7th Sunday of the Year
Lent at Home
Many parishioners struggle to come to church these days for a variety of reasons, which we fully understand and respect, but they are still an important part of our parish family.
Fr. Patterson would like to reach out to everyone during Lent and invite you to engage in a “Personal Pilgrimage” in your own homes knowing that your fellow parishioners are doing the same.
It would be an opportunity to reflect and identify with Christ’s forty days of solitude in the wilderness. His personal journey was to prepare himself to tread the road to Jerusalem, then on to his death on the Cross from which he would rise to offer us the gift of the new life of the Resurrection. Our “Personal Pilgrimage” will prepare us to celebrate that new life at Easter.
Praying apart can bring us together
So we invite everyone to set aside some extra time each day for prayer and spiritual reading in the “solitude” of your own home or room, knowing that we do so as a parish family.
We also invite you to “Share a Prayer” with other members of the parish, so that although we pray and read in private, we know we share our prayers with one another. If you would like to share a prayer with other parishioners please email your prayer(s) to adventcafe@icloud.com or drop them through the letterbox of St. Patrick’s presbytery by Thursday of each week of Lent. They will then be processed for the approaching weekend. We will produce our own prayer and reflection sheet based on the prayers that you send us which will be published on line and also included in printed copies with the Parish Newsletter in our churches.
Please do not include the names of individuals in your prayers, as the data protection act prevents us from publishing personal details, initials would be acceptable.
Practical penance and self-denial
We encourage everyone to try to complete a selfless act of kindness each week that interacts with someone in your family or neighbourhood as a visible sign of your wish to follow Christ. This could be a private act, but as we are trying as a community of faith to be more Christ centered in our actions, it could be a communal action with a few friends or neighbours.
You may also feel able to choose some act of self denial each week. Give it some thought and perhaps make it different every week, remembering what acts of self denial are meant to achieve. We will provide ideas in our weekly prayer sheet.
So it’s over to you. Please let us have you prayers for the First Sunday of Lent by Thursday of this week.
All are welcome
Everyone is welcome to join us for the celebration of Mass in St. Patrick’s and St. Alban’s churches. It is a joy to welcome people of other faiths or none who 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.
Mass Intentions
The following celebrations will take place during the coming week.
- Monday: No Mass
- Tuesday: 10am in St. Patrick’s Church: Funeral Service for Rose Allan
- Wednesday: 12 noon in St. Patrick’s parish centre: A Lenten Service (see below)
- Thursday: No Mass
- Friday: No Mass
- Saturday: 6pm in St. Alban’s Church: For the Intentions of all our parishioners
- Sunday: 10am in St. Patrick’s Church: Private Intention
Ash Wednesday
As a result of Fr. Patterson’s indisposition due to Covid, there will be a Lenten Service of Prayer on Ash Wednesday at 12 noon in St. Patrick’s parish centre. This will include readings, a reflection, a short period of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (15minutes) and end with the distribution of ashes. You may enjoy this hymn written by Dan Schutte entitled “Ashes to Ashes”.
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 especially Joan Makepeace and Elizabeth Pearson.
Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons
Each week Bishop Barron offers a Sunday sermon.
The Sacrament of Confirmation
Fr. Patterson is hoping to arrange the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation later in the year in St. Patrick’s Church.
It will be open to young people from St. Alban’s and St. Patrick’s who will be in Year 8 and above from September, 2023 and to any adults who may wish to receive the Sacrament. Prospective candidates should be regularly attending Mass and will need to take part in a period of preparation which will be organised in the months ahead. Please keep an eye on the Newsletter for more details. Those who may be interested, are invited to email the parish office at felling.stpatrick@rcdhn.org.uk.
Lenten Booklet of Reflections
The Diocesan Vicariate for Faith & Mission has produced the first booklet of Lenten reflections for this year. The reflections have been contributed by a range of clergy, religious and lay people to express the richness and variety of our Diocesan community. Unfortunately the booklet is only available online.
Your Weekly Offering by Standing Order
Fr. Patterson has had several requests recently for the details required to make your weekly offering by Standing Order. They are set out below:-
The details you require to set up a Standing Order are set out below:-
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
You are still able to Gift Aid your offering by Standing Order. If you are not already in the Gift Aid scheme and would like to join, please email John, the Gift Aid organiser for both of our churches who will send you the necessary form. You must be a tax payer to Gift aid you contribution. John’s email is stpatrick.giftaid@outlook.com.
Counterfeit £5.00 notes …..
…..are circulating in our area at present. It would be advisable to check notes you receive in change before leaving a premises. One of these notes made its way into the collection at St. Patrick’s last weekend!
News from our School
The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust are advertising for a Headteacher for our school from September, 2023. For more details, please visit their site.
