21st Sunday of the Year
Dear Parishioners
The easiest way to get lost is to join a great crowd of people who seem to know where they are going. The crowd can make us feel safe, but crowds can get lost too. More worryingly, they might be going to the wrong place for us. Yet we won’t feel lost, because we are surrounded by so many people, and we don’t have to make any decisions for ourselves.
Jesus speaks to the crowds in the Gospels, but they don’t listen. It is the few individuals whom he encounters who seem prepared to change their lives.
This is why personal prayer is important for us, for we are called to take personal responsibility for the choices we make in life. We need to be one of the people who stand before Christ and look for our salvation from him. After that we may have companions on the way.
What must I do now? What choices must I make now? What is my next step? These questions may not always have an answer. In which case, we simply need to wait in prayer. It will soon become clear enough for us to be able to answer those questions and to take another step forward.
May God bless you 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.
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 6.30 pm – 9 pm. It will be an all ticket event. Tickets are priced at £8.00. St. Patrick’s have been allocated a small number of tickets which should be available to purchase from the Church in the near future. Watch the Newsletter for more news.
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: 10 am in St Patrick’s Church – Joan Neil
- Wednesday: (Private Mass) – Private Intention
- Thursday: 10 am in St. Patrick’s Church – Maurice Brown
- Friday: (Private Mass) – Father Peter Smith
- Saturday: 6 pm in St. Alban’s Church – For the intentions of all our parishioners
- Sunday: 10am in St. Patrick’s Church – Jessica D’Silva
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
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 11 am on Saturday 1st October until 11 am on Sunday 2nd October. Registration must be made to gain access to the Cathedral. For further information, please visit Registration – St Bernadette.
Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons
Each week Bishop Barron offers a Sunday sermon.
Refreshments after Mass
Refreshments will be served in St Patrick’s parish centre after Mass this Sunday, 21st August.
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.
Holy Island Pilgrimage
Cafod are organising a Pilgrimage to Holy Island on Saturday, 3rd September inviting pilgrims to reflect on global food systems. Pilgrims are invited to meet at the Island’s Causeway at 11 am. Mass will be celebrated in St. Mary’s Church at 3 pm departing the Island at 4 pm. For more information email Mark Maughan at mmaughan@cafod.org.uk.
Get the Universe Catholic Weekly FREE
This is an introductory offer for four weeks and can be downloaded to your smartphone or tablet.
If you enjoy the online paper, after four weeks you would be invited to take out a quarterly subscription (13 wks) for £20.00. Order your FREE introductory offer now by telephoning Michelle on 0743 661 7650 or email sales@universecatholicweekly.co.uk or visit https://universecatholicweekly.co.uk/subscribe
A stay in Hospital
If you or any members of your family are going into hospital and would like to see the Catholic Chaplain, please ask a member of the ward staff to contact the Catholic Chaplain. Alternatively you can contact the Chaplaincy Department Office directly. For the Queen Elizabeth Hospital telephone 0191 445 2072 (Catholic Chaplain: Rev Paul Nichol). For the RVI and Freeman Hospitals in Newcastle telephone 0191 233 6161 (Catholic Chaplain: Fr Mariadass 0191 273 3903).
In an emergency, please ask the ward sister to contact the on call Catholic chaplain. Please do not contact your own parish priest who will be unable to respond due to current hospital protocols.
What do 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 will take place in St. Patrick’s parish centre on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm for around one hour 15 minutes. Topics covered look at the history of the Church, the Bible, the Sacraments of the Church and prayer. You will have the opportunity to suggest any areas that you would like to know more about.
Please feel free to come along to an information evening on 6th September at 19.00 in St. Patrick’s parish centre for a short introduction to the programme and a chance to ask any questions you may have. If you need any more information please contact Alan on 07976402023 or, if you know a priest, you may wish to have a quick word with him too.
Connected Voice – cost of living
Connected voice offer information and support from a range of organisations for anyone who needs help with cost of living issue.
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
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 wear a face covering during the celebration of Mass.
- Indoor congregational singing can take place with a general encouragement that face coverings are worn.
- 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 6 pm. 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 1,432,900 , equating to 2.63% of the population, or around 1 in 40 people.
Please get vaccinated
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.
