Mission Update (May 2025)

May 15 2025

Update from the Vicariate

Dear Friends,

As we journey through May, the month of Mary, we’re reminded of her example of faithful witness – prayerful, courageous, and deeply rooted in God’s call. Across our Diocese, we continue walking the synodal path together, listening and discerning how best to live out our shared mission. The next main offer to encourage us on this journey is a Diocesan Day on Witnessing Our Faith. We invite you to this gathering to reflect on how we share the Gospel in the ordinariness of daily life, rooted in hope and authenticity. This is a key part of our diocesan vision – supporting people to share their faith with confidence and discernment.

Alongside this, our work to refresh and reimagine Pastoral Councils continues to grow. These councils are not simply administrative groups, but prayerful, representative spaces where laity and clergy come together to discern, listen, and support the mission of the Church in each local context. They are a key part of our synodal vision of communion, participation, and mission.

Let us continue building a Church that listens, walks together, and shines with the light of Christ.

Amy Cameron, Director of Formation and Mission Development.

Year of Jubilee 2025

Dear Pilgrims of Hope!

“In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future will bring” – Pope Francis.

We are pleased to offer the following during the Year of Jubilee.

Year of Jubilee Formation Opportunity – Witness: Sharing our Faith in Today’s World AND Significance Festival

Saturday 28 June at Emmaus Village, Nr Consett DH8 9BA.

In celebration for this Year of Jubilee, we invite you to join us for a half-day session based on the theme of Witness: Sharing our Faith in Today’s World. The session timings are 9.20am – 1.30pm. Are you terrified by the thought of evangelisation? Do you dread people asking you about the Church? This formation opportunity will offer a time of sharing experiences and fears, an insight into how to deal with tough questions and 10 things that might help when talking to people about your faith! This witness event is free of charge and is recommended for adults and young people from school Year 12 and above.

The Witness Day will lead into the Significance Festival with Mass celebrated by Bishop Stephen at 3.00pm and music by the amazing One Hope Project. The festival and Mass will celebrate the wonderful youth work and events that Significance: The Fr. Dermott Donnelly Foundation has supported over the past year.

Mass will be followed by a BBQ (tickets cost £10 p.p. – children under 14 are free). Enjoy exploring the beautiful setting of the Emmaus Village in Allensford and socialising and dancing your way into the evening with a live music ceilidh band. The village’s self-catering chalets (see image) will be available for booking for those wishing to stay overnight.

You’re warmly welcome to join us for the Witness formation, the Significance Festival, or both! Come on your own or with family, friends or with your parish or school.

Children must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult.

Follow this link for full details, costs and booking information.

Pilgrimage for Pentecost Challenge!

As we journey into the Easter Season, have you considered organising a Pilgrimage for Pentecost?

The Jubilee motto is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ and we’re invited on a spiritual journey as people of Hope, searching for an ever-deeper connection with God. Pilgrimages, journeys of spiritual and personal significance, offer profound opportunities for reflection and renewal. They can take us to sacred sites, historical landmarks, or even local places of importance, and help us connect deeply with our faith, heritage, and community. As we travel, we can meditate, pray, and share with each other, and that can give us a richer understanding of the Jubilee’s themes of justice, mercy, and forgiveness. Pilgrimages are a great way to rejuvenate our spirits, strengthen our bonds with each other, and draw inspiration for the path ahead.

Check out our information and resources here for some ideas and suggestions.

This Year of Jubilee we’re all invited and encouraged to:

  • Rediscover the value of silence, hope and simplicity of life.
  • Be pilgrims on a quest to deepen our relationship with God and with each other as members of One Diocesan Family.
  • Accompany each other through prayer, welcome and witness.

There’s a long history of Pilgrimage, for those with faith and those without. It’s a chance to reflect on life’s journey and to share reflections with one another. And it’s about accompaniment. Pope Francis calls us to walk with others, listening to how God might be at work in each other’s context and circumstances.

The North East is a land of great Christian historical significance. Many local Saints have gone before us and will have walked, prayed and discerned God’s daily call on the ground that is our Diocese. We are invited to walk where they walked, as Pilgrims of Hope.

So, if you are still feeling inspired by pilgrimages, perhaps you can find others from your parish, partnership or schools who would like to help organise something, whatever the distance, wherever you go and take on the Pilgrimage to Pentecost challenge!

Heavenfield Partnership Pilgrimage to Walsingham

Heavenfield Partnership invite you to join their pilgrimage from 4 – 6 July 2025 to the National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham for the Jubilee Year, calling us to be Pilgrims of Hope. A place of pilgrimage since 1061, with the Shrine restored in 1897, Walsingham is a sign of hope where Our Lady is honoured in perpetual memorial of Our Lord’s Incarnation.

Coach transport is from Hexham (free parking available), ensuite accommodation, and a programme of daily Mass, Confessions, Adoration, devotions to Our Lady, a trip to the coast, and fun social activities in addition to journeying through the Shrine’s Holy Door. We look forward to welcoming you to join us in a journey of faith, hope and love. £320 per person which includes travel, half board accommodation and Sunday lunch included.

Spaces are limited, so if you have any queries or to book, please email St Mary’s Parish Office, Hexham or call 01434 603 119.

Parishes and Schools Celebrating the Jubilee Together

Schools have embraced the Jubilee with a huge amount of energy, deepening faith, reflecting on hope and putting faith into action by preparing to take a Jubilee pledge of solidarity and transformation. Please visit our page for ideas for parishes and schools to celebrate the Jubilee together.

‘Jubilee for All‘ – A Resource for Families

‘Jubilee for All‘ is a new resource from CELEBRATE Trust for the Jubilee year. ‘Jubilee for All‘ has been developed for families, especially those with additional needs, to enjoy pilgrimage in their local diocese in the Jubilee Year of Hope.

Pope Francis wants all to access this Year of Hope, ‘For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the “door” (cf. Jn 10: 7.9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1: 1).’

CELEBRATE Trust have designed short creative activities that families can choose from to enable them to draw close to Jesus, our hope, and to enable them to share that love with others. To download the resource for free, visit here and click on ‘Jubilee for All‘.

WeBelieve Festival of Catholic Life

Celebrate the Jubilee at WeBelieve, a festival of Catholic Life gathering the Church to share the hope that we have in Christ. From 25-28 July, join us for four days of music, keynotes, conversation & worship at St Mary’s College, Oscott, Birmingham. Featuring Dr Gianna Emanuela Molla (daughter of St Gianna Molla), Fr Paul Murray, Msgr Michael Nazir-Ali, AnMari, Fr Toby Lees & many more. Tickets available now here or contact the Diocesan Jubilee team for promotional materials and details how parishes can register.

Please visit the Diocesan Year of Jubilee page: https://bit.ly/DHNjubilee2025 for all the latest news, information and events or email the Diocesan Jubilee team at: jubilee2025@diocesehn.org.uk.

May the Year of Jubilee 2025 be a Beacon of Hope.

CAFOD Prayers and Reflections

Our prayer as a global community is more important than ever. Let’s stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world as we pray together with them and for all people who are experiencing poverty.

Browse our collection of prayers, bidding prayers, reflections, liturgy and resources on a wide range of themes and throughout the liturgical year.

Please visit CAFOD’s website for prayer resources for the Season of Easter and Pentecost.

TryPraying – A Simple Tool for Mission

Trypraying is a movement based around a booklet, which encourages people to pray for the first time, very simply, for 7 days. It includes suggestions, stories and invitations to pray – and what the booklet, and those who receive it, encounter God in profound ways! Just by praying.

The Archdiocese of Birmingham are hosting an online meeting for those interested in trypraying, and invite you to join on Zoom on Thursday 22 May, 7.30pm, where David Hill and Emma Weaver from trypraying will share inspiring stories of how the trypraying movement is impacting churches and communities across the UK and around the world. This Zoom meeting is open to anyone who is interested in learning more.

To register interest, please email: office.mission@rcaob.org.uk. Visit their website here.

Evangelisation

Evangelisation for the Terrified

‘Evangelising for the Terrified’, written and produced within the Diocese, is a practical, light-hearted resource for anyone wondering how to get started in sharing their faith. It is deliberately written to be a simple, non-threatening collection of ideas that give intention and purpose to normal everyday opportunities that arise. Download a copy here.

Quick Link: Sharing the Faith.

Northern Saint Feast Days

St Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, 673 – 735 (Sunday 25 May)

Born in Wearmouth in 673, Bede was educated at the monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow, where he was professed by St Benet Biscop and later ordained by St John of Beverley. He remained there as a monk for the rest of his life. He was the first historian of the English church and people, a master of the Scriptures and of the teaching of the fathers. Known for his delight in learning, teaching and writing, he is venerated as the ‘light of the Church’ in the period sometimes known as the Dark Ages, and as a forerunner of the 8th and 9th century renaissance of the Western Church. Bede died at Jarrow on this day in 735.

Liturgy

Liturgical Formation

The Diocesan Liturgical Formation Team will be offering the following day:

Refresher for Liturgical leaders of Celebrations of the Word and Holy Communion:

Date: Monday 23 June 2025.
Venue: St Hilda’s Diocesan Resource Centre, West Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 7PY.

NB. A place on this course must be booked via your parish priest.

View details here.

The Eucharist: A Gift to be Nurtured

As part of our aim to promote growth and knowledge of the Eucharist, the Association of the Eucharist offer The Eucharist: A Gift to be Nurtured, which gives us words from Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis to guide time before the Blessed Sacrament. This resource can be used by both individuals and groups.

Association of the Eucharist

The Association of the Eucharist will be holding a Holy Hour on Sunday 1 June at St Andrew’s, Worswick Street, Newcastle from 2.30pm to 3.30pm. This will be followed by refreshments, everyone is welcome to come and spend an hour with the Lord.

Dialogue & Unity

The Interreligious Team will hold their annual Christian – Muslim Women’s Prayer for Peace on Saturday 14 June at 2.00 pm. This event allows us to unite for peace throughout our world, in our communities, and in our families. We meet in the tranquil setting of the Lady Chapel, situated in the picturesque Jesmond Dene. For the past two years, we have invited men to accompany their families to this event.

We will remember the co-founder of this event, Mrs Christine Wickens, who sadly passed away in February of this year.

Please join us for refreshments afterwards at Holy Name Parish Hall, NE2 3JX. This is an opportunity to meet with each other and appreciate what we hold dear.

Find out more here.

For more information, please email: interreligious.relations@diocesehn.org.uk.

Quick Link: Dialogue & Unity

Charismatic Diocesan Service of Communion (CDSC)

Life in the Spirit Seminars

Delivery of Life in the Spirit seminars since the beginning of last year has brought our way a growing number of inspirational speakers, and sisters and brothers ready to share how a greater openness to the Holy Spirit has transformed their lives. All being well further deliveries of the seminars will be offered before the summer and in the autumn. More details to follow.

Mass for Pentecost

Please join us for ‘Hope does not disappoint‘, our Mass for Pentecost at St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle on Saturday 31 May from 1.00pm. As before, we will prepare for Mass with praise and worship and offer a Pentecost blessing during a time of Exposition. This year members of the Diocesan Healing Team will provide prayers for healing after Mass. There will also be a poster display of our team’s journey as pilgrims of hope to mark the Jubilee year. A poster promoting the Mass is available here. Mass for Pentecost will be live-streamed. Please visit the Cathedral YouTube Channel here.

News from the Emmanuel community

The Emmanuel community will be meeting again on Saturday 28 June 2025 from 10.30am to 4.00pm on the theme of ‘The Importance of Belonging’ with various speakers and testimonies. To book a place contact Pat Kennedy at: pat.kennedy42@icloud.com or call: 07546 302832.

On Saturday 25 October 2025 the Emmanuel Community will be hosting Fr Chris Thomas again to continue his exploration on the importance of our Baptism.

Mailing list

With the support of the Vicariate for Faith and Mission we have created a mailing list for people to hear more detailed information about Charismatic Renewal opportunities within the Diocese and beyond. If you would like to be added to this mailing list, please email your name to charis@diocesehn.org.uk.

John Wheeler, Co-ordinator Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Service of Communion.

Email: charis@diocesehn.org.uk

Quick Link: CHARIS

Diocesan Church Music Association

A Call for Volunteers with the Gift of Music

Music makes the world of difference to our lives, especially in our worship. Vatican II recognised ‘the importance of singing‘ in the celebration of the Mass and that it should be ‘integral to worship‘ with ‘due consideration for the culture of the people and abilities of each liturgical assembly‘.

The Diocesan Church Music Association (DCMA) is a body of volunteer musicians within Hexham and Newcastle who aim to help parishes in their use of music for the Mass. We offer practical help and guidance to parish musicians, considering that each parish will have its own musical ‘house-style’. This may be a traditional choir-and-organ setup, an instrumental group, a praise & worship band, or perhaps unaccompanied singing. Previously we have put on singing days and workshops to highlight new Mass settings, simple Communion songs, music for the Triduum, as well as a ‘keyboard-free’ workshop for those parishes who do not have a pianist or organist.

We welcome new members to join the Diocesan Church Music Association team. Our current team members are all from the Durham area, but our aim is always to have representatives from all areas of the Diocese to help inform and plan our work.

For anyone interested in finding out more information about joining the DCMA, please email dcma@diocesehn.org.uk

Quick Link: DCMA

Marriage & Family Life

Marriage Preparation Days

2025:

Saturday 14 June: St Thomas Aquinas, Darlington DL1 2PU.
Saturday 21 June: The Sacred Heart, North Gosforth NE3 5EB.

(Other dates and venues will be notified to each Parish Priest and Deacon as arranged.)

Engaged couples can find more information here.

To find and book on a course, please visit our website or call the booking service: 0800 389 3801 (NB. In person and online courses are available).

Fees payable to MarriageCare are given on the website and will cover the costs of the resources and materials that will be provided on the day for each couple; they also include an element of cost towards the counselling arm of MarriageCare, an important facility very well called upon in present society. At the end of the day of attendance, couples will be provided with details to go online to MarriageCare to print their certificates, one of which should be handed to the Parish Priest and the other retained.

Priests, Deacons and lay people may email: marriage@diocesehn.org.uk for further information or Deacon Rob Wareing directly, if required.

Deacon Rob Wareing, Diocesan Lead for Marriage and Family Life

Email: rob.wareing@diocesehn.org.uk
Mobile: 07841 530991

Quick Links: Family & Sacraments Marriage Care

Spiritual Accompaniment

Exploring Spiritual Accompaniment

Spiritual Accompaniment has been part of the Christian tradition and a ministry in the Church since the days of the early Church. It is often called Spiritual Direction, although we prefer the term ‘accompaniment’ because it suggests walking alongside someone in their spiritual/faith journey, rather than telling them what to do!

Spiritual Accompaniment is not about solving problems so much as exploring our relationship with God, through prayer and reflection on our experience of faith and life.

A Spiritual Director is not there to give advice or tell you what to believe in, but rather to listen attentively and act as a ‘sounding board’ for whatever you bring to the session.

Spiritual Accompaniment sessions usually take place every couple of months or so, depending on the circumstances of the individuals involved.

Maybe you feel called to this ministry or know someone who might be interested. St Antony’s Priory in Durham offers training. Sr Sheila McNamara RSCJ, the Diocesan Lead on Spiritual Accompaniment, is part of the training team for the two-year course.

Training in Spiritual Accompaniment

‘Exploring Spiritual Accompaniment’ is a two-year programme of formation that provides both an opportunity for personal spiritual development, as well as offering practical and experiential training in the skills applicable to accompanying others on their faith journey.

Our approach to Spiritual Accompaniment is ecumenical, drawing on a broad range of Christian wisdom and spirituality, as well as being informed by the Guidelines for Spiritual Directors, published by the Retreat Association.

A key principle undergirding the course is that it should be congruous with the process of spiritual accompaniment itself. Rather than simply being a programme of training in skills or knowledge, it should also be seen as a process of discernment and formation in the charism of this distinctive ministry.

The course will comprise eight modules taught over two academic years. Each module will include a significant element of self-directed learning. This will provide an opportunity to reflect on matters considered between sessions, as well as enabling a focus on the development of listening skills and the practice of accompaniment.

“The course has vastly exceeded my expectations on every level. The depth and spread of topics covered, the reading and the materials (physical and online) and individual and group experiential aspects have all been extremely rich and stretching.”

Please see St Antony’s website – Spiritual Direction section – for more information or email Sr Sheila: sheila.mcnamara@diocesehn.org.uk.

Quick Link: Spiritual Accompaniment

Deepening Our Faith

Catholic Pastoral Leadership Course

Are you involved in any ministry in the Church? Are you interested in doing more for the Church? Do you want to expand your skills in pastoral leadership? A new online course in Catholic Pastoral Leadership might be what you are looking for.

Liverpool Hope University has partnered with several Catholic dioceses across England and Wales to help people like you to gain fresh perspectives on Scripture and Church teaching. You will look at real-world issues in the light of our tradition and consider the best ways of exploring Christian faith and life with others. The 2-year course is split into 4 modules and you can complete most of the work at a time that suits you.

To find out more information about the course, please visit our website.

Alpha

Alpha in a Catholic Context

Alpha is an 11-week course that creates a space, online or in person, where people are excited to bring their friends for a conversation about Jesus.

Alpha is a parish tool for evangelisation where everyone is welcome. The same Alpha content is run all over the world, by Christians of all traditions, sharing the good news of Jesus.  Alpha is a tool built for local churches based on hospitality, sharing and open conversation. It provides a common expression of proclamation, service and witness. Millions of people have experienced Alpha in over 175 countries and over 100 languages around the globe.

Each session has three key ingredients:

Connect

Whether in person over a meal or virtually with a cup of tea, all sessions start with a time to connect, relax and build friendships. Eating food together creates space for people to connect and share life on a deeper level.

Watch

The Alpha talks are designed to engage people from all walks of life and inspire conversation. They explore the big issues of life and faith and unpack the basics of Christian belief, addressing questions like “Who is Jesus?”, “Why and how do I pray?” and “How does God guide us?”

Discuss

The discussion time is an opportunity for people to respond to the talk, hear from others and contribute their own perspective in an honest, friendly and open environment.

Alpha for Catholics Introductory Video

ALPHA Youth Series

A new way for young people to explore life, faith and purpose.

Made for this generation, the new Alpha Youth Series creatively unpacks the real questions young people have. The series, consisting of 10 episodes, run over 8 weeks, introduces and explores the core ideas of the Christian faith, in a relevant and engaging way.

To find out more about the Alpha Youth Series or how to run Alpha Youth in a Catholic context, please contact the Vicariate.

Alpha for Youth

Are you thinking about running an Alpha group?

Visit: https://alpha.org.uk/try or email: adminfaith.mission@diocesehn.org.uk.

Bereavement Support

People continue to request support following the death of a loved one. Most requests have come via the dedicated phone (07732 980740) and people are put in touch with a member of the Bereavement Support Team very quickly. Some people have been personally encouraged by a friend or relative to contact our service.

The Emmaus Bereavement Support Service number is 07732 980740 a member of the team will contact you promptly.

Quick Link: Accompaniment in Difficult Times.

Reflections

Fr Sean Hall continues to offer his weekly reflections on the Sunday Readings and Pat Kennedy her monthly reflections, both available to read online or download in the Prayer Resources section.

Contact Us

Contact the Vicariate of Faith & Mission by email: adminfaith.mission@diocesehn.org.uk or by telephone 0191 243 3316 / 07375 934713 during office hours.

Visit our Vicariate for Faith & Mission News page here.