Bulletin Board
PLEASE NOTE:- There will be NO Printed Version
of the Bulletin in Church until further notice.
second Sunday in
ordinary time
Sunday 17th January 2021
Services
COVID-19 Pandemic
Sunday Mass---17th
January at 9.30am
Wednesday Mass ---20th
January at 9.30am
·
Maximum Attendance is 77 persons.
·
Please enter the church in single file (keeping a
2m distance)
by the Front Door where you will be
met by a Steward.
·
The pews will be filled from the front and moving
to the back.
·
The Holy Water stoops, confessionals will not be
used and
hymn books, Mass cards and all piety goods
will be removed.
·
When Mass has finished please leave by the Side
Door, again
in single file and keeping your
distance.
·
The wearing of Face Masks is compulsory
Unfortunately, toilet facilities are
unavailable.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John
1:35-42
Glory to you, O Lord
As John
stood with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and
said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’
Hearing
this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following
and said, ‘What do you want?‘
They
answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ ‘Come and
see’ he replied; so they went
and saw where he lived, and stayed with him
the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.
One of
these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and
said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took
Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You
are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Act of Spiritual Communion by
St Alphonsus Liguori
My Jesus,
I believe that You are truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I
love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since
I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,
come
at least spiritually into my heart.
I
embrace You as being already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never
permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Weekday
Fr Stephen will continue to celebrate Mass every day, in Private,
for the Health and Wellbeing of all parishioners.
You have Father Stephen’s assurance that all mass intentions received
will be honoured on the dates they have been allocated.
And for all those whose anniversaries
occur around this time
“Eternal
rest grant unto them O Lord
and let
perpetual light shine upon them,
May They
Rest in Peace. Amen”
St Aidan’s Seahouses
Thursday
21st January---Mass 10am
All
Saints, Thropton,
No weekday Word & Communion or Mass until Further Notice
Live streams
The following parishes have set up a live stream of Mass.
St. Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle
The live
stream of Mass can be found on
the Cathedral's YouTube Channel.
There will also be a live streaming of a time
of quiet prayer
before the Blessed Sacrament and devotions
from 5.00pm until 5.45pm.
Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Sunderland
via their YouTube channel.
You can also find details and information on
their Facebook page.
Chester le Street, St. Cuthbert and Sacriston, St.
Bede
a recording of daily Mass is viewable via
their Facebook Page.
St. Mary's, Hexham
via their parish website
www.stmaryshexham.org.uk and their YouTube channel.
St. Paul's, Cramlington
via their Facebook Page.
Stockton Family Parish
via their Facebook Page.
Our Lady and St Wilfred’s, Blyth
via their Facebook Page.
Mass by Phone Service
During
these times when our churches are closed and Masses are being
streamed
online, the Diocese of Middlesbrough have set up a system to allow
people who don't have internet access to
listen to Mass over the telephone.
If you would like to access this service, the
telephone number to call is 01642 130120.
Calls are charged at local rate and free if in
your included minutes.
Please remember
St Paul’s Church, Alnwick in your will.
Thank You.
WEDDINGS 2021
If you are planning to marry in St Paul’s church in 2021,
and Father Stephen
has not yet been in contact with you,
PLEASE can you contact
the parish by email:-
stpaulschurchalnwick@gmail.com
Thank you.
St Paul’s Roof
Work on
the roof was scheduled to begin on 11th January 2021.
At an extra ordinary meeting of St Paul’s Parish Council,
held on
Friday 18th December 2020 at 7 pm via Zoom, It was decided to postpone starting
the work with a view to seeking funding.
For
further details please see the meeting notes at the bottom of the page.
Father
Oliver
new contact details are:-
St. Joseph, Ragworth Road, Norton,
Stockton-on-Tees, TS20 1EN.
01642 360471
E mail:-oliverkeyes1@gmail.com
Appeal for Help
In setting up a new home a mother, with 2 young children,
is in need of most domestic items.
A member of the
Alnwick Lions Club is successfully gathering things,
but is still seeking floor coverings eg carpets and rugs.
There will also be a need for curtains but as yet sizes unknown.
If anyone can
help, please contact me soonest and I will collect: 01665 600830
E: billdawnmcd@hotmail.com"
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
Respond to Department of Health consultation to stop home
abortions!
The Department of Health is holding a public consultation
on whether to continue the practice of allowing abortion providers
to send abortion
pills to women so that they can perform their own abortion at home.
We need as many pro-life people as possible to complete
the Department of Health’s questionnaire
in order to help
stop dangerous DIY abortions becoming permanent.
SPUC has prepared
a briefing which gives a step by step guide to completing the consultation
questionnaire.
Please go to https://www.spuc.org.uk/Get-Involved/Campaigns/England-DIY-Abortion-Consultation
The consultation
ends on 26 February 2021.
TO OUR CATHOLIC UNIVERSE AND
CATHOLIC TIMES READERS IN THE PARISH:-
at the
moment you are unable to collect your paper at Mass,
but you can get it delivered direct to your
home every week, POST FREE.
Please go
to www.thecatholicuniverse.com or call them on
0161 820
5722 and they will arrange for you.
SPECIAL
OFFER 3 MONTHS :-£25.00
SPECIAL
OFFER 12 Months:- £99.00
OR
DIGITAL
COPY:- 12 Months: £55.00
Keeping
you and your parish in our thoughts and prayers.
May
we take this opportunity in thanking you for all your support.
God
bless
Statement regarding the publication of the IICSA report
The
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), has published its
investigation report
into the Catholic Church in England and Wales
today. This is based on the main public
hearings
held in
October and November 2019.
Bishop
Byrne CO and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle fully
supports the response from the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales:
Bishops’ Conference Statement on the Publication of the IICSA
Report
The
Catholic Church in England and Wales welcomes the Report from the Independent
Inquiry
into Child Sexual Abuse relating to the
institutional response of the Church in its duty of
care to
protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
We
thank the IICSA Panel for their work. The Report will now inform the
ongoing reform and improvement of safeguarding
in all aspects of the Church’s life.
An
important aspect of the Inquiry’s work was the voice given to victims and
survivors of abuse,
including the accounts which they gave of
their subsequent engagement with the Church.
Listening
attentively to their witness testimony has brought into sharp relief the extent
of the
damage this sexual abuse has had on their
lives.
We
apologise to all victims and survivors who have not been properly listened to,
or properly supported by us. By listening with
humility to those who have suffered, we can
contribute to the healing of the wounds of
abuse, as well as learn from those most directly affected
how we must improve the Church’s safeguarding
standards, policies and procedures.
This
is an ongoing task and one to which we are wholly committed. Child sexual abuse
is a crime.
It is a crime that requires committed
vigilance and strict procedures to ensure reporting to the
statutory
authorities. This is the Church’s policy. It is also why our safeguarding work
needs to be
continually
reviewed and improved. Where there have been failings and inconsistency
in the application of our safeguarding
procedures, we acknowledge these and commit
to actions which will bring about improvement.
Abuse
is an evil act against the most vulnerable; it must never be excused or covered
up.
Abuse committed against children and the
consequent damage to people’s lives cannot be undone.
For this, we apologise without reservation,
and we are committed to listen attentively to the voices
of those who have been abused.
This
report is an important moment in our safeguarding journey in the Catholic Church
in our countries.
It will now be considered in detail by us, the
Bishops, at our Plenary Assembly beginning next week
so we can explore how to integrate the
findings of this important Inquiry into the life and work of
the Church in order to consistently safeguard
children and the vulnerable.
Vincent
Cardinal Nichols—President Archbishop
Malcolm McMahon OP—-Vice-President
If you have
been affected by this report further support is also available:
You can contact the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
Safeguarding Team on 0191 243 3305 or find
further contact details at:
http://www.rcdhn.org.uk/safeguardingdio/safeguardingcontacts.php
‘Safe
Spaces’ is an independent service supporting survivors of church-related
abuse.
This independent service is run by the charity
Victim Support and is free to access
via
telephone – 0300 303 1056 (answerphone available outside of opening times),
email –
safespaces@victimsupport.org, or
web-chat
via www.safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.
Other
organisations offering support can also be found via the
Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service at
https://www.csas.uk.net/
Volunteer Cleaners
Now that Sunday Morning Mass can resume,
Volunteers are wanted to help with cleaning of St
Paul's to keep our church safe.
All COVID Guidelines will be adhered to.
Mary’s Meals
This has
been a challenging time for us all,
we
want to thank you for your faithful support of Mary’s Meals at this
time.
Our founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow has recorded a special
message for
parishioners. We hope
you will continue to spread the word about our beautiful mission.
Thanks to
our new match funding campaign ‘Double
The Love’, donations
will go
even further. Give until 31 January 2021 and public donations
will be
doubled by the UK government, up to £2 million – meaning we can reach
even more hungry children in Liberia with
life-changing school meals.
All
information and links can be found on our website:-
www.marysmeals.org.uk
We wish you and your congregation peace and
blessings this Advent and Christmas.
Gift Aid
The Diocese
is not sending out Gift Aid Donation Statements for 2019/20.
However, due to the churches not being fully opened
because of COVID19, it was decided that
this year they
would only supply this information if specifically requested.
If like this information, please contact Roisin on 01665
798945.
Gift Aid and Donations
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, if anyone would
like to pay
their Gift Aid, sign up to Gift Aid or make a Donation
through
their bank, please
contact Roisin on 01665 798945
Very many thanks to all those who have supported the
Gift Aid Donations
Scheme. The scheme continues to make
a significant contribution to parish funds.
If you are not already signed up, please consider
joining.
The only requirement is that you should be a UK taxpayer.
Thank You.
The Alnwick District Food Bank
This is to confirm
we continue to operate from our base at Lindisfarne Adult Learning Centre and
will do so with
the goodwill and
cooperation of Northumberland County Council throughout this latest lockdown.
Our website www.alnwickdistrictfoodbank.co.uk is
kept updated with regard to opening times as is our FaceBook page.
Both also detail where donations can be dropped off and
items needed.
Our team of
volunteers have committed to "keeping the show on the road".
We are here to serve our local community to the best of
our ability.
Kind regards
From us all at ADFB
Statements
from Pope Francis, Bishop Robert Byrne and the
Bishops’
Conference of England and Wales
condemn
the death of George Floyd
To read the statement in full
please go to the Diocesan website:- www.rcdhn.org.uk
The Prayer
Group
pray in their homes at 7 o’clock every Tuesday
we would like to share with you one of the
prayers we use
Bring
me now into the deep silence of your presence.
I give you my body and ask that it may become your dwelling place
This moment may every part of my being be at peace
Let my heartbeat
Be in harmony with your heartbeat
Let every part of my body be filled with your Spirit
Take each blood vessel
Take every part of my nervous system
Take each muscle ,each organ ,each cell
Fill me now
With your stillness
With the reality of you living presence
This is part of the Shalom Prayer from
the Maranatha Community
I hope it helps, Barbara Dawson, SHALOM
St Paul’s 100 winners 2020
February
1st Henry & Pam Gormally 2nd Peter Duffy 3rd Peter Deeble
March
1st Joan McLelland 2nd Peggy Smart 3rd Jacqui Bettel
April
1st Mick & Sandra Armstrong 2nd Arthur Carroll 3rd Fr Oliver
May
1st Martin & Jean O’Hanlon 2nd Laurence Collins 3rd Brian Lindsay
June
1st Stan Trafford 2nd Carol Gibson 3rd Fr Des
July
1st Arthur Carroll 2nd Arthur Carroll 3rd Mary Donaghey
August
1st Rebecca Smissen 2nd Susan Buckle 3rd Chris McElhone
September
1st Arthur Carroll 2nd Graham Bloodworth 3rd Lorna Pearson
October
1st Bruce & Myra Collyns 2nd Angela Rule 3rd Anne Burn
November
1st Tim & Anne Sewell 2nd Linden & Elizabeth
Dodds 3rd Joan Brown
December
1st Mr & Mrs H Harrison 2nd Fr Phil Carroll 3rd John Carr
Congratulations to all winners
Diocese Information
Please use the RCDHN link on the top right of the page.
The Vicariate for Faith & Mission
Pope Francis – Prayer to Mary for Protection
during the COVID–19
Pandemic.
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign
of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test –
and deliver us from every danger,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
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.
First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion 2019-20
Has been
cancelled until further Notice.
Nights of Light
Wednesday 13th---James
Keenan---In Memory
Thursday 14th---Daniel
Triplett---Happy Birthday
Saturday 16th---Arthur
Carroll---In Thanksgiving
Saturday 23rd---Arthur
Carroll---In Thanksgiving
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.
Fatima Mass
Yvonne Douglas has been to Fatima and is having a Mass
said for all our
parishioners every
month for a year and also every Friday included in the Rosary.
Partnership Day of Reflection
for Ministers of the Word has been moved to November.
Feasts of the Week
Thursday 21st---St Agnes, Virgin, Martyr
USED POSTAGE STAMPS
Please continue
to save your used stamps until the church re-opens.
Thank You
The Peoples Kitchen
My thanks as
always to all who give so generously throughout the year.
The kitchen are
constantly feeding and clothing the many needy people on a
daily basis, the numbers are ever increasing.
Well done to you
very kind hearted people.
DRIVEWAY
When driving within the church grounds PLEASE
keep to the 15mph speed limit.
Expensive gravel
is being displaced by overzealous drivers.
Thank You.
PLEASE let us know
if a relative or
neighbour has been taken to any of our hospitals,
otherwise we will not be able to visit them.
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.
Bereavement Support
If you, or
someone you know, has recently been bereaved Hospice Care
now provide support either in your own home or
in a mutually convenient place.
For more information see the leaflets in the
back of church
or phone
the hospice on 01665 606512.
ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL
The website is
http://www.stpaulsalnwick.co.uk/
containing lots
of information about our schools and a
chance to keep up to date with what is
happening.
Please visit our website.
Memoriam Book
The Memoriam
Book placed in Our Lady’s Chapel
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!
In the absence of the priest, whom can
we contact?
It is always
good to be able to contact the priest of the
parish when you
need information or in emergency.
But the parish
house is not always manned.
In the absence
of the priest, the number of a contact person
will be on the
answering machine.
Hospital Referral Cards
It is becoming
increasingly difficult to know when any
of our parishioners have been admitted to
hospital.
If you or any of
your family are being admitted to any of our
hospitals please let the priest know as soon
as possible.
At the back of
the church there are some hospital referral cards.
We would ask you
to have one of these cards at home and if for any reason you have to stay
in hospital
please hand it to the ward sister who will inform the hospital chaplain.
Please supply
the patient’s name, ward and hospital.
Alternatively, a
hospital referral card can be completed and given to Fr. Stephen.
Due to the
unavailability of information regarding religious denomination of patients
in the RVI, Freeman and Walkergate Hospitals, patients
and relatives
must take
responsibility to inform the hospital chaplain.
Tel 0191 232
1892.
The same
situation applies to all our local hospitals and maybe care homes.
If you or a
relative are going into hospital or one of our
care homes please let the local priest know.
It will make our
work much easier
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minutes of the extra ordinary meeting of St Paul’s Parish
Council
held on Friday 18th
December 2020 at 7 pm via Zoom.
Present
Fr Stephen Watson
(Chair), Mary Donaghey (Minutes) June Etterley, Edith Humphries.
Co-Opt Members Michelle Burgess and Mary Frater
Opening Prayer
The opening prayer was
led by Fr Stephen.
This was an extra ordinary meeting of the Parish Council called
at short notice by Fr Stephen
to give a further update
on proposed building and maintenance work to the church roof, the parish house,
and the church clock.
As such there was only
one item to discuss with no formal agenda.
Building repair and maintenance
As discussed at the Parish Council Meeting held on 1st
December an inspection of the house had identified several urgent repairs were
needed.
Fr Stephen explained that he had received a call from Andrew
Gillingham Head of Property Management for the Diocese.
Mr Gillingham had
received the two most competitive quotes for work needed on the house. One was for £60,700 plus VAT and one was
for £56,000 plus VAT. Any
major building work must be approved by the Diocese. Therefore, both quotes were put to the
Building Committee
which is a group of Lay
experts and priests who make an informed decision on value for money and
necessity. They gave their approval of
the proposed work
As the building work is
over £50,000 the Finance committee also had to be approached and they also gave
their approval. Prior to going ahead
with the
work approval is also
required from the Parish representatives in the form of the Parish Council.
Therefore, Fr Stephen had
called this meeting to speak to the Parish Council.
Regards work on the Church roof.
Andrew Gillingham has spoken to Fiona Standfield Chief Operating Officer
for the Diocese
who has suggested some
possible funding opportunities. However,
it is not possible to seek funding on work that has already begun.
Work on the roof was
scheduled to begin on 11th January 2021. The cost being £96,000 and with the
possibility of what may be substantial help,
Fr Stephen had taken the decision to postpone starting the work
with a view to seeking funding. The
Diocese will help with the funding applications.
An estimate has also been received to repair the Church
clock. The power strike and the third
motor which drives
the quarter hour strike
need replacing at an estimated cost of £12,000.
Some good news is that we will be able to reclaim VAT on the roof and
clock repairs.
An interim invoice had also been received for the cost of the
slate for the roof. There had been
problems sourcing the slate due
to the pandemic and import
issues. The contractor has already
purchased the slate at a cost of £40,000.
Payment will be made from the
church deposit account.
However, this will not affect our seeking funding as it will not count
as part of the work on the roof.
There is also the outstanding safety work to be carried out
on the Church trees which had been discussed at the Parish Council
meeting held on 15th
September 2020. The estimate at that
time was for £8,000. Michelle Burgess
explained that Martin O’Hanlon had
applied for planning
permission to the Council to carry out the work but there had been a delay
sorting the paperwork. This had now been
done.
It was unanimously decided to approve the go ahead for the work
on the house for the safety and comfort of Fr Stephen. It was further
decided to delay the
repair of the church clock as it was not seen as a priority at this time. Once the planning application is approved by
the
council the work on the trees in the grounds must go ahead. The Parish Council agreed with Fr Stephen’s
decision to delay work on the roo
f to explore the funding opportunities as this will be a huge
help.
As it stands the current financial commitments using funds from
the deposit account are as follows:-
Deposit Account £162,636
House £72,840
Roof slate £40,000
Trees £8,000
Balance 341,796
There being no other items to discuss the meeting ended.
The next planned meeting
is Tuesday 2nd March 2021.
Minutes of the meeting of St Paul’s Parish Council
held on Tuesday 1st
December 2020 at 7 pm via Zoom.
Present
Fr Stephen Watson, Mary Donaghey (Chair
/Minutes) June Etterley, Edith Humphries.
Co-Opt Members Michelle
Burgess attended for financial update and Mary Frater to update on Christians
Together
Opening
Prayer
The opening prayer was given by Fr Stephen.
Apologies
for absence
Apologies
received from Co-opt member Martin O’Hanlon.
Ed Sweeney is away.
Apologies passed on behalf of Christopher
Benjamin by June.
Review of
the Agenda.
The Agenda as it
stood was accepted.
Minutes
of previous meeting and Matters Arising:
The minutes of the previous meeting 15th
September were agreed without further review.
Parish Administrator’s Report:
Michelle Burgess
gave an account of the church’s current financial position:
Current
Account:
£36,538.03
Deposit
Account: £162,636
Roof Fund: £7,010.74
There has been
little change in the figures from the last meeting.
Building
repair and maintenance
Fr Stephen and
Martin O’Hanlon recently attended a meeting in the Church to discuss the
future work to be carried out on the
roof. Those present included Andrew
Gillingham
(Property manager
for the Diocese) and building contractors.
Martin being aware
he was not able to attend the Parish Council
meeting sent an e mail to Mary Donaghey
and Fr Stephen giving an update of the
meeting. Fr Stephen read out the e mail
which
summarised the main points. The e mail reads, ‘It is going to be a very
big task and much
disruption both internally and externally will
occur. To reduce the dust level in
the Church sheeting
will be
installed to reduce the spread but all Internal materials will be taken into
the Church
via the main door. All of the Statues, candle
holders, spare chairs and anything that can be moved
will have to be
moved prior to all scaffolding being installed. Only Contractor Traffic will be
allowed to park in the grounds except for
Wedding and Funeral official vehicles.
It is envisaged
that work will commence on the 11 Jan 2021 and weather and COV19 permitting
the task should take 11 weeks. …’ Fr Stephen explained that the main work will
be to the
Sanctuary Roof and that a great deal of dust
is expected to come down. As a result,
we will be
asking for a lot of help from parishioners
during this period to help with Church cleaning.
The cost of work
on the roof is estimated to be £96,000 plus VAT.
Two large containers will be placed in the car
park for building materials and use by the contractors.
Work is also going to be carried out shortly
to check that the plaster to be removed does
not contain
asbestos. Scaffolding will be erected in the Sanctuary on Friday 8th
January 2021
and this means the area will need to be
cleared of statues etc by Thursday 7th January.
This work will be carried out by paid
contractors under the supervision of Martin O’Hanlon.
Residents on
Percy Street and the surrounding area will need to be advised of the
parking restrictions and disruption as some
residents do use the Church car park.
Action point
Michelle will draft a letter for a letter drop.
Action point
Mary Frater volunteered to dismantle the coffee/tea facilities.
Fr Stephen went
on to say that an inspection has also been carried out of the house which
is in a poor state of repair. Three local contractors came in with Andrew
Gillingham and
one estimate has so far been received for
£61,000. The conservatory at the back
has been condemned.
The end gable wall is bowing. The office floor at the front of the house
is uneven.
The kitchen and carpets all need
updating. Unfortunately, the Church
bells are also in need of repair.
Only the hour chime is currently
working. One of the three motors needs
repairing and this will cost £8,000.
Christians
Together in Alnwick
Mary Frater gave
an update on the mission to distribute angels to bring some joy this Christmas.
Over 800 angels have been knitted for the
project and they are currently in self isolation in
biodegradable bags. Half will go into care homes and half will be
distributed around the town
on Saturday 19th December at the
Christmas Market. Sadly, there will be
no carol singing and no
service in the market square this year.
Last year we
gave out small potted plants to some members of the parish.
This year Pam Slater and Mary Frater will
again have some potted plants and comfort bags
to give out to some members of the
parish. Fr Stephen said that to allow
them to be given out
after Mass they will need to be in isolation
for three days prior to the service and then people
invited to pick up the bags themselves. They will need to be left at the side exit to
the church where people leave.
Other
matters -Week day services
Fr Stephen is
hoping to have at least one service during the week but will
need volunteers to steward and clean the
church after services as it is unfair to
ask Martin and Dorothy to help as they have
done on each Sunday.
Ideally, we could draw up a rota of helpers.
Next
meeting.
The
next Parish council meeting will also take place via Zoom on Tuesday 2nd
March 2021.
Fr Stephen then
gave the closing prayer.
