St. Bede's Catholic Church

Newcastle upon Tyne

The page is usually updated on Friday or Saturday although additional updates can be made during the following week. Please check 'Last updated' under latest news.

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Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• SS Margaret Clitherow, Anne Line & Margaret Ward...were all excuted during the English reformation. Margaret Clitherow died in York in 1586. Margaret Ward died in 1588 and Anne Line died at Tyburn in 1601. They are remembered for their resourcefulness, loyalty, outstanding courage and for the service they rendered the Church during dangerous times in aiding the ministry of priests.
   
• St Aidan...Born in Ireland, Aidan died at Bamburgh in 651. A Monk of Iona, he was sent to Northumbria when King Oswald asked for help in converting his kingdom and established his monastery on the island of Lindisfarne in 631. Assisted by King Oswald and later King Oswy, Aidan preached the Gospel, founded churches and monasteries and liberated slaves throughout the kingdom. Since the testimony of Bede, he has been venerated for his simplicity and poverty, for his love of prayer and the scriptures, and for his care of the sick and the poor. A really good man!
   
• St Gregory the Great...Born at Rome about the year 540. He entered the public service and was appointed a Prefect of the City. Then he entered a monastery, was ordained deacon and performed the office of a papal legate to Constantinople. On 3rd September 590 he became pope and showed himself a true pastor in his administration, his care of the poor, and in spreading and consolidating the faith. He addition he wrote many works on faith and morals. He died on 12th March 604. Famous for sending the reluctant St Augustine to the mission of the Britons in 595– (he took two years to arrive here!).
   

NB There will be no Thursday morning Mass at St Joseph’s until Thursday 29th September.

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Rose...Born at Lima in Peru in 1586. She was a reflective and holy young woman, and after taking the habit of the Third Order of Saint Dominic she made great progress in prayer and, penance and contemplation. She died on 24th August in 1617—at the age of 31...

• St Bartholomew...Born at Cana in The Galilee. To be honest, we don’t know too much about him, but it does seem that he was led to Jesus by the apostle Philip, and after the Lord's Ascension tradition has it that he preached the gospel in India and there suffered martyrdom
   

• St Louis...Born in 1214. He became King of France when he was 22!. He married and had eleven children (God love him). He took penance and prayer seriously, and committed himself to caring for the poor in his country.
   

• St Monica: Born at Thagaste in North Africa (we now call it Libya) of a Christian family about the year 331. While still young she married to Patricius and had three children, one of whom was Augustine. I do wonder about her! She must be a saint, putting up with her brilliant son, who in turn, had a child while not married to his partner. He would be more than welcome here at St Bede’s. She must have shed many a tear about him. She seems to have been a great mother who put up with a lot of hassle! I I look forward to meeting her….She died at Ostia in 387

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Stephen...Born in Hungary around 969, and in the year 1000 was crowned King of Hungary.  He was a just, peaceful and religious king, keeping strictly to the laws of the Church and always seeking the good of his subjects.  He established many dioceses and did much to strengthen the life of the Church.  He died at Szekesfehervar in 1038.

• St John Eudes...Born in the diocese of Seez in France in 1601.  After being ordained priest he spent many years as a missionary preacher.  He founded congregations with the object of educating priests (known as the Eudists—would you believe) in seminaries and of rescuing women who were in moral danger (interesting combination…).  He strenuously promoted devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.  He died in 1680.

• St Bernard...Born near Dijon in France in 1090.  He was brought up religiously and joined the Cistercians in 1111.  Soon afterwards he was elected Abbot of the monastery of Clairvaux.  He was outstanding in directing the monks in virtue both by his work and by his example.  On account of divisions which had arisen in the Church he travelled through Europe trying to restore peace and unity.  He wrote many works dealing with theology and the spiritual life.  He died in 1153.

Many thanks to Frs Seamus O’Kane and Bill Bellamy for helping out when I was away.

A Reminder: Highland Fling Therapy—St Margaret’s Scotswood on Friday 26 August at 7.30  Tickets £3.00.

2.00pm Saturday 13th— Just arrived back from a few days in Normandy.  One of the places we visited was Le Memorial, a remarkable museum/tribute to armed struggle throughout the 20th century, and a ‘memorial’ to those who work for peace—including all the Nobel Peace Prize Winners in history. 

Some thoughts from one part of the Tribute:

Nobody can be foolish enough to prefer war to peace.  In times of peace, the sons bury their fathers; in times of war, fathers bury their sons…  Heroditus (485—425BC)  Histories 7.67

Without meditation, where is peace? (The Baghavad Gita)

If you smile, half is for your face, half for your neighbour. Peace... is like a smile. (A Tibetan Proverb)

If there is righteousness in the heart, you will have beauty in the character.

If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the house.

If there is harmony in the house there will be order in the nation

When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.

(A Chinese Proverb).

If you are here on holiday—you are most welcome, enjoy it    JOK

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Dominic...Born at Calaruega in Spain around 1170.  He studied theology at Palencia and became a canon of the Cathedral of Osma.  He preached against the Albigensian heresy and because of the example of his own life this bore great fruit.  In order to carry on and increase this work he gathered around him a group of companions and formed the Order of Preachers (Dominicans).  He died on 6th August in the year 1221 at Bologna.

• St Laurence... was a deacon of the Church of Rome and died in the persecution of Valerian four days after Pope Saint Sixtus II and his four fellow-deacons.  He was buried on the Via Tiburtina at the Campo Verano near to where Constantine the Great built a basilica.  He has been venerated throughout the Church from the fourth century.

• St Clare...Born at Assisi in the year 1193.  She followed her fellow countryman Saint Francis in his life of poverty and was the founder and ruler of an order of nuns (Poor Clares).  She led a very austere life, abounding in works of piety and charity.  She died in 1253.

Welcome and thanks to Frs Seamus O’Kane and Bill Bellamy for supplying this weekend.  I hope to be enjoying the sun and floods or whatever in the middle of Normandy!

Mass Intentions...just a note to say that I will say all the masses requested here at St Bede’s, though some will not necessarily be on the dates asked for—simply because I’m not here.  I will attempt to say them as near to the date as possible and I’ll say them in the order in which they come in.  Just a note to say that there are now no Intentions (other than some for specific dates) in our Mass Register. 

Thanks also to those who commented on the proposed Come Follow Me Course which will begin in October.  This is just a bit of advance notice, but the dates that most folk seemed to prefer are:

Saturday 1st October

Saturday 15 October

Wednesday 26th October

Wednesday 2nd November

Saturday 12th November

Saturday 26 November.

The hawk eyed will notice that these fixtures don’t clash with any other fixtures in the local shrine of St James’ (I don’t think…) so there can’t be too many excuses for not at least thinking about it.  There will be more information after the holidays.

A few disparate thoughts:

 If I had asked people what they really wanted, they would have said: ‘Faster horses’  (Henry Ford)

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or beautiful (William Morris)

A letter from a schoolboy to his parents:  Dear Mam and Dad, Last week the Bishop came to our school and showed us his mitre and other things, now I know what a crook looks like’ 

Don’t tell him     JOK