26th Sunday of the Year
Dear Parishioners
This weekend in our churches we will hear the parable of the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus. Its message is timeless and was reflected in the homily of Archbishop Welby during the funeral service of Queen Elizabeth.
The Archbishop said:- “The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death. The pattern for all who serve God – famous or obscure, respected or ignored – is that death is the door to glory.
Her Late Majesty’s example was not set through her position or her ambition, but through whom she followed. In 1953 the Queen began her Coronation with silent prayer… Here at the High Altar. Her allegiance to God was given before any person gave allegiance to her. Her service to so many people had its foundation in her following Christ.
People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten.”
So let us return to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in which we heard how when the poor man died he was carried away by the angels; when the rich man died – he was buried.
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.
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 – Dorothy Diamond
- Wednesday – (Private Mass) Elizabeth Curry
- Thursday: 10am in St Patrick’s Church – Norah, Albert and Brendan Lagan
- Friday: (Private Mass) – Fr. Richard Harriott
- Saturday: 6pm in St Alban’s Church – Kathleen Harland
- Sunday: 10am in St. Patrick’s Church – For the intentions of all our parishioners
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 Dorothy Diamond.
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.
Refreshments after Mass will be available every week from 2nd October
Thanks to a few more offers of help and the generosity of our existing volunteers, we will be able to offer refreshments in St. Patrick’s parish centre after Mass every Sunday commencing Sunday 2nd October 2022.
There is always scope for more help, so if you would like to join the rota to make tea and coffee, please contact contact Maureen Hodgson.
The Relics of St Bernadette
The Relics of St Bernadette, which are journeying 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, will be brought to St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle from 11.00 next Saturday 1st October until 11.00 on Sunday 2nd October. Registration must be made to gain access to the Cathedral. For further information, please visit Registration – St Bernadette
To incorporate the services during the visit of the Relic of St Bernadette to St Mary’s Cathedral, it has been necessary to rearrange some of the prebooked time slots. This will avoid lengthier queues and ensure a more prayerful and dignified experience. If you have booked, please take note of the changes which are published on the Cathedral website Cathedral Church of St Mary (stmaryscathedral.org.uk)
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!
The Apostleship of the Sea….
…..invite you to join a webinar on Tuesday, 27th September, from 7.30pm to 9pm in which they talk about the issue of seafarer abandonment, and how the donations you give on Sea Sunday are supporting those in crisis. If you would like to join the webinar, please register in advance at www.stellamaris.org.uk/abandonment
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.
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.
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 fortnightly update – Covid cases starting to rise again
In his video this week, Professor Tim Spector shares the latest on COVID rates namely that they’re rising again according to their Health Study data. He encourages everyone who is eligible to book a Covid Autumn Booster vaccination.
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 has risen in England where the estimated number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was 766,500 , equating to 1.41% of the population, or around 1 in 70 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.