Category Archives: Announcements

Solemnity of St. Cuthbert

We will celebrate our patron saint with Sung Vespers at 6.30pm on Friday 20th March (no Stations this week.) The preacher will be the Revd Michael Everitt, Canon Pastor of Durham Cathedral. This event is going ahead, and will be our last act of shared worship for the time being.

The programme of events scheduled to take place at Durham Cathedral for St Cuthbert’s Day has been cancelled.

Suspension of public acts of worship

In accordance with the statement issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, there will be no further public acts of worship at St Cuthbert’s after Sung Vespers on Friday 20th March, until further notice. This decision has been taken by the Bishops in line with official advice and in order to keep each other safe, save lives and support the NHS. The celebration of Sunday and weekday Mass will take place without a congregation.

An excerpt from the Bishops’ statement:

‘Knowing that the Mass is being celebrated; joining in spiritually in that celebration; watching the live-streaming of the Mass; following its prayers at home; making an act of spiritual communion: this is how we share in the Sacrifice of Christ in these days. These are the ways in which we will sanctify Sunday, and indeed every day. We want everyone to understand that in these emergency circumstances, and for as long as they last, the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is removed. This is, without doubt, the teaching of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2181). This pandemic is the ‘serious reason’ why this obligation does not apply at this time.’

You can see live streams of prayer and worship on the Durham Martyrs Parish Facebook page and at www.churchservices.tv/

St Cuthbert’s Church will not close, but will continue to open as a place for prayer and reflection. We will need stewards to watch the church during opening hours. If you are able to volunteer to steward for an hour or two, please contact Fr Andrew on parish.priest@stcuthberts-durham.org.uk or 0191 384 3442.

Please watch the parish website and Facebook page, and our e-bulletin, for updates. You can read the statement from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference here.

Coronavirus & Events at St. Cuthbert’s

This is the latest position on what is happening at St. Cuthbert’s:

Mass:

Public Acts of Worship have been suspended from Friday 20th March in line with the statement issued by the Bishops’ Conference.

Events which have been cancelled or postponed:

19 March: Catholic Theology Research Seminar

Friday soup lunches for Lent

21 March at St. Cuthbert’s & 26 April at Langley Moor: Finchale Partnership Bible Basics

1 April: Parish Dinner

2 April: Finchale Partnership Prayer & Spirituality: the Stations of the Cross

5 May: Book Group

Events which are still scheduled to take place (but keep in touch for updates):

20 March: Sung Vespers for the Solemnity of St. Cuthbert at 6.30pm.

4 April: Spring Cleaning the church for Easter

Keeping in touch:

For the latest information, sign up for our e-bulletin here or follow us on Facebook.

Holy Week Liturgy & Foot washing

If you can help with welcoming, reading or administering Holy Communion at our Easter services, please sign up on the rota on the noticeboard as soon as you can. We need lots of volunteers to ensure that our liturgies are celebrated with dignity and joy without overloading our ministers.

If you would be willing to take part in the foot-washing which is part of the Mass on Holy Thursday evening, then also sign up on the list on the noticeboard or let Fr Andrew or Andy Doyle know as soon as possible.

Saviour of the World

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well would seem shocking to his disciples. A Jewish man of that time was not supposed to speak in public to a woman outside his family. Jews and Samaritans distrusted and shunned one another. And it seems that this woman may be an outcast even among her own people; she has had five husbands, and she comes to draw water alone, at the hottest part of the day, when the other women of the community won’t be around.

Jesus pays no attention to rules that divide and exclude. He enters into a conversation with the woman, and draws her to faith in him. She becomes a disciple, and then a missionary; her witness draws the people of her town to faith in Jesus. The Samaritan woman who came to the well to draw water has received the living water that Jesus promised. The Samaritan town has become a field that produces a rich harvest of faith. Jesus sets no barriers to his mission. He really is the Saviour of the world.

Do you enjoy singing at Mass?

If you enjoy the singing at Mass why not consider becoming more involved, even for just a short time? The choir invites you to help support the singing of the Liturgy over the Easter Triduum. We rehearse every Tuesday evening from 7.45 – 8.45pm. Every week, as well as rehearsing for the upcoming Sunday, we will be refreshing/learning items for the Easter Triduum, so why not come and join us? Don’t worry if you can’t read music or feel like your voice isn’t good enough. It’s not a performance; it’s about coming together to use the gifts we have to enhance our Liturgy and help our congregation in its worship. Why not give it a go? If you’d like more details please contact Alison McLean on 07770 884692 or email her at alison.mclean1@hotmail.com

Finchale Partnership Prayer & Spirituality

In the first of a series of sessions on different prayers and devotions, we’ll be talking about the Stations of the Cross.  We’ll be exploring the history and practice of the Stations, so whether you are very familiar with praying the Stations, or if you’ve seen them in church and simply want to know how it works, join us on Thursday 2nd April at 7.00pm, at St. Cuthbert’s. There will be a talk, the opportunity to ask questions and we will finish with Stations of the Cross in church.

Covid-19 (Coronavirus)

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has now moved to Stage 2 guidance in its guidance to parishes. This means that, as from now, Holy Communion will not be administered from the chalice, and communicants will be asked to receive the host in their hand. There should be no physical contact at the Sign of Peace, and the holy water stoups will be emptied.

You can read the full guidance here.

A guided tour of the Parish Website

People sometimes ask where they can find out more about the parish, and you may not realise just how much information there is on our website.

On Sunday 8th March there will be a guided tour of the website, to help you find your way round, and explain how you can find the Facebook page and sign up for the e-newsletter. Please join us over coffee after the 10.00am Mass.