We are asked to pray for
A Deeper Understanding between Christians and Jews; Those Who Suffer Persecution, Oppression and Denial of Human Rights; Europe; Human Life; Seafarers. Please pray for those we know who are unwell, as well as the many who have no one to pray for them; for those in hospital and for all undergoing treatment for serious illnesses and for all who are facing challenging situations. We pray for those who have died recently including Father Leo Pyle (Retired, aged 93 years, living in Hexham) who died this week and whose Requiem Mass will be celebrated at St Mary’s, Hexham at 12 noon on Wednesday 29th July; and for all whose anniversaries occur at this time.
Sea Sunday 12th July
Many thanks to all who contributed to the Appeal for Stella Maris last weekend on Sea Sunday. We collected £320.00 at St Bede’s Church and £657.94 at St Robert of Newminster Church. With thanks to Marian Bell for making the appeal for Stella Maris and to all who donated. Thank You!
Card Reader
Please Note: we have a card reader at St Robert of Newminster Church for card or mobile donations. Thank you for supporting us with your donations.
Tea and Coffee
Don’t forget that we have tea and coffee available on a Saturday evening after Mass in the Church Hall at St Bede’s and also in St Robert’s Church Hall after 9am Mass. All welcome.
CAFOD Venezuela Appeal
CAFOD recently launched its Emergency Appeal for Venezuela, following the recent earthquakes there. Please go check out their website for information on how CAFOD and its partners are helping people in Venezuela: www.cafod.org.uk
CAFOD immediately sent £100,000 to Caritas in Venezuela and CAFOD Emergency envelopes are now available at the back of Church. If you wish to use one, please take away and return to us as soon as possible so that we can forward all donations to CAFOD.
First Holy Communions 2027 Applications Online
St Robert’s First School and St Bede’s Primary School both sent out a notice this week from Fr Peter about registering children for First Confession and First Holy Communion and included this link to the online registration (https://form.jotform.com/Fr_Peter/first-confession-and-holy-communion) There may be other children not in our schools who may be eligible to receive these two sacraments. Please let their parents know about this link. This QR Code is also a link to the Online Registration. Thanks to those who have already signed up, we have two from St Bede’s School and five from St Robert’s School
“The President’s Biggest Coffee Morning”
One of the Funeral Directors from William Purves Funerals, based in Ashington, is the President of The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors Association (SAIF) and as president he chooses a charity to support during his term in office. The local Morpeth office of ‘William Purves Funeral Directors’ are holding a Coffee Morning in St Robert’s Church Hall on Thursday 23rd July from 10am – 12noon, to support Parkinson’s UK, to help raise awareness, encourage support and contribute to the work they do. Please come along and support them and this good cause.
St Robert’s Offertory Procession
We would welcome offers of help to carry the gifts of bread and wine at our Sunday Masses. We have advertised this for several weeks and still no one, no family, has come forward yet.
Baptism Preparation
We run a regular Baptism Preparation Course and all parents seeking Baptism for their children are asked to attend this meeting. Anyone with a child to be baptised needs to speak to Deacon Stephen or Fr Peter to book onto this course as soon as possible please. There is no meeting in August. The next meeting will be Thursday 10th September at 7pm in St. Robert’s Church Hall, Morpeth. Please note that it is very unfair on our catechists when parents do not turn up for these meetings.
Confessions
Don’t forget that we have regular Confessions, at St Robert’s Church, on a Saturday morning after Mass from 10.30am until 11am and on a Saturday evening at St Bede’s Church, from 5pm until just before Mass.
Parish Children’s Liturgy Groups
Both Children’s Liturgy Groups at St Robert’s Church and at St Bede’s Church will be taking a break for the Summer holidays. We thank our Leaders and Companions for their support as they catechise our children each week with words from scripture. There will be a Meeting at Bedlington, for St Bede’s Children Liturgy Leaders and Companions in coming weeks. Watch here for details.
CAFOD Children’s Liturgy Resources
The CAFOD website has a full resource for Children’s Liturgy groups every week. https://cafod.org.uk/education/children-s-liturgy This should be a good resource for all leaders.
The Wednesday Word
The Wednesday Word: Connecting Home, School and Parish through the Word of God. The Wednesday Word is a website with reflections on the forthcoming readings for the Sunday Mass and it is available each Wednesday beforehand. https://www.wednesdayword.org/ It has three Sections—one for parents, so they can use it with children, and within their families; one section for schools; and one section for Parishes to use. It is free to use. A great resource.
SPUC Parish Rep for St Robert’s
We now have two representatives for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children in our Parish Communities, who will be links between SPUC and the Parish. St Bede’s Representative: Benjamin Whittaker and St Robert’s Representative: Deborah Froggatt.
Journey in Faith 2026/7
The Journey in Faith is the series of meetings through which we instruct our potential converts to Catholicism. This normally runs from the end of September through to Easter. If there is anyone considering converting their faith, or anyone you know who may be interested in this, let them know that they should contact Fr Peter to have a chat about their situation, and their story so far. Fr Peter needs to know if there’s a need; if there’s no-one, we won’t do the Journey in Faith but if there is someone, then we will meet. So please contact and speak to Fr Peter asap.
Live Simply Bitesize
Buy local grown produce where possible and use fresh herbs
New Safeguarding Rep
St Robert of Newminster Parish is looking to appoint a new Parish Safeguarding Representative (PSR). This a voluntary role in the parish but a most important one in which we have to have someone in place. It involves keeping our lists of volunteers and their DBS paperwork up to date, completing the online “Dashboard” about how well the parish fulfills its safeguarding obligations, helping people complete their Application Forms and completing DBS checks for those in the parish who need them, seeking references for all those who volunteer their help in the parish community and it means taking part in “Teams” meetings online with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and other parish reps, on a regular basis. Use of the internet and online video technology is required. If anyone wishes to speak to Fr Peter about this, please do as soon as possible. Frequent communication with Fr Peter and other safeguarding reps is essential. This is not an easy role, and requires a certain amount of confidentiality when dealing with people in the parish and the diocese. Speak to Fr Peter for more information.
Reminder to Adult Volunteers
It is important that all Adult volunteers remember to complete a Volunteer Registration Form before beginning any voluntary role within the parish. This is something we have been doing over the last year as recommended by the Diocesan Safeguarding Office. If unsure, please contact the Parish Office. Your voluntary role may mean that you also need to complete a DBS Application but we will advise you on this.
Taking Holy Communion to the Sick and Housebound
Please note that it is not permissible to take Holy Communion from Church, and to keep it on you or in your home until you are ready to go to the sick or housebound person. Communion must be taken straight from Church to the person receiving at home or in Hospital. Canon 935 of the Code of Canon Law says “No one is permitted to keep the Eucharist on one’s person or to carry it around …” and in Paragraph 132 of Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum it says “No one may carry the Most Holy Eucharist to his or her home, or to any other place contrary to the norm of law”. If Ministers of Holy Communion are unable to take out Holy Communion straight from Mass, some other alternative will have to be found.
Foundation Governors for Schools
St Robert’s First School has advertised for some new Foundation Governors. Governors must be ‘Practising Catholics’. The Foundation Governor is appointed by the Diocesan Bishop after nomination and approval by the Parish Priest, who also has to be able to give a reference, stating that the nominated person is regularly at Mass and is a practising catholic. A reference cannot be given in the first place, nor renewed for a second or third term, if the definition of practising catholic is not fulfilled. The diocesan website states that all Foundation Governors must …
- Know and implement the bishop’s policies on education, including religious education;
- Represent those policies to the governing body;
- Understand and promote the distinctive nature of Catholic education;
- Act for the good of Catholic education as a whole within the diocese, considering not only the interests of the individual school or college, but the interests of other schools and colleges;
- Respond to the needs of the Catholic community as a whole, as represented by the bishop;
- Secure the long-term future of Catholic education;
- Always act in accordance with the mind of the bishop.
“Out of Date” Food
We ask that all donations to the Foodbank and to the Refugee Project are food items that are actually “in date”. We have had donations very recently that have been many months out of date! Please if you are clearing out cupboards because food is no longer wanted and it is out of date, throw it away rather than donate to those who we collect for. They deserve to have food that is still fresh and in date, as we do.
Diocesan Justice and Peace Refugee Project
Thank You to everyone who continues to support with donations of food and other items for the Diocesan Justice and Peace Refugee Project. The five regular items needed most are Toilet rolls, Tinned tomatoes, Tinned fish, Individual packet of biscuits and Chickpeas. Other Standard items are Rice (standard size packet), Sugar (standard size packet), Cooking oil, spices/dried herbs, Table Salt, Sweetcorn, Flour, Corned Beef, Cooking Sauces, Condiments, Cereals, Coffee, Long-life Milk, Cordials and Juices. Hygiene and cleaning products needed include: Deodorant, Toothbrushes and toothpaste, Shampoo, Washing-up liquid / surface & toilet cleaners and Detergents.
Diocesan Justice and Peace Refugee Project
Thank You to everyone who continues to support with donations of food and other items for the Diocesan Justice and Peace Refugee Project. The five regular items needed most are Toilet rolls, Tinned tomatoes, Tinned fish, Individual packet of biscuits and Chickpeas. Other Standard items are Rice (standard size packet), Sugar (standard size packet), Cooking oil, spices/dried herbs, Table Salt, Sweetcorn, Flour, Corned Beef, Cooking Sauces, Condiments, Cereals, Coffee, Long-life Milk, Cordials and Juices. Hygiene and cleaning products needed include: Deodorant, Toothbrushes and toothpaste, Shampoo, Washing-up liquid / surface & toilet cleaners and Detergents.
Lourdes At Home
As a couple of hundred people prepare to travel to
Lourdes on 31st July, there may be people who
would like to participate from home, who cannot
be in Lourdes.
- Blessing of Hands: There will be Mass with the blessing of hands in St Mary’s Cathedral, on Tuesday 21st July at 6.30pm in the Cathedral with Bishop Stephen. We all serve each other in our own way, whether it be as a registered helper, youth member, medical team, pilgrim or those who pray for the success of our pilgrimage at home. Everyone is welcome to this special Mass
- Pilgrimage Hymn Book: Many who are participating from home have asked if they can purchase a copy of the hymn book. These will be on sale at the Cathedral on Tuesday 21st July, and are priced £5.00.
- Centenary Pilgrimage Medal: There is a special centenary medal this year which is based on the medal from the Holy Year of 1958. The medal has a maroon ribbon with a gold-coloured metal St Cuthbert’s Cross attached. Again, these will be on sale at the Cathedral on Tuesday 21st July, and are priced £5.00.
- Live Streaming: When in Lourdes, the Masses and services will be live streamed via the Diocesan Hospitalité YouTube channel and the Lourdes Sanctuary YouTube channel. More details will be available on the Diocesan Hospitalité Facebook page.
- Please keep the success of the Centenary pilgrimage in your prayers.
Petitions for Our Lady of Lourdes
Elizabeth Dixon is traveling to Lourdes and if anyone would like her to take Petitions on your behalf, she would be happy to take them. She asks if she could have them by Sunday 26th July.
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