St. Bede's Catholic Church

Newcastle upon Tyne

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Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Alphonsus...Born at Naples in 1696.  He studied law and took his doctor's degree in both civil and canon law, became a priest and later founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists).  In order to promote among the faithful a truly Christian life he spent his time in preaching and in writing, especially about moral theology of which discipline he is looked on as the master.  He was chosen to be Bishop of Sant' Agata dei Goti, but soon gave up the post and returned to his own Congregation where he died at Nocera dei Pagani in Campagna in 1787.

• John Vianney...Born at Lyons the previous year—in 1786.  After overcoming tremendous difficulties he was finally ordained priest.  He was given charge of the parish of Ars in the diocese of Belley, and by his forthright preaching, personal mortification, prayer and charity renewed it and increased it in a wonderful way.  His help to those who came to the sacrament of confession was renowned and people flocked to him from all sides to obtain his advice.  He died in 1859. I have a feeling that he is the only ‘ordinary’ parish priest to be a saint—bit of a story there somewhere….

Sacred Heart High School...is looking for a accommodation for a retired teacher from Germany who is helping out in the German Department at the school for one year beginning in September. She is looking for a small furnished house or flat comprising a living room, small bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. If you have any ideas or can help, please contact her by email at am.nowotnick@wehb.de

Ecumenical Trip to Holy Island...on Saturday 10th September.  Pick up at Denton Burn Methodist Church at 8.15 then here at St Bedes and St Margaret’s around 8.30.  Stop at Amble for morning coffee (no better place, tho’ can’t imagine where that is happening…) around 10.00am then to Holy Island for 11.30.  Service at St Mary’s at 12.00.  Free time till 4.00pm when all leave the island for Alnwick for the legendary fish and chips at 5.00pm  Leave Alnwick at 6.15 to be back at Denton Burn around 7.45, then St Bede’s and St Margaret’s.  The total cost as the bus is not full will be £13.50 per person—so if you do want to join in, there’s room.  Balance of £5.50 due by 10th August.

There’s a lovely card at the back of the Church from St Lucina, who is delighted to receive £400.00 from the parish Christmas Candle Collection to help with Sharing Fair.

Fr Michael Hickey of St Robert’s has been asked by the Bishop to be the Dean of this part of Newcastle for the next 3 years. It will be good to be working with Michael once again and I’m sure he will help us all move forward here in the West End of the city.

Annual Catechist Day at Ushaw on Saturday 24 September.  The main speaker is Fr Andrew Faley (currently working with the Bishops’ Conference Secretariat, God love him).  He’s a great communicator, tons of experience and a sense of humour.  If you’re interested, please let me know—poster at the back of the Church

Many thanks to Frs Seamus O’Kane and Bill Bellamy for supplying next weekend. I hope to be enjoying the company of my sister and family for a few days in Normandy—hopefully the weather is better than it is as a write this late Friday night—it could be worse, we could live in Birmingham!

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• SS Joachim & Anne...An old tradition going back to the second century gives these names to the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Have a look, but you won’t find them anywhere in the New Testament. The veneration of Saint Anne dates from the sixth century in the East and spread throughout the West in the tenth century; that of Saint Joachim is more recent.

• Saint Martha... was the sister of Mary and Lazarus. She received the Lord into her house and provided for his needs with great care. At her request the Lord raised her brother from the dead.

• St Peter Chrysologus...Born about 380 at Imola in Emilia. He entered the clerical state and in the year 424 was chosen to be Bishop of Ravenna. He looked after his flock with meticulous care and taught the people with his sermons and writings. He died about the year 450. To be honest, not much known about him, though his name does me ‘golden speech’ or ‘golden word—so he may have been a good preacher.

URGENT URGENT URGENT...CHILD PROTECTION PROCESS...

Every parish in the diocese has been asked to provide by 30th July this year a list of all volunteers who have ‘meaningful contact’ with children and vulnerable young adults. This includes anyone involved in Eucharistic Ministry; Children’s Liturgy (just because you are a teacher doesn’t necessarily mean that you are cleared for ‘vulnerable young adults’); training alter servers; youth work; etc. If you have any doubt, please see me or Deidre Grzebalski. I know it is hassle, but we really do need to do it if we are to be thorough in our approach to the protection of children and vulnerable young adults.

Please write your name on the list at the entrances to the Church. There is no need for addresses or phone numbers at this stage (so far as I understand the literature I’ve received) Very many thanks for your cooperation at such short notice.

Blessed John Ingram Walk

Sorry about the late warning about this. The Annual Pilgrimage organised by the SVP. The pilgrims will gather at 2.45pm opposite the Coop on Newgate Street. The leader and preacher will be Fr David Milburn.

Advanced Warning! 

Saturday 20th August—Pilgrimage to Carfin to join up with the Crusade of Mary Immaculate—book as soon as possible by phoning Jose Blay.

Walking with God  17th September in St Bede’s Carlisle...A Day of Prayer and Reflection, (11.00—5.00pm) drawing on the richness of the Carmelite spiritual tradition.

Bible Alive for August on sale at the back of the Church—£1.95.  Proceeds help with services to those in the Criminal Justice System.

Red Boxes….Many thanks for the £215.86 collected to date—this will be sent off to the Association for the Propagation of the Faith in London, it will make Fr John Dale very happy!

Remember this: 

The Magna Carta provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offence….   JOK

G8 and Make Poverty History

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Lawrence...Born in 1559.  He entered the Capuchin Order where he taught theology to the students and engaged in many of the works of the Order.  As a renowned preacher he travelled throughout Europe and he wrote many works exploring the faith.— He was indeed a bright guy...He died at Lisbon in 1619.

• St Mary Magdalen...She was one of Jesus’ disciples, was present at his death, and was the first witness to the Resurrection—Mk 16:9. Devotion to her spread throughout the Western Church especially in the twelfth century.

• St Bridget...Born in Sweden in 1303.  She married while still a girl and gave birth to eight children whom she brought up in a religious spirit.  She was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis, but after the death of her husband she decided to lead a more ascetical life even though still in the world.  Later she founded the Bridgettine Order and went to Rome where she became outstanding in her practice of virtue.  She wrote many works describing the mystical experiences she had and went on a penitential pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  She died at Rome in 1373. One of the amazing things about the Church is that, despite the fact that she had 8 children she was canonised because she was a religious! It must have been tougher being a mother—do you reckon?

Many thanks to Sharon O’Donnell and Marian Fletcher for joining us last weekend.  I hope to be able to let them know what people think about the idea of us having a Parish Programme next term over the next couple of weeks.  If you have any comments, please let me know.

G8 and Make Poverty History

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Benedict...Born at Norcia in Umbria about the year 480. After studying at Rome, he led a life of solitude in Subiaco and gathered disciples around him, and then went on to Monte Cassino. Here he founded a monastery and wrote his Rule, as a result of which he has been called the Father of monasticism in the West. He died on 21st March 547, but from the end of the eighth century he has been venerated on 11th July. Interesting, the Benedictines are the only Religious Order founded in the 1st millennium to survive until today—so he must have done a good job!

• St Henry...Born in Bavaria in 973. He succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria and later was elected Holy Roman Emperor. He was outstanding for his reforms in the Church and for his encouragement of missionary activity; he set up many dioceses and founded monasteries. He died in 1024 and was canonised by Eugene III in 1146.

• St Camillus...Born near Chieti in Abruzzi in 1550. At first he was a soldier and then, after his conversion, he dedicated himself to the care of the sick. He completed his studies and was ordained priest, then founded a religious congregation which set up hospitals to look after the sick. He died at Rome in 1614. Used to be a community near Hexham. The building is now serving people living with cancer.

• St Bonaventure...Born around 1218 at Bagnoregio in Tuscany. He studied philosophy and theology at Paris. He became Minister General of the Franciscan Order and ruled the order with great wisdom and prudence, and later became Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He wrote many influential works in philosophy and theology, and died at Lyons in the year 1274. One of the good guys.

• Our Lady of Mount Carmel...The Scriptures speak of the beauty of Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah defended the faith of the people of Israel in the living God. In the twelfth century a group of hermits settled there and afterwards set up the Carmelite Order to lead a contemplative life under the patronage of the holy Mother of God. If you get the chance, go and see it!

Thanks also to those who were able to attend the meeting with Eucharistic Ministers last week.  There is a list in the porch inviting those who are able to help bring Holy Communion to the Sick and Housebound.  Please sign up if you feel you can help with this particular ministry.  Many thanks

Ms Sharon O’Donnell from the Diocesan Religious Education team will be with us this weekend to introduce the proposed parish renewal programme in September/November.  I mentioned this a month or so ago in the newsletter after discussing it with the Parish In Council meeting. 

Just in case you’re still studying for exams—forget the following….Adam, and Eve were created from an apple tree.  One of their children, Cain asked: ‘Am I my brother’s son?’, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Montezuma, Jacob, son of Isaac, stole his brother’s birthmark.  Pharoah forced the Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw after which Moses led them to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread without any ingredients ….and so it goes on.     Who would be an RE teacher?     Actually, I quite enjoyed it...JOK

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Elizabeth of Portugal...Born of the royal family of Aragon in 1271. As a girl she was given in marriage to the king of Portugal, by whom she had two sons. She overcame many trials and difficulties by prayer and works of charity. When her husband died she gave her worldly goods to the poor and took the habit of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She died in 1366 trying to make peace between her son and son-in-law….a difficulty for anyone...

• St Anthony Zaccaria...(1502-1539). Born at Cremona in Lombardy. He first studied medicine at Padua and then became a priest. He founded the Congregation of Clerics of Saint Paul, known as Barnabites, which worked for the reform of morals among the faithful.

• St Maria Goretti...Born at Ancona in Italy of a poor family in 1890. She spent her childhood near Nettuno in poverty, helping her mother in the domestic chores. She was a religious girl and much given to prayer. In 1902, while defending her chastity against a man attempting to violate her, she preferred to die rather than give way, and was repeatedly stabbed with a knife.

• St Augustine Zhao Rong ...There were severe penalties imposed on practicing Christians in China at the beginning of the 19th century. Augustine, a diocesan priest, and other parishioners were arrested, tortured and executed. One hundred and nineteen of them were canonised in October 2000 by Pope John Paul 11.

This Sunday—3rd July—Please take a card. It is a Day of Prayer for the Cherishing of Life, particularly older people.

There is a special collection this weekend.

Ring Bernadette on 0208 949 7297 for further information.

If you are studying for exams, you must remember the following:

The inhabitants of Egypt are called mummies. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and travelled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the Dessert are cultimated by irritation. The Egyptians built the pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The Pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain…..

…..and good luck with your exams….JOK