Bulletin Board

PLEASE NOTE:- There will be NO Printed Version

of the Bulletin in Church until further notice.

30^th Sunday of the Year

Year A

25^th October 2020

Services

The Church has undergone a 9 hour Deep Clean

by a team of professional cleaners.

SUNDAY 25^th October at 9.30am

Maximum Attendance is 77 persons.

· The wearing of a Face Mask is now compulsory

· 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.

Unfortunately, toilet facilities are unavailable. 

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

GOSPEL

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together and,
to disconcert him, one of them put a question,
‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’
Jesus said,
‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.

The second resembles it:
You must love your neighbour as yourself.
On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

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 Oliver will continue to celebrate Mass every day at 12 noon, in Private,

for the Health and Wellbeing of all parishioners.

You have Father Oliver’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 Paul’s Alnwick, All Saints, Thropton, St Aidan’s, Seahouses

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. 

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.

Father Oliver

As you will know by now, Father Oliver is leaving us for pastures new.

Anyone who wishes to donate towards Fathers leaving gift there is a basket in church

and for those parishioners who are not attending church right now,

but wish to contribute, they can drop off donations to following:-

Roisin Cowley, Woodlands Mount, Alnwick, NE66 2PW

Mary Frater, 23 St Georges Crescent, Alnwick, NE66 1AY

June Etterley, 4 Clive Terrrace, Alnwick, NE66 1LQ

Thank You

Father Oliver’s Last Mass in St Paul’s

is on Sunday 1^st November (All Saints Day).

He will be moving to his new parish on Monday 2^nd November

His new contact details are:-

St. Joseph, Ragworth Road, Norton,
Stockton-on-Tees, TS20 1EN.

01642 360471

E mail:-oliverkeyes1@gmail.com

Volunteer cleaners

The Church currently does not have a cleaner as Marie has now retired.

  It is proposed to ask for volunteers to clean the church in the future.

  If you are willing and able to help out please contact

Mary Donaghey 01665 510253 to register your interest.

CAFOD          

CARONAVIROS APPEAL - SURVIVE - REBUILD - HEAL

Give  what you can and save lives.

The appeal date was w/e 11th October. If you would

like to donate please contact Mary Frater (01665) 605004.

Shoebox appeal-Christmas Child

Unfortunately this year due to Covid-19 we are unable to accept packed shoeboxes.

However Samaritans Purse are able to deliver boxes safely to bring joy to children

in at least 50 countries who have difficult and poor lives.

If you would like to donate £20 online to fund a shoebox go to www.shoeboxonline.org.uk

and click on pack your own shoebox where you can choose gender, age and

pick what toys and accessories you would like in your box. You can also personalise

your box with a message. Alternatively click on send a prepacked shoebox

and they will make these choices for you.

Otherwise if you would like to give a donation go to the

main website www.samaritans-purse.org.uk and click on donate today, then the gift

website and you can choose to donate £5 and upwards.

Thank you, Pam Slater

St Paul’s Roof

We have had a few enquiries about when the roof work will be starting.

We are still waiting to hear back from the Diocese and will update as soon as we know.

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 789945.

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

now has a new website.  

alnwickdistrictfoodbank.co.uk

Please take a few minutes to have a look.

RCIA

 Registration remains open for new enquirers wishing to join the

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) programme 2020-21.

 To register or for more information,

please email adminfaith.mission@diocesehn.org.uk.

The Great Adventure: Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible

 “Many people want to read the Bible because they know it is God’s Word,

but they give up because it seems so complicated. Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible

helps you to get the ‘big picture’ of the Bible by showing how fourteen narrative books

of the Bible tell the complete story from Adam and Eve to Christ and the Church.”

  This new, free, online course is starting in the Autumn and will run across 8 sessions

during November 2020 and February 2021.

 To register or for more information,

please email adminfaith.mission@diocesehn.org.uk.

The Certificate in Pastoral Ministry:

Are you involved with ministry in your parish or Partnership, or would like

to be involved with moving the mission of the Church forward? If so,

the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry might be just what you need.

The Certificate in Pastoral Ministry, offered by Loyola University Chicago,

consists of ten modules delivered in an online format, allowing participants

the freedom and flexibility of study in their own home and allowing

you to get to know the people you are studying with.

Modules include, ‘What is Pastoral Ministry’, ‘Building a Fairer World:

Catholic Social Teaching’ and ‘Building Parish Communities’.

We are accepting applications for the certificate now, so to receive further

information and an application form, please contact by email.

The course begins in January 2021.

If you would like to receive updates and resources from the

Vicariate for Faith & Mission, please sign up to our mailing list using this link: https://forms.gle/sfzYNucPobYpUq8s7.

Sea Sunday (20th December)
The Bishops Conference of England and Wales have

decided to postpone Sea Sunday this year.

This is because, due to the coronavirus pandemic, most parish churches

were not able to open in July when the annual collection normally happens.

Parishioners might have already kindly remembered us with a donation at that time –

in which case you will shortly receive a grateful acknowledgment from us for your support.

If your parish has not yet been able to celebrate Sea Sunday 2020, we hope that

you will be able to do so, with other Catholic churches

across the country, on 20th December 2020.

 We would really appreciate it if your parish could kindly

join us in prayers, support and gratitude on Sea Sunday 2020.

As the official Catholic charity supporting seafarers, fishers and their families worldwide,

Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea) is most grateful for your parish’s support.  

Bishop Robert Byrne CO has announced the re–opening

of some churches for individual prayer.

Please go to the Diocesan website:- www.rcdhn.org.uk

For a list of the churches, to download our handbook for the

reopening of churches and to read our statement in full.

Statements from Pope Francis, Bishop Robert Byrne and the

Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

condemn the death of George Floyd

In times of an international crisis such as this, the Bishop and the Diocese

maintain communion with Pope Francis and the Bishops’ Conference of

England and Wales to 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

Alnwick District Food Bank

 Dear Friends of Alnwick District Food Bank,

A milestone we hadn't wished for has arrived –

for the first time in our history we have supplied 100 food parcels in 1 week. 

As 2 bags are needed for each parcel that is a good deal of packing.

Since the start of this pandemic we have packed well over 10,000 individual items.

We have plenty to do without spending too much time counting, but it gives

a good idea of the volume of food now needed by our community to help make ends meet.

The days when we marked each item with its expiry date are long gone,

although each and every donation continues to be checked

to make sure it is "in date" and not past its "use by".

Any such items are not distributed and we have no other outlet. 

To match these demands on our service we thank everyone;

individuals, local and national businesses, clubs and organisations in Alnwick

and surrounding area who have rallied to the cause.

To the best of our knowledge our youngest fundraiser is only 4 years old.

She can't wait to get to "big school" in September, and is taking part in a virtua

l "school half marathon", at the same time raising funds for us.

Food donations are also rolling in and rolling back out!

Lindisfarne remains open each morning and food donations can be

dropped off each weekday, between 9 and 10;30am,

with the exception of Wednesday.

Our usual donation points remain open in town

(Tinned meat, fruit and vegetables are always needed)

and at the supermarkets and our website,

Facebook and Twitter pages give details should anyone

wish to make a financial donation.

A sincere thank you to all, individuals and others, who contribute in whatever way

. We do not foresee demand diminishing and very much rely on you

to help us through, serving our community.

Kind regards

From us all at ADFB

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

Saturday 24^th October---Arthur Carroll---In Thanksgiving

Saturday 31^st October---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

Monday 26^th---SS Chad & Cedd Bps

Wednesday 28^th---SS Simon & Jude, Apostles

Friday 30^th---The Martyrs of Douai College

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.

GDPR

The staff at the Diocesan Finance Office have asked every

Parish and Partnership to appoint a GDPR representative.

Because of the short notice given to try and fond someone and hand in

contact details to the diocese, Fr Oliver has notified the diocese of temporary roles for this:

Deacon David will be the GDPR rep for St Aydan’s, Seahouses

and Fr Oliver will be the GDPR rep

for all the other Parishes in the Partnership, until we know

what is expected of the person responsible.

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.

Space for Quiet Prayer

Our Quiet Space before the Tabernacle is working well.

Thank you all. Please use it, if you would like to, before and after Mass,

for silent prayer, in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

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. Oliver.

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 meeting of St Paul’s Parish Council

held on Tuesday 15^th Sept 2020 at 7 pm via Zoom.

Present – Mary Donaghey (Chair /Minutes) June Etterley, Fr Oliver Keyes.

Co-Opt Member Michelle Burgess attended for financial update and administration matters.

Opening Prayer – The opening prayer was given by Fr Oliver.

Apologies for absence

Apologies received from Giles Dhabalia, Edith Humphries Co-opt members Mary Frater and Martin O’Hanlon.

Review of the Agenda.

The Agenda as it stood was accepted.

Minutes of previous meeting and Matters Arising:

Due to the length of time since the last meeting of the Parish Council on 3^rd March the minutes of the previous meeting were agreed without further review.

Parish Administrator’s Report:

Michelle Burgess gave an account of the church’s current financial position:

Current Account: £37,306

Deposit Account: £162,636

Roof Fund: £7,011

Michelle reported that the loose plate collection as expected has been lower but steady at between £200 to £300. There has been an increase in Gift Aid giving via direct debit to £947. The church has also received several additional donations bringing the total to between £1,000 and £1,200 each month.

A side effect of the lockdown has been a massive reduction in utilities bills and running costs for the Church. As a result, the Church finances are in the black. All maintenance checks required are currently up to date.

Building repair and maintenance

Safety work to be carried out on the Church trees. Once every 5 years safety and maintenance work are required in relation to the numerous trees within the Church ground. St Paul’s is responsible and could be held liable for any mishaps for falling trees or obstructions caused. There are some 38 separate items of work needed and a quote has been given of £8,000 for the said work. Michelle stated that Martin has made enquiries as to whether St Paul’s is entitled to some form of grant with a negative result.

As the Church is within a conservation area Council permission is required for such work to be conducted. Michelle will make enquires as to who is responsible for approaching the Council (St Paul’s or the Diocese). Clearly this work needs to be done sooner rather than later and certainly before Winter.

Replacement Cleaner. The contract for the previous Church cleaner has ended and a replacement is needed. Michelle believes it may be the Diocese who are responsible for finding a replacement and she offered to approach the HR department to discuss. It was then suggested that in line with other churches we might ask for volunteers who are willing to clean the Church on a regular basis

A request for volunteers is to be put into the Church Bulletin to ask for volunteers.

Christians Together in Alnwick. Sadly, due to lockdown and the inability to plan there will be no Christmas lights in Alnwick this year. At a recent CTiA meeting it has been suggested that last year’s successful Cribs at Christmas be repeated asking local businesses to display cribs in their windows. Another suggest is for knitted angels. Apparently, this happens in Berwick where knitted angels with a small prayer tucked inside are then left around the town on railings and fences with permission from the Council. People are encouraged to collect them. Knitters are needed to help. June and Mary are both knitters and will start. Michelle has offered to scribe the prayers.

St Paul’s were due to host the Remembrance Service this year. Fr Oliver confirmed that in line with Diocesan guidance there will be no Remembrance Service this year. Fr has also spoken to St Paul’s School regards the Christmas Concert which is also very unlikely to go ahead. Michelle confirmed she is aware of the strict Diocesan guidance. At this time, the Church can only be opened for Mass on Sunday or funerals and weddings.

Next meeting. The next Parish council meeting will also take place vis Zoom Tues 1^st December at 7pm

This being the last meeting for Fr Oliver the Chair then on behalf of the Parish Council thanked Fr Oliver for his service to St Paul’s and wished him well at his new parish.

Fr Oliver then led the closing prayer.

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