Category Archives: Events

Advent Day of Reflection at Ushaw

Advent is a time of waiting, and of preparation for the birth of Jesus at Christmas. At the start of Advent, Ushaw is providing a day of reflection with an Advent theme.  The day will include Mass, and time for prayerful reflection as we await the coming of the Saviour – an opportunity to take time away from our busy lives and think about the real meaning of Christmas.

Everyone is very welcome to join us on Friday 1st December, from 10.30am to 3pm.  Tickets for the day cost £10.  Refreshments will be provided on arrival.  Bring a packed lunch, or you can buy lunch in Welby’s café.  You can book your place at https://ushaw.org/whats-on-at-ushaw/ or by phone on 0191 373 8500.  

St. Francis in Art

The National Gallery in London is currently holding an exhibition on St. Francis of Assisi, with works by Botticelli, Caravaggio, Antony Gormley and many others. We’re planning 2 events connected with the exhibition:

Tuesday 4 July at 7.00pm: an evening at St. Cuthbert’s where we will talk about how St. Francis and stories from his life are represented in art.

Thursday 27 July: a trip to London to visit the exhibition. Details of the visit to the Gallery and of travel plans will be confirmed nearer the time, but first we need an idea of numbers, so that we can contact the Gallery and look into group discounts for travel. If you are interested in joining this trip (or if you have any questions), please contact Margaret Doyle on margaretdoyle1066@sky.com or 07719 906711. The exhibition itself is free, so the cost will be the train fare.

Parish Dinner


St Cuthbert’s Parish Dinner
is being held at 7.30pm on 16th of February at the Seven Stars, Shincliffe.

There is still time to sign up, so anyone wishing to attend please, when leaving the church on Sunday, sign up on the sheet in the porch or contact Gil Bolton (email gilmar.bolton@btinternet.com or 07816819515)

To confirm your booking a £5.00 deposit per person will be required next week at the latest. This can be paid by cash or cheque. Cheques made payable to DHN Durham St Cuthbert’s. Please write Dinner on the back of the cheque.

A Workshop: ‘Music for Communion’

The Diocesan Church Music Association invite you to attend a short workshop, led by Alison McLean (Director of Music at St Cuthbert’s, Durham) and Paul Berry (Director of Music at St Mary’s, Hexham) to explore new music for the communion procession – Responsorial songs for Cantor and Assembly by Nick Baty.

The workshop is taking place on Sunday 25 September 2022, here at St. Cuthbert’s. Find out more here: http://ow.ly/kOj350Ks3O

Reading Group

The Parish Reading Group will be meeting at 8.00pm on Monday  6 June to discuss Noreena Hertz, The Lonely Century. We’ll be meeting face to face at Orchard House (after meeting on Zoom for the last 2 years).

New members are always welcome, from the parish and the Chaplaincy communities. Contact Margaret Harvey: email margaretharvey@uwclub.net or phone 0191 3840080, if you would like to join the group.

Lenten Day of Reflection

Lay Dominicans North East invite you to A LENTEN DAY OF REFLECTION, PRAYER AND STUDY, on Saturday 19 March, 11am to 3:30pm, here at St Cuthbert’s.

The day will include Mass, Stations of the Cross, Quiet Prayer and talks on the theme of “St Dominic and the Cross”. A buffet lunch will be available.

There is no charge for the day but, to manage numbers for COVID and catering purposes, please book by contacting Andy Doyle at andydoyle1066@sky.com or 0798 543 4185.

Film Night

We were hoping to hold a Christmas film night on Tuesday 21 December, watching ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’. Unfortunately this event is now cancelled.

We have received the latest guidance from the Bishop about restrictions to keep us all safe in the light of the latest position with COVID. Although there are no changes to our use of the church for Mass and other services, we are asked to cancel events in the parish room. The guidance will be reviewed in January.

Faith and Science: the role of the Vatican Observatory.

A talk by Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ, the Director of the Vatican Observatory. This is a joint Chaplaincy / Parish event and everyone is welcome.

The talk will be on Friday 18 June at 4.00pm, on Zoom. The dial in details are available in the parish Facebook Group or by email from margaretdoyle1066@sky.com.

If you are not able to join us for the talk, a recording will be available afterwards on our YouTube channel.

Pope Francis’s vision for a synodal Church

The University Catholic Society would like to invite parishioners to join their Wednesday evening talk on16th of June at 8:00pm.

Dr Austen Ivereigh is a writer, commentator and papal biographer who recently collaborated with Pope Francis on his Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. He is the co-founder of Catholic Voices and Fellow in Contemporary Church History at Campion Hall, Oxford. 

The talk will be on Zoom and the log in details are available in the parish Facebook Group or from margaretdoyle1066@sky.com

Women in the Church

A talk by Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ. Sr Gemma is Director of the Religious Life Institute at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge, and is an internationally renowned speaker and broadcaster. Wednesday 6th November, 7.30pm at St Andrew’s Church, Worswick Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6UW. Bus leaves St Cuthbert’s at 6.30pm, returning around 9.30pm. Places are limited, sign up today!

CAFOD HARVEST FAST DAY

This Friday 7 October is Harvest Fast Day. We are invited to join 32-year-old Nicanora, from Bolivia, on her journey from poverty to abundance.

Image result for CAFOD HARVEST FAST IMAGE

We can stand alongside Nicanora as she learns new skills and receives materials and seeds that will enable her to grow enough food to feed her family. Please pick up a Fast Day envelope today and give what you can.

Parish Evening

The next Parish evening will be on Wednesday 20 July, with Mass at 7.00pm, followed by a shared meal and a discussion. We will be joined by Karen Kilby, who will lead our discussion on the relationship of love and suffering. The evening will finish at about 9.30pm. All are welcome.

Durham Miners’ Gala, 9 July 2016

This year’s Miners’ Gala is on Saturday 9 July, and as usual we will be selling refreshments to raise money for charity. If you can help on the day itself, or with preparations beforehand, please sign up on the list at the back of church.

We are also looking for contributions of quiche and of cakes. Please sign up on the list if you can help, so we will have some idea of how much we may need to buy.

And, of course, if you are visiting the Gala, do drop in to our little oasis of peace and (relative) quiet!