Vicariate for Faith & Mission Update (October 2024)

Symphony of prayer and praise: A prayer for the Year of Prayer [CAFOD]

God of blessings,
in this year ahead,
give us a spirit of listening,
of openness to your word
and longing for your kingdom.

As we journey toward the Jubilee,
a time of new beginnings,
we pray for help and strength,
to heal our relationships with each other
and all creation.

Sing your song of love over us,
renewing our faith and courage,
so we may join our voices together,
discovering new harmonies of hope,
new melodies of reconciliation

Attentive to the Spirit,
and awake to the needs of the world,
may we seek your life-giving presence,
as we join as one global family,
in a great symphony of prayer and praise.

Amen.

Source: https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/a-prayer-for-the-year-of-prayer

Are you looking to explore the Catholic faith?

Are you wondering about your relationship with God and not sure where to start? Join us on a journey and see if the Catholic Church can help your relationship grow. This may be the right path for you. It may even help you take the next steps towards coming into the Church (see Journey In Faith below).

Visit our New to the Faith webpage for more information.

Journey In Faith (RCIA)

Journey in Faith (or RCIA) is the programme local Catholic Churches use to help people find out more about the Church and discover what it means to be a Catholic. It can lead to becoming a full member of the Church. RCIA courses often start in the Autumn and run through till the following June.

The first stage is one of initial thought and enquiry and is one where the person interested in becoming a Catholic thinks about making initial enquiries, and wants to find out more. It is a time of initial discovery and encounter with Christ, with the Church, and with other Catholics. It can be formalised by attending RCIA meetings or course sessions which, when the time is right, can lead to the next stage.

Please use our Church Directory, to find your nearest Catholic Church. Check the parish newsletter/bulletin/website or the parish office for details of their Journey In Faith (RCIA) programme.

St Paulinus of York, Bishop – died 644

Feast Day – 10 October

Paulinus was a Roman monk, part of a group sent to England in 601 by Pope Gregory to assist Augustine in his work of evangelisation. In 625, he was consecrated bishop, and came to York with the Christian princess Ethelburga, who had been promised in marriage to Edwin of Northumbria. Through the influence of Paulinus, Edwin and his court were baptised on Easter Sunday 627. Having gained the patronage of the king, Paulinus made several missionary journeys throughout the north of England, and large numbers of people were baptised. Paulinus’ appointment as the first Archbishop of York had barely been recognised by the pope when king Edwin was killed in battle, and Paulinus returned to Kent with queen Ethelburga. He ended his days there as Bishop of Rochester and died in 644. Paulinus is venerated as the first apostle of Northumbria.

St Wilfrid, Bishop – c. 633 – c. 709

Feast Day – 12 October

Wilfrid was born in Ripon. As a young man he entered St Aidan’s monastery on Lindisfarne, which followed the usages and liturgical customs of the Celtic church. He later studied in Rome, readily adopting the Roman tradition, and introduced this tradition to the monastery of Ripon, where he had been invited to become abbot. He played a leading role at the Synod of Whitby (644), which extended the Roman usages to the whole country. His time as Archbishop of York was fraught with difficulties: he returned from France after his consecration to find that St Chad had taken his place; his diocese was later divided against his will; his appeal to Rome against this division led to his imprisonment by the king of Northumbria. Much of Wilfrid’s later life was spent in missionary work in the south of England. He was responsible for the extension of Ripon Abbey and for the foundation of Hexham Abbey. In 705 he relinquished control of the Diocese of York, and became Bishop of Hexham, until his death c. 709. Wilfrid was an outstanding man of his life, who never lost the courage of his convictions. His missionary endeavours in the south of England were to bring forth much fruit.

Read more.

Holy Hour

The Association of the Eucharist will be taking a break over the summer and will be holding their next Holy Hour on Sunday 6 October from 2.30pm to 3.30pm at St Andrew’s Church, Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6UW. Refreshments will follow and everyone is welcome to join.

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.

Holocaust Memorial Day

‘For a Better Future’ is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2025.

80 years on from the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, antisemitism (anti-Jewish hatred) has increased significantly. Following the 7 October attacks in Israel last year and the problems taking place in the Middle East, we have seen extremists exploiting the situation to stir up anti-Muslim hatred in the UK. Consequently, many communities are feeling vulnerable with suspicion and hatred of others rising. Therefore, we hope that by holding our annual Holocaust Memorial Evening, we can provide an opportunity for people to come together to learn from and about the past and take action to build a better future for all.

The Interreligious Relations team will provide further details in the next Diocesan newsletter.

Quick Link: Dialogue & Unity

Life in the Spirit Seminars

Please pray for our delivery of Life in the Spirit seminars on Monday evenings at 7.00pm at St Mary’s, Newton Aycliffe on 7, 14, 21 & 28 October and 4 & 11 November 2024. Anyone who missed the first session, or was unable to attend would still be welcome to come to as many sessions as they can. The details of speakers and how to book a place can be found here.

Walker’s Bridge of Hope

Planning continues for an ecumenical event in Walker Park, Newcastle, in late Spring 2025. Please pray for our work as an ecumenical planning group, that we expand our connections to other churches in the east of Newcastle and discern together what our Lord wishes to offer for the people of Walker.

News from the Emmanuel community

The Emmanuel community will be hosting Michelle Moran again from 10.00am at St Mary’s School, Newcastle on Saturday 12 October 2024. Michelle’s theme will be “Signs of Hope in a Changing World”. In marking the fifth anniversary of the founding of CHARIS, Michelle recently commented, “It was a privilege to be involved in the establishment of CHARIS. I pray for all those now tasked with the responsibility of serving in the current of grace. May CHARIS continue to bring unity, strength and maturity to the Charismatic Renewal worldwide.”

We look forward to hearing what Michelle is seeing of how the Holy Spirit has been at work over these five years. To book a place contact Pat Kennedy by email: pat.kennedy42@icloud.com or by mob: 07546 302832.

Plans are also now in place for the Emmanuel community to host Fr Chris Thomas again on Saturday 22 March 2025. For more information, please contact Pat Kennedy as above.

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

Email: charis@diocesehn.org.uk

Quick Link: CHARIS

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 now need new members to join the team. At present we are down to 4 members, all from Durham, but our aim is always to have representatives from all areas of the Diocese to help inform and plan our work.

For anyone interested, the DCMA will be holding an initial meeting on Saturday 12 October at 10.30am at St Michael’s, Houghton-le-Spring.

Booking is not essential, but it would help in our preparation for the meeting to know how many people will be attending. RSVP to dcma@diocesehn.org.uk or contact your Partnership Chair.

Quick Link: DCMA

Marriage Preparation Days

2024:

Saturday 9 November: St Mary’s, Bishop Auckland DL14 6PQ.

2025:

Saturday 1 February: The Sacred Heart, North Gosforth NE3 5EB.
Saturday 22 February: St Robert of Newminster, Morpeth NE61 1QF.
Saturday 8 March: St Joseph, Blaydon NE21 5AE.
Saturday 22 March, St Mary, Bishop Auckland DL14 6PQ.
Saturday 26 April, St Hilda, Sunderland SR5 2JD.
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

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

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.

Distance Learning Programmes in Catholic Theology

New single module option for October 2024

The Distance Learning programmes in Catholic Theology, led by Durham University’s Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS), are designed so that participants can work through material at their own pace, studying equally well in any time zone and in many different life situations, alongside work, ministry, family or caring obligations.

NEW for 2024-25: In addition to the Postgraduate Certificate, the Postgraduate Diploma, and the MA, students can now enrol for a single module. Students with a BA or BSc who have not studied Theology or a related discipline before, are now free to apply to enrol for the core module, ‘Catholic Theology: A Preliminary Tour’ and proceed to the MA following its successful completion. The single module is also a standalone option for Continual Professional Development and general interest.

Further details are found in this leaflet, and are available at Distance Learning – Durham University.

If you have any questions about the Distance Learning programmes, please do not hesitate to email: theresa.phillips@durham.ac.uk.

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 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.