A weekend of prayer, community, camping and worship! 23-27 August, for young people aged 16-35. We are hoping to join with other groups from the North East and share a coach to Walsingham and back, this cost should be around £30 return. Youth 2000 run a pay-what-you-can-afford ticket scheme, with their suggested donation being £100 for the 5 day festival including all meals. If you are interested or would like any further information, contact Katie at youth.durhammartyrs@rcdhn.org.uk

The minutes of the Parish Assembly and Annual General Meeting are now available here

The Parish will soon be submitting its Gift Aid return for the year ending 31st March 2018. If any Gift Aid donors now believe that, whether through changes in personal circumstances or increases in tax allowances, they will not have paid sufficient income tax to cover the Gift Aid on their donations (25p for every £1 donated) then please let Fr Andrew or Andy Doyle know as soon as possible. Also, if any donors have changed address in the last year and have not already informed the Gift Aid team at the Diocesan Offices then, again, let Fr Andrew or Andy Doyle know.

If you are not already part of the Gift Aid scheme and would like to know more, contact Andy Doyle on 0191 3783660 or andydoyle1066@sky.com. Thank you for your generosity.

The Medaille Trust is a charity founded by Catholic religious congregations to combat human trafficking, and to support its victims. A speaker from the Medaille Trust will be at 10am Mass on Sunday 5 August.

After seven years of work, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III) has released its first ‘Agreed Statement,’ entitled Walking Together on the Way: Learning to Be the Church – Local, Regional, Universal. This statement has been shaped by the method of Receptive Ecumenism developed at Durham University’s Centre for Catholic Studies. You can find out more about the part played by the CCS and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle at www.rcdhn.org.uk

The apostles return from their missionary tour, elated by all that they have done and taught. Jesus looks at the Twelve with compassion, seeing that they are tired and overwrought, and he urges them to come away and rest. But when the crowds follow, Jesus turns his compassionate gaze on them, too. He knows that the people are ‘like sheep without a shepherd,’ lacking leadership and guidance. They flock to Jesus in great numbers, because they see the wisdom of his teaching, and his care for them – unlike the chief priests and scribes, who seem to have little concern for the ordinary people. And so Jesus sets himself to teach the crowds. He offers them the meaning that they are seeking for their lives, by revealing God’s love for them. He is the Good Shepherd. We, too, will only find meaning for our lives in Christ’s teaching.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is seeking to recruit an 1833 Research and Project Development Officer to review, re-model, project plan and potentially produce resources for our programme for 18-30 year olds in preparation for a service re-launch in Sept 2019. £27k pa pro rata; 3 days a week; one year contract. Home-based with national travel. Closing date: 10:00am on Wednesday 25th July. Interviews: Thursday 26 July. Start date: Wednesday 29 August. For more details & application pack, please visit the vacancies section of the SVP website: https://www.svp.org.uk/

There will be no Children’s Liturgy at Mass this Sunday 15 July.

A Catholic layman from Cameroon will be staying in Durham for a course for 15 days in October, and is looking to rent a room or accommodation. References will be provided. See Fr Andrew for details.

Copies of the new rota which runs from today until Sunday 30 September can be found in the narthex.

 Throughout the summer, our 6:30 Mass becomes a quieter celebration. However, we do need volunteers to welcome, read, take the collection and minister Holy Communion. If you can help, whether from the parish or chaplaincy community, please sign up on the list on the noticeboards. Please don’t leave it to the few.