First SUNDAY OF
ADVENT
Sunday 1st December
2024
Services
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
21:25-28, 34-36
Glory to you, O Lord
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony,
bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves;
men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world,
for the powers of heaven
will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin
to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation
is near at hand.’
‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with
debauchery and
drunkenness and the cares
of life, and that day
will be sprung on you
suddenly, like a trap.
For it will come down on
every living man on the face of the earth.
Stay awake, praying at
all times for the strength to survive all that is
going to happen, and to
stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
All Saints, Thropton,
No weekday Word & Communion or Mass until Further Notice
Live Streaming of Masses
A number
of parishes have set up a live stream of their Masses.
For more
details of frequency and timings please go to the Diocesan website www.rcdhn.org.uk
Children’s Liturgy at Sunday Mass.
Children
are welcome in the Parish room to listen to a child friendly Gospel, with theme
related activities.
Two
adults will instruct the children both will have a current DBS
St Paul's
church is open daily for Adoration of The Blessed Sacrament each day from
5pm-6pm.
Please join
us, even if it is only for a short time.
Mass Times
Sat
30th 5pm Vigil Mass at Amble
Sun
1st Dec 10am
Mass at St Paul’s.
Tues
3rd 6pm Mass at St Paul’s
Wed
4th 6pm Mass at St Paul’s
Thurs
5th 10.30am
Mass at Amble
Fri
6th 10am Mass at St Paul’s
Sat
7th 5pm Vigil Mass at Amble
Sun
8th 10am Mass at St Paul’s.
Adoration and Confession Thursdays 6pm—7pm
Mass Intentions
Sun
1st Dec Valerie
Sumner
Sun
8th Pat Burke
Ministers of the Word for:8th Dec (Second
Sunday of Advent. Yr C)
Mark
Bridgeman; Susannah Hawksley; Brendan Murray
Ministers of the Eucharist for: 8th Dec
Joanna Dassen; Louis
Dassen; Yvonne Douglas
Counters
1st
Dec Team
6 Liz Harrison; Judith Francis
9th Dec Team 1 Vincent and Roisin Cowley
Every Sunday
we serve refreshments after Mass at the back of church
Everyone is
welcome
Christmas
Mass Times
Christmas Eve 5pm
Amble
Christmas Eve 7pm
Carol's 7.30pm mass Alnwick
Christmas Day Mass 10am Alnwick
ROCK
FESTIVAL CHOIR
Music for
Advent
Sunday 1st
December
at 3pm -
£12.00 cash only..
NEW
SUNDAY MISSAL
The
new missal now available includes texts for all Sunday services for the
three year cycle and a short introduction to
the special character of
each Sunday, plus the Mass text.
You can
purchase one for £19.95 plus postage.
Full details available at the back of church.
Please add
your name to an order list if you would like one.
Many thanks
Pam Slater
Prayer
& Fasting for Life
On Saturday 7th December, The Vigil of
The Immaculate Conception,
please
pray and fast for the end of abortion and euthanasia.
Your prayer and fasting is urgently needed.
Please Invite
others to join the day on Facebook,
https://www.facebook.com/events/1461899157815100/
As we
ponder the hope found in the second coming of our saviour,
we pray for all those in need of hope.
We pray
especially for those contemplating having an abortion, that they would
be reminded of the hope God brings and His
fundamental desire for our good.
We pray also that as a society we would become
channels of God’s hope,
providing support to all pregnant women.
St Paul’s Facebook Page
We now have
a facebook page for our parish. Please search
for St Paul’s
Catholic
Church Alnwick and like/follow the page and like our posts.
We hope that Facebook will be an easy way to connect with people and
share
information and advertise services and events.
It is easy to keep Facebook up to date but we
need content to make our page interesting.
Contact Jo on 07525 495694 or at
oldmissionhall@icloud.com with any content or queries.
Changes
To DBS online Update Service
Those of
you who hold an online DBS in the parish need
to be aware of a change in the annual e-mail
you receive.
Please see me after mass for an update about
this and a
letter to
explain the changes.
Many thanks Pam Slater
Christians
Together in Alnwick
This year CTiA are appealing for knitters and crafters to make angels
and /or stars
to be placed around the Town in celebration of
Christmas.
Patterns are available at the back of the Church.
Please pass your completed items to June Etterley by
10th December.
Thank you in advance..
Nativity
around the World
Nativities
from around the world will be on display at
St Paul's
on the 7th December from 10 am to 4 pm.
Do come along to see the nativity scenes and
enjoy coffee and cake.
There will be live music from The Alnwick
pipers playing
the Northumbrian pipes in the afternoon.
Any
donations received will be given to Embrace the Middle East, a Christian
charity
working with all denominations in the Middle
East.
St
Michael’s Christmas Tree Festival
Fri 29
Nov—Sun 01 Dec
Christmas
Trees/Festive Food/Music
Free Entry
Alnwick Food Bank
Now that
the summer is over and the weather is changing, many will be
worried about their finances, heating their
homes and increase in food prices.
The food bank at the Lindisfarne Centre helps
many individuals and families when they face difficult times.
They rely
on help from the community, churches, many organisations and
individuals
to donate food which can be distributed the those in need.
There are donation points in Morrisons, Lidl
and Sainsburys but we also have a box here in St Paul’s..
The Autumn
requests for the food bank are:-
tinned tomatoes, tinned meat, tinned rice,
curry/pasta sauces, tinned custard,
tinned fruit, shampoo, washing-up liquid.
Can you
help please?
The
donation box will be in the porch. Thank You.
Eucharistic
Ministers
The new
Eucharistic Ministers list is now at the back of the church
New
Kitchen
Finally
after a long journey that started with Mary Frater & Co we are now pleased
to say that
last Monday we passed the HCC (Historic
Churches Committee).
What that
means is we now have to wait 2 months for the due process of Council responses
etc.
before we receive our faculties prior to
starting the fundraising.
Many thanks to all who helped getting us (the
church community) to this point.
The design drawings that passed the HCC will
be put on display ASAP.
Flower Festival Photographs
Photographs of the recent flower festival are now on the
parish website.
Go to www.stpaulschurchalnwick.co.uk then select Photo Gallery.
October 100 plus winners
1st prize £50 No.149 Bretta Bland 2nd prize £30 No.2 Roisin & Vincent
Cowley
3rd prize £20 No.46 Ed Sweeney
Northern Cross
The Northern Cross is now on
sale at the back of church
2025 MARRIAGE PREPARATION DAYS
ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF HEXHAM AND NEWCASTLE
AND MARRIAGECARE PARTNERSHIP
IN PERSON FACE TO FACE: ‘RELATIONSHIPS’
2025
Sat 1 Feb: The Sacred Heart, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE NE3 5EB
Sat 22 Feb: St Robert of Newminster,
MORPETH, NE61 1QF
Sat 8 March: St Joseph’s, BLAYDON NE21 5AE
Sat 22 March: St Mary’s, BISHOP AUCKLAND, DL14 6PQ
Sat 26 April: St Hilda’s, SUNDERLAND SR5 2JD
Sat 14 June: St Thomas Aquinas, DARLINGTON, DL1 2PU
Sat 21 June: The Sacred Heart, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Other dates and venues will be notified to each
Parish Priest and Deacon as arranged.
To register on a course, engaged couples must book via: www.marriagecare.org.uk,
How we help,
Marriage Preparation; or the phone booking service: 0800 389 3801.
Parish Gift Aid/Collection Counters
We need a
volunteer to co-ordinate the parish Gift Aid Scheme.
We are
very grateful to Kim who has undertaken this role over the past few months.
If you
can help, please speak to Fr Stephen.
A
Collection Counters Meeting with the Parish Administrator and Fr Stephen
will be held in the Lindisfarne Room on
Thursday 30th May at 1pm.
Safeguarding.
“The Parish operates in accordance with Statutory
Safeguarding Guidance and
Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency( CSSA)
and Diocese’s policies and procedures at all times.
Our Parish Safeguarding Representative is Pam
Slater 01665 510728 and the
Diocesan
Safeguarding Team can be contacted on 0191 2433305
or at safeguarding@diocesehn.org.uk
Year of Prayer 2024
“The more
generous you are toward God,
the more
generous you will find he is toward you”
(St
Ignatius of Loyola)
In
preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year 'Pilgrims of Hope',
2024 has
been designated a Year of Prayer by Pope Francis.
Please visit
our Diocesan Year of Prayer webpage (https://diocesehn.org.uk/ )
for more information and regular updates.
PLEASE NOTE
All items
for inclusion in the Parish newsletter to be sent by 9pm on Wednesday.
Items to be sent to Tim Sewell. 07484611265 or
newsletter.stpaul.alnwick@diocesehn.org.uk
Thank You
Used Postage Stamps
Please
continue to save your used stamps and leave them at the back of church.
Thank You.
St Paul’s Choir
New
members of the choir at St Paul’s are welcome.
Please join the choir practice at 7.30pm every
Thursday in the Lindisfarne Room.
Summary of Listening Exercises, Result of Questionnaire and
Bishop Stephen’s Response
On our diocesan
website https://diocesehn.org.uk/ you will find all the summaries from the
various
listening
exercises that have been running since the summer of 2023, and the
results of the Questionnaire for the Dicastery
of Bishops Report from March 2023.
These are
together with Bishop Stephen’s response to what has been presented to him.
He reflects on the past, present and our
future together. The documentation is necessarily lengthy.
Too lengthy for a pastoral letter. If you wish
to have hard copies of all or
parts of the suite of documents, then please
contact the parish office.
Missio:
We need a
new Missio (Red Boxes) representative to take over responsibility.
Please contact Louis 07765 432392.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW PARISH E-MAIL ADDRESSES.
For the
Parish Priest/Enquiries :- stpaul.alnwick@diocesehn.org.uk
Parish
Newsletter Team :-newsletter.stpaul.alnwick@diocesehn.org.uk
The old
Parish e-mail, stpaulschurchalnwick@gmail.com, is no longer MONITORED.
“CAFOD Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal”
Donate to
CAFOD’s Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal at cafod.org.uk/ipc or call 0303 303 3030 to support those
affected
and get funds to local trusted experts in Gaza and southern Israel
who have been working alongside communities
helping those most in need.
Your
donation will help support aid workers providing urgent humanitarian aid
including food,
water and emergency shelter to those in need.
Thank you for your prayers.”
The Lindisfarne Room.
Until future notice, weekday Mass,
Adoration, & meetings will take place in
The Lindisfarne Room.
Please
use the side sacristy door for access.
Being Admitted to Hospital
If you, a
friend or relative are admitted to hospital, a visit/Holy Communion/the
Sacraments
can be arranged by the chaplaincy team.
You can contact the chaplaincy via the
hospital switchboard on 03448118111 and ask to be put
through
to the chaplaincy department.
If the
call is urgent, please ask the nurse to contact the Roman Catholic
Priest on call.
Rainbows Bereavement Support Great Britain (GB)
is a
well-respected National Charity which supports Children and Young People who
have experienced a significant
loss through death, relationship break[1]down
or any other Adverse Childhood Experience.
Volunteers
are needed to join the North East Team.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer
please contact Ruth Higginbottom,
Rainbows
North East Secretary, on 01670 518546 or rainbows.northeast@btconnect.com
Safeguarding Changes
There are
some changes to safeguarding, which as a Parish we need to implement.
Those
working with children and vulnerable adults will continue to need a DBS,
renewed every 3 years.
DBS
paperwork has changed slightly.
Every
leader of a group will need a DBS and if possible a deputy with a DBS should be
appointed.
Parishioners
may take Holy communion to their immediate family if they are unable to attend
church.
But other than this a Eucharistic Minister
will require a DBS to undertake this ministry.
Every
volunteer for every position in the Parish will need to fill in a volunteer
registration form and
will require 2 #references before they start
volunteering.
This does
not affect existing volunteers. But takes immediate effect for any new
volunteers.
Many
thanks Pam Slater
Knit and Natter Group
Next meeting
is on Thursday 5th December at Gill Lyons' House.
All
Welcome
Donations
Donations,
to parishes or featured projects, can now be made by clicking the ‘Donate’ tab
at the top of the Diocesan website homepage
www.diocesehn.org.uk. From this Donations page, donors can
choose to
donate to one of the featured Projects, or can scroll down to find the parish
they’d like to donate to.
They can
also search for their parish using the ‘Search for a location’ field at the top
of the list of parishes.
When they
find their chosen parish, they just need to click on the ‘Donate’ button and
then choose
one of
the suggested amounts or enter the amount they would like to donate. They can
choose to make a single donation,
but can also set up a weekly or monthly
donation if they’d like to, and can Gift Aid their donations simply
by turning on the ‘I would like to Gift Aid
this donation’ button.
If
you need any further information, please contact Michelle Alsop at
michelle.alsop@diocesehn.org.uk who will be
able to help.
DIOCESAN PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
Heavenly
Father,
in
Baptism you called us by name and made us members of your family, the Church.
Help all
your people to know their vocation in life,
and to respond by living a life of holiness.
For your greater glory and for the service of
your people, raise up dedicated and generous men
who will
serve as priests for the Church of Hexham and Newcastle.
Send your
Spirit to guide and strengthen our communities, our seminarians
and all who are discerning their vocation.
Amen.
Please remember
St Paul’s Church, Alnwick in your will.
Thank You.
Coping with Cancer North East.
We are a charity that offers support to
those affected by cancer, this includes counselling, coaching and complementary
therapies.
Our services are
free to anyone who is or has been affected by a cancer diagnosis, including
family, friends, and carers.
We offer our
services across the whole of the North East.
Please find
our website below for further information on the help that we provide:
https://copingwithcancer.org.uk/
Alnwick District Food Bank
SHORT OF FOOD ?? HOW ??
Email: alnwickdistrictfoodbank@gmail.com or
www:
alnwickdistrictfoodbank.co.uk
or tel: 07498 488797 (Tue or Thur only; 9.00—11.00)
· Confidentially, tell them your circumstances
· They will then arrange a delivery for you, if you
qualify
That's all there is to it !!
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
Gift Aid Appeal
The Gift Aid Donation Scheme is a government sponsored
device whereby registered charities can receive
a ‘cashback’ of 25% of all the donations made by UK
taxpayers. The diocese of Hexham and
Newcastle
is registered to
take advantage of this scheme and we benefit greatly from it.
If you are a UK taxpayer and are not already a member of
the Gift Aid Donation Scheme we would be most grateful
if you would
consider joining it. If you are
interested, please speak to Roisin at the back of church
or give her a ring
on 01665 798945.
BAPTISM
Enfant Baptism is the door to the other Sacraments
of the Roman Catholic Church.
Please telephone
Father Stephen at the Parish House for further information.
Diocese Information
Please use the RCDHN link on the top right of the page.
Peoples Kitchen and Alnwick Food Bank
-please
could all food donations for People's Kitchen and
Alnwick Food
Bank have lids on where necessary.
Thank You.
Feasts
of the Week
Tues 3rd St
Francis Xavier, Priest
Sat 7th St Ambrose, Bishop,
Doctor of the Church
Nights of Light –October
Sat 7th Arthur Carroll—In Thanksgiving
Tues 10th Noreen Byrne—In Memory of. RIP
If you would
like the Church to be lit up for a special occasion or
remembrance of a
loved one, download the form on the
Nights of Light
page on the parish website.
Minimum donation £1 per date!
Thank
You.
USED
POSTAGE STAMPS
Please continue
to save your used stamps.
Thank You
DRIVEWAY
When driving within the church grounds PLEASE
keep to the 5mph speed limit.
Expensive gravel
is being displaced by overzealous drivers.
Thank You.
Offertory Collection
Did you know you
can pay your weekly offertory donation
via standing order or direct debit.
In these days of internet banking it is so
easy to make
a regular payment to St Paul’s RC Church,
Alnwick.
You can still gift aid your donation by
filling in the form at the back of church.
Memoriam Book
The Memoriam
Book placed on the Sanctuary and
contains the
names of family and friends of parishioners,
each written under the date of their death.
If you would like the names of your loved ones
included,
please fill in the form at the back of Church
and place it in
the box provided.
Fill in a separate form for each name, please.
Security
Please be
vigilant when you are in and about the Church.
Do not leave
your valuables unattended in the church.
Nights of Light
Our Church looks
particularly attractive at present with the flood lighting.
We depend on the
Nights of Lights scheme to fund the lighting of the church.
If you would
like to celebrate a important occasion,
please consider
lighting up our church
If you would
like the Church to be lit up for a special occasion,
please obtain a
form from the back of the Church and hand it with your donation
to Tim Sewell,
any of the Parish Council,
drop it through
the letterbox at the Parish House
or download the
form on the Nights of Light page
Minimum donation
£1 per date!
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