St. Bede's Catholic Church

Newcastle upon Tyne

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Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Vincent de Paul was born in Gascony in France in 1581. He eventually completed his studies, was ordained priest, and became parish priest in Paris. He founded the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) to form future priests and to care for the poor. With the help of Saint Louise de Marillac he founded also founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity. He died in Paris in 1660.
   
• Michael, Gabriel and Raphael—Archangels. The liturgical cult of the angels is first known in the East in the fifth century; that of St. Michael had spread to the West by the sixth. The angels had, however been a very conscious part of the Christian tradition from the earliest times. Christians and angels were considered as intimately associated in the worship of God.
   
• St Jerome was born about 340. He studied at Rome and was later baptised. Then he began to lead a life of asceticism, went to the East and was there ordained priest. Returning to Rome he was secretary to Pope Saint Damasus and began the task of translating the Bible into Latin as well as promoting the monastic life. He then settled in Bethlehem where he gave great help in the needs of the Church. He was totally committed to the study of Scriptures and wrote many commentaries on the Scriptures. He died at Bethlehem in 420.
   
• St Theresa of the Child Jesus was born at Alencon in France in 1873. While still young she entered the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux and practised virtues of humility, evangelical simplicity and a firm confidence in God. By her words and example she taught the novices. Offering her life for the salvation of souls and for the spreading of the faith in the missions, she died at the age of 24 on 30th September 1897.

Read Daniel's Account

Until then—a few comments from young people on ‘who you decide to marry’: - they are from America, so please interpret as you see fit…..
 

1. No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with—Kristen, age 10.

2. Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then-Camille age 10
    

3. No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married– Freddie age 6
    

4. Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough—Lynette age 8
    

5. On the first date, they just tell lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date—Martin age 10..

I make no comment JOK
 

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Theodore…was a Greek and came from Tarsus. In 666 he was chosen by pope St Valerian to become archbishop of Canterbury. Once in England he worked hard to draw together a very unorganised Church. He changed the church from one divided by tribal faction and custom to a fully ordered province of the universal Church. Bede tells us “the English churches prospered more during the pontificate of Theodore than ever they had done before” - he was the one who persuaded Cuthbert to become a bishop...

• St Pio… entered the Capuchin novitiate at 16 and was ordained in 1910. He was well know for his love of God and neighbour. He spent a large part of his day in prayer, but still found time to council and offer spiritual support many who came to confession. He always found a place in his heart for the poor, sick and suffering. He was canonised in 2002 and his feast day was immediately added to the Universal Calendar.

• St. Andrew Kim... was the first Korean to be ordained priest; he trained in Macao, and was killed in 1846. His father Ignatius Kim had been martyred in 1839.. During the persecutions in Korea of 1839, 1846, 1866 and 1867, hundreds of Christians shed their blood for Christ. Pope John Paul II canonised 103 martyrs while he was in Korea on 6th May 1984. Ten of those canonised were French - three bishops and seven priests, all members of the Paris Foreign Mission Society - the remainder were Korean.

• St Matthew...Born in Capernaum. He was a tax collector before being called by Jesus to follow him. The earliest writers credit him with the authorship of the Gospel which bears his name. He wrote his Gospel in either Aramaic or Hebrew before leaving Judaea. Tradition relates that he preached the gospel in the lands east of the Persian Gulf and there suffered martyrdom.

Well...I can hardly believe it, but I’ve now been here one year! I had thought of  writing a note just reflecting on my first 12 months here at St Bede’, but time has been short since I returned from holiday. Perhaps….however. In the meantime, a huge thanks for your welcome and support, the learning curve has been rather vertical, and I suspect it might stay like that for a while longer.

Back to the Real World….The Autumn Fayre. The last Parish in Council meeting suggested that we should have an Autumn rather than a Christmas Fayre, and that it should be after Mass on Sunday 20th November.  Start hunting and planning!  The suggestion is that it should be ’good quality gifts needed for various stalls’ - and we all know what that means, like, ’good stuff’.  There will be a list of stalls at the back of the Church.

Discovering the Way….Conference on Youth Ministry...Saturday 1 October at La Sagesse, 10.30—4.30. Leaflets at the back of the Church—if you’re interested, please let me know.

Parish in Council—will be on Wednesday 28th September at 7.00pm. Any items for the agenda, please leave with Sue Savage or myself. Many thanks.

COME FOLLOW ME...A final reminder that our parish Course for Lay Ministry will be introduced on Tuesday evening from 7.00—8.00pm. It is on offer to everyone, including those with no experience of working in parish groups. Everyone is welcome.

A Final word of thanks to Frs Ned Wilkinson and Seamus O’Kane for supplying while I was away.  Now down to dealing with 96 letters/brown envelopes and things (apart from junk mail), 90+ email and a homily for tonight.   And I really did enjoy my holidays—doesn’t take long to disappear into the past…….JOK

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St John Chrysostom...Born at Antioch about 349. After a brilliant course of studies he began to lead a life of austerity. He was ordained priest and worked very hard. In 397 he became Bishop of Constantinople and really got stuck into trying to reform the morals of both clergy and people. The Imperial Court hated him and his work was undermined because of jealousy. He was twice sent into exile. Overcome by exhaustion he died on 14th September 407. Because of his sermons and writings to explain the faith and to encourage the practice of the Christian life he was called John of the Golden Mouth.

• St Cornelius...Cornelius was ordained Bishop of Rome in 251. He was tough on heretics—well, I guess that was part of the job.... He too was sent into exile by the Emperor Gallus, and he died at Civitavecchia in 253. His body was brought to Rome and he is buried in the cemetery of Callistus—one of the catacombs.

• St Cyprian...Cyprian was born at Carthage around 210. He became a Christian when he was getting on a bit, and later became a priest and later still was ordained bishop of Carthage in 249. He did a great job guiding the Church during some difficult times. During the persecution of the Emperor Valerian (another one of the rather mad ones) he was first exiled, then, on 14 September 258, martyred.

• St Robert Bellarmine...Born in 1542 in Montepulciano in Tuscany. He became a Jesuit at Rome and was ordained priest. While teaching in Rome he engaged in arguments to defend the faith. He could be controversial, in some peoples’ eyes and in fact someone once tried to shoot him...Had the occasional argument with King James 1 of England, but was also a friend of Galileo (weren’t many of them in the Curia). He died in Rome in 1621.

Thanks again to Fr Ned Wilkinson for supplying here and at St Joseph’s.  I’m a bit embarrassed him seeing these Newsletters—his were great, home drawn cartoons and things. 

Don’t forget! The Information Evening about our COME FOLLOW ME programme at 7.00pm on Tuesday 20th here at St Bede’s. I’ll (or perhaps more accurately, someone) will have the kettle boiling. The whole session will only last 1 hour—honest.

Friday morning mass...

The fortnightly meetings with Bishop Kevin begin again this month, so just a reminder that we will continue to celebrate mass at 8.30am.

Looking ahead a little...
Wednesday 28th September—St Bede’s Parish in Council. Usual exciting agenda...two thoughts to explore—Mass at Midday on Tuesday (but what happens to Coffee?) and only the Vigil Mass on Saturday (suggested by a parishioner following the example of wherever s/he was on holiday)...Plenty more besides.
 

A group of children dropped coins into a wishing well. ‘I wish I had a mobile phone,’ whispered one. ‘I wish I had a telly in my room’, whispered another. Jimmy looked thoughtfully into the well. Then grudgingly, he tossed in his 5 p and muttered: ‘I wish I had a magnet’.

The greatest writer of the Renaissance was Willian Shakespear. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He lived in Windsor with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies and errors. In one play Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy.

OK—standards are dropping, but it is still 25th August, and if the 4th Test hadn’t been rained off on the first day, there may have been nothing at all…..JOK
 

Feasts and Celebrations this week 

• St Peter Claver… Peter Claver was born in Catalonia. After entering the Jesuits at the age of 20, he began his ministry in Majorca (nice..). His long-held desire to work in America was fulfilled in 1610 when he was sent to what is now known as Colombia. He was soon ordained priest, and devoted the rest of his life to caring for the many African slaves who were shipped there, looking after their spiritual and physical needs.  He was canonised in 1888 and soon afterwards was declared patron of Catholic missions amongst the South American Slaves.

CONFIRMATION:  The three parishes of St Bede’s Joseph’s and Michael’s will be celebrating Confirmation here at St Bede’s on Friday 18th November at 7.00pm.  Would all those pupils in Year 9 who wish to be confirmed please write to their Parish Priest to say so.  There will be a 5 week preparation programme for them based here at St Bede’s beginning  5.00pm Sunday 2nd October.  

Racial Justice Sunday.  I’m preparing this on Thursday 25th August, and have just watched a clip from the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool—the funeral of Anthony Walker, the 18 year old Liverpudlian murdered because he was black.  Racial Justice Sunday—this is the tenth– is an opportunity for us to examine our own consciences about our instinct to judge, criticise, scapegoat and stigmatise others on racial or cultural grounds.  We pray for a change in our own hearts and in the hearts of others.

Now that the exams are over it doesn’t matter if you really believe these kinds of things...Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian and half English. He was very large. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Beethoven wrote music, even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died from this. (A special welcome to all musicians and music teachers…)

The Floods are causing chaos in Switzerland and Portugal is suffering from fierce forest fires: A few thoughts on the Environment…

• 10 of the hottest years on record have occurred since 1990.
   
• 10 species of wild flower are believed to be disappearing from each county in Britain each year
   
• 434 million tons of waste is produced in Britain each year—enough to fill the Albert Hall every two hours
   
• 32.36 million vehicles were on Britain’s roads last year—no wonder you can’t get a parking place in Newcastle…..
   

JOK