25th Sunday of the Year
Dear Parishioners
In 2013, the first year of his pontificate, Pope Francis published an Apostolic Exhortation on the joy of the Gospel entitled ‘Evangelii Gaudium’. In it, he encouraged Christian people to “embark on a new chapter of evangelisation” marked by this joy, whilst striving to find new paths to proclaim the Gospel in today’s world.
He wrote: “We cannot forget that evangelisation is first and foremost about preaching the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ or who have always rejected him. Many of these people are quietly seeking God. Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone.
So, Pope Francis calls on the Church to embark on a fundamental change of direction when it comes to evangelisation, no longer relying on past structures and actions but to read the signs of the times and act passionately in proclaiming the unique message of the Gospel that brings joy to all people who receive it with an open heart.
He says: “I dream of a ‘missionary option’, that is, capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channelled for the evangelisation of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”
The Bishops invite us to pray for the work of the Church that the faith we give witness to in our churches and in our lives, may grow ever stronger in our local communities leading others to discover a loving and compassionate Lord in Jesus Christ our Saviour.
May God bless us all
Fr Patterson
All are welcome
Everyone is welcome to join us for the celebration of Mass in St. Patrick’s and St. Alban’s churches. In recent times, it has been a joy to welcome those people of other faiths or none who have come to join us in worship.
Currently, only baptised Catholic people are able to receive Holy Communion and we ask that when you approach the altar you extend your hands towards the minister who will place the sacred host in your hand which you should then consume immediately before returning to your place.
If you are not a Catholic or are indisposed to receive Holy Communion, you are invited to come forward at the appropriate time and receive a blessing, indicating your desire by folding an arm across your chest.
What Catholics believe and why.
If you would like to know more about what Catholics believe, perhaps with a view to considering becoming a member of the Catholic Church, you may be interested in a series of talks which are taking place in St. Patrick’s parish centre on Tuesday evenings from 7pm. If you need more information please contact Alan on 07976402023.
Felling Male Voice Choir and the Tyneside A Cappella Choir Concert
These two choirs will be coming to St. Patrick’s Church for a Concert on Saturday, 24th September from 6:30pm – 9pm. Tickets priced at £8.00. are now available to purchase after Mass in both churches.
Mass Intentions
Fr Patterson will celebrate Mass for the following Intentions during the coming week. With the exception of Wednesday and Friday all Masses and Services are open to everyone to attend.
- Monday – No Mass
- Tuesday: 10am in St. Patrick’s Church – Sonia Donald
- Wednesday – (Private Mass) Fr. Michael McCoy
- Thursday: 10am St. Patrick’s Church – Special Intention (LJ)
- Friday: (Private Mass) – Private Intention
- Saturday: 6pm in St. Alban’s Church – For the intentions of all our parishioners
- Sunday: 10am in St. Patrick’s Church – Joan Makepeace
Mass to view on line
Mass is live streamed from our Cathedral on a Sunday. Visit the Cathedral website.
Alternatively, you may like to follow Mass from the Holy Name, Jesmond. Visit the website for Mass times this week.
When you are unable to celebrate Mass in Church, you may wish to make this act of spiritual communion:-
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
Please keep in your prayers:
- all our parishioners who are sick, housebound or in hospital and,
- all those near and dear to us whose memories we cherish at this time.
A Prayer for those who have died from Covid
Gracious God, as we remember before you all those people who have died from the coronavirus, surround us and all who mourn with your compassion. Be gentle with us in our grief, protect us from despair and give us grace to persevere and face the future with hope. We make this prayer in Jesus Christ our risen Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Carers, Nurses and Doctors
Lord Jesus, who healed the sick and gave them new life, be with doctors, nurses and carers, as they act as agents of your healing touch. In desperate times, keep them strong yet loving; and when their work is done, be with them in their weariness and in their tears. Amen.
A Prayer for Ukraine
Father, hold the people of Ukraine deep in your heart. Protect them from violence, political gamesmanship and from being used and abused. Give the nations of the world the courage and wisdom to stand up for justice and the courage to care generously. Take from us those traits that see us pursuing our own needs and wants before those of others. Teach us to live in love, dignity and respect, following your ways. We ask this in your name and for your sake. Amen
A Prayer for the Season of Creation
Father, Lord of all creation, we praise you with all your creatures and the whole universe that comes forth from the work of Your hands. We acknowledge the privilege and responsibility that You give us as stewards of Your creation. In our ignorance we have done damage to our common home and our brothers and sisters are suffering.
Through faithfully following your Son guide and direct us to prepare for a better future. Teach us to contemplate You in the beauty of the universe, for all things speak of You. Give us the grace to recognise, respect and protect all You have created, using wisely all that you have entrusted to us.
Holy Spirit, who first hovered over the dawn of creation and drew order out of the chaos, help us to build your kingdom of justice, love, peace and beauty where the poor of the earth are crying out. You, who live and reign, world without end, Amen.
Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons
Each week Bishop Barron offers a Sunday sermon.
Home Mission Sunday
This weekend the Bishops of England and Wales invite those of you who wish to do so to contribute towards the work of those who support the Bishops’ Conference in their work for the Church’s mission here at home. If you wish, you may place an offering in an envelope marked Home “Mission Sunday” and deposit it in one of the collection boxes at the entrances to our churches. Those of you with boxes of envelopes will have an envelope in your box. More information can be found at https://www.cbcew.org.uk/what-is-evangelii-gaudium-sunday/
Refreshments after Mass
Refreshments will be served in St. Patrick’s parish centre after Mass this Sunday, 18th September.
Currently, we can only offer refreshments on the first and third Sunday of the month due to a shortage of volunteers.
Could you join the rota to help make tea and coffee on a more regular basis? If so, contact Maureen Hodgson.
The Relics of St Bernadette
In September and October this year, the Relics of St Bernadette will journey on pilgrimage through England, Scotland, and Wales offering opportunities for prayer, reflection, and spiritual renewal for people to experience the special gifts and charisms of Lourdes. “By inviting us to venerate the mortal remains of the saints, the Church does not forget that, in the end, these are indeed just human remains, but they are remains that belonged to individuals touched by the transcendent power of God. The relics of the saints are traces of that invisible but real presence which sheds light upon the shadows of the world and reveals the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst.” (Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI)
The relics will be brought to St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle from 11am on Saturday 1st October until 11am on Sunday 2nd October. Registration must be made to gain access to the Cathedral. For further information, please visit Registration – St Bernadette
Cafod’s campaign to “Fix the Food System – An Information Evening
Our Third World Group invite you to an information evening, presented by Mark Maughan, Cafod’s Community Participation Co-ordinator in the Diocese, who will speak about Cafod’s current campaign to “Fix the Food system,” and share his experience of time he has recently spent in the Sudan.
All around the world, including here at home, families are finding it harder to put food on the table. In northern Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan, four years of drought has resulted in twenty million people fighting for survival. Schools are closed and people are forced to keep moving to find places where food is available. Pope Francis reminds us that as Catholics we are called to care for the world’s most vulnerable people; it is our commitment to them that is a mark of our faith.
Mark will be coming to St. Patrick’ parish centre on Thursday, 13th October at 6.30pm. We do hope you may feel able to join him and fellow parishioners in a Covid safe environment. Please note this is an awareness evening and not a fundraising event!
Pakistan Floods Appeal
Record monsoon rains and flash flooding across Pakistan has killed at least 1,100 people so far, with millions more displaced from their homes. Roads, crops, homes and bridges have all been washed away, in a situation described by Pakistan’s climate change minister Shery Rehman as ‘a climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions.’ Cafod have launched an appeal to assist the people of Pakistan in their time of need. Should you wish to support their appeal you may make a donation on line. Alternatively you may place a donation in an envelope marked “Pakistan Appeal” and leave it in one of the boxes at the entrance to our churches.
Paper £20.00 notes
The paper £20.00 note will cease to be legal tender after 30th September, 2022. It would be greatly appreciated if you would not use them for your offerings after that date.
Do you want to help? Please consider making your weekly offering by Standing Order
To relieve the pressure on our “Counting Teams” in both St. Alban’s and St. Patrick’s, it would be greatly appreciated if parishioners would consider making their offering to either St. Alban’s or St. Patrick’s by Standing Order. The details you require to set up a standing order can be found below. If you would like to help by join a counting team, please contact Terry or Christine Harbron for St. Alban’s or Maureen Hodgson for St. Patrick’s.
St Alban’s HSBC bank account name: DHN Pelaw St Alban, Sort code: 40-34-18, Account No: 92010984
St Patrick’s HSBC bank account name: DHN Felling St Patrick, Sort code: 40-34-18, Account No: 52010453
If you are a tax payer and are not a member of the parish gift aid scheme, please consider joining the scheme, it costs you nothing and the parish benefits by being able to reclaim the tax you have already paid on your offering. The parish receives 25p of every £1.00 you give from HMRC. All that is required, is for you to complete a simple form which does not involve you disclosing any personal financial information and is held securely by the Diocesan Finance Office. To obtain a form, or for more information, please email John, our Gift Aid organiser for both St. Alban’s and St. Patrick’s at stpatrick.giftaid@outlook.com.
Bishop Robert has issued the following statement following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen has been a role model for many, in her constancy to service and her commitment to Christian faith and values, living those values throughout her life. Notably at the young age of twenty one, Queen Elizabeth made her solemn vow to serve the Nation and Commonwealth throughout her life – an inspirational act of vocation and commitment.
Queen Elizabeth has represented stability throughout her reign and was this country’s longest serving monarch. Although this is a time of very great sorrow, it is also time for gratitude, for a life well lived in duty and in service. We pray for the repose of her soul. May she rest in peace.
Our prayers and thoughts are also with our new Monarch, His Majesty King Charles III. We pray that King Charles will be guided by the message of Jesus Christ to have the strength to carry on the vital role of the monarch to ensure stable government and national unity.
A prayer for the repose of Her Majesty the Queen
Almighty God, you are the author and sustainer of all human life;
grant that your servant, Elizabeth our Queen, whom you granted a long and happy reign
as monarch of these lands may be forgiven her sins and rewarded with that eternal life
promised to all those born again in the water of baptism and power of your Spirit.
Eternal rest, grant to her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace. Amen.
A prayer for the Royal Family
Almighty God, source of all consolation, we pray for the members of the Royal Family who mourn the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Uphold them in your love and pour out on them the consolation of your healing Spirit. Let them find in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, comfort in their sadness, certainty in their doubt and courage to live through this hour. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
A prayer for the King
O God, to whom every human power is subject,
grant to your servant His Majesty the King, wisdom in the exercise of his high office,
so that always revering to you and striving to please you,
he may constantly secure and preserve for the people entrusted to his care
the freedom that comes from unity and peace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The National Moment of Reflection will take place at 8pm on Sunday, 18th September and be marked by a one-minute silence. The silence can be marked privately at home, with friends and family, out on doorsteps or the street with neighbours, or at locally arranged community events and vigils. Community groups, clubs and other organisations across the country are encouraged to take part and people overseas are also encouraged to observe the one-minute silence at 8pm local time. National Moment of Reflection – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Celebrate safely in our churches.
Both St. Alban’s and St. Patrick’s churches continue to follow the National Guidelines for Churches issued by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which are as follows:
- If you are displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 you should stay at home.
- Hand sanitiser will continue to be offered as you enter and leave church.
- You may, should you choose to do so, wear a face covering during the celebration of Mass. The choice is yours to make.
- Although there is no formal social distancing by way of seating, we ask that when you take your seat, you are sensitive to the needs of other people who are already in a bench and may not be comfortable if you “snuggle up” to them. We have plenty of seating space.
- We will invite you to come forward for Holy Communion, row by row from the front. Holy Communion will continue to be distributed under one kind only.
- It is still important to ventilate our buildings. This has the effect of diluting and dispersing viral particles.
- Our “welcomers” will be on hand to greet you and care for you.
St. Alban’s Church.
St. Alban’s Church is now open for a Vigil Mass on Saturdays at 6pm. Parishioners are asked to enter and leave the church by the main doors only. Following advice from the Diocesan Health and Safety Officer, the side door should only be used as an emergency exit.
Following Bishop Robert’s advice with the current level of help we have available to us, we are only able to open the church on a Saturday evening. For the time being, it will remain closed during the week for all services. Bishop Robert has asked Fr. Patterson to review the situation after the summer to assess the level of need and support.
ZOE Covid update and this weeks data from the Office of National Statistics
The Zoe update occurs once every two weeks.
This weeks data from the Office of National statistics may also be of interest to you showing the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus continues to decrease in England where the estimated number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was 705,800 , equating to 1.29% of the population, or around 1 in 75 people.
Please get vaccinated – Covid Autumn Booster and Flu Vaccinations are now being offered
The Catholic Church continues to promote the participation of everyone in the Covid vaccination programme as part of its mitigation of virus transmission in church and ancillary buildings. Pope Francis also urges us to do so.
A seasonal Covid-19 booster (autumn booster) for people aged 65 years old and over, frontline health and social care workers, those at higher risk or who are pregnant, and people who have or live with someone who has a weakened immune system can now be booked online at book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination – NHS (www.nhs.uk) or by telephoning 119
