On Monday 17th May, we reached Step 3 of the Government’s planned reduction of lockdown restrictions. 

This allows some changes to our celebration of Mass:

• Stewards will no longer be needed for weekday Masses. However, you must provide Track & Trace details when you attend Mass.  We have a QR code displayed at the church entrance, which you can scan using the NHS Track & Trace app. Prior booking is still required for Sunday Masses, and stewards will be present.

• Congregational singing and sharing of the Sign of Peace are still not permitted.

• Holy Communion is recommended to be given in the hand, but if you wish to receive on the tongue, you should wait until the end of the Communion line, to minimise the risk of infection.

• Please continue to sanitise your hands on entering and leaving church, wear a face covering and observe social distancing, to keep everyone safe

If you wish to attend Sunday Mass, you must book a place, by emailing office@stcuthberts-durham.org.uk or telephoning 0191 384 3442, by 6pm on Saturday. You will be asked to give a contact telephone number or email address. If you come to church without having booked a place at Mass, you may be asked to leave. 

All Masses at St Cuthbert’s are live streamed on our YouTube channel.

Volunteers are needed to clean the church after each opening, If you can help, please get in touch by telephone or email.

As lockdown restrictions are eased, members of our community could still be feeling isolated. If you are in need of practical help, or if you just want to chat, please contact Fr Andrew on parish.priest@stcuthberts-durham.org.uk  or 0191 384 3442. If you know of someone who needs support, please contact them, or let Fr Andrew know.

Parish bulletins and Catholic newspapers will be available for collection in a box outside the church door. Please pick up a copy of the bulletin and put it through the letterbox of a friend or neighbour who might not be able to get out.

Mass by Telephone: The Diocese of Middlesbrough has set up a system to allow people who do not have internet access to listen to Mass over the telephone. This service can be accessed by calling 01642 130120.

Hospital Visits: The University Hospital of North Durham still has restrictions in place regarding visits to patients – see the hospital website for the latest information. However, the Catholic Chaplain is still able to visit patients, and can bring them Holy Communion and the Sacrament of the Sick. If you know of a patient who wishes for a visit from the Catholic Hospital Chaplain, please inform Fr Paul Tully on 01388 818544 or frpaultully@outlook.com 

For visits to patients in St Cuthbert’s Hospice, in care homes or in their own homes, please contact Fr Andrew.

The Bishops of England & Wales have issued a paper reflecting on the way ahead for a return to a normal pattern of worship in our churches. You can read the paper here.

Pope Francis encourages the Universal Church to pray the Rosary during the month of May, for the end of the pandemic. More information at: http://www.rcdhn.org.uk/faithandmission/marathonofprayer.php

The Bishops of England and Wales have written a Pastoral Letter on the Environment for the Feast of Pentecost. Read it here

Celebrated by Bishop Robert in St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday 22 May at 12 noon, and live streamed via the Cathedral YouTube channel.

Pentecost renewal retreat at Minsteracres. ‘Jesus breathed on them and said; Receive the Holy Spirit.’ In this retreat we will reflect on the role of the Holy spirit in John’s Gospel and pray for the release of the Spirit in our lives, that we may  learn how to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God. There will be times of input, times of silence and times of prayer and praise to help us open ourselves more fully to God. Led by Fr Chris Thomas. Friday 21-Sunday 23 May. Suggested donation: £175. See www.minsteacres.org for details.

The times of liturgies during Holy Week will be as follows:

  Mass of the Lord’s Supper; Thursday 1st April at 7.00pm

   Celebration of the Lord’s Passion; Friday 2nd April at 3.00pm

   Easter Vigil; Saturday 3rd April at 8.00pm

   Easter Sunday Mass; 4th April at 10.00am 

  (No Evening Mass on Easter Sunday).  

All of the services are now fully booked.

All of these liturgies will be live streamed on St Cuthbert’s YouTube channel.

Many thanks to Fr. Nick King SJ for his talk on Friday evening.

If you weren’t able to join us, you can watch the talk on our YouTube channel.

Our Lenten Stations of the Cross continues this Friday at 6:30pm on Zoom. Joining details can be found in the St Cuthbert’s Parish Community Facebook Group or by contacting Andy Doyle (andydoyle1066@sky.com or 0798 543 4185).

If you would like to lead Stations on one of the Fridays of Lent (excluding Good Friday), get in touch with Andy.

If you’re not able to join us on Zoom on Fridays, there’s a recorded version of the Stations, with readings and meditations based on the Gospel of Mark, on our YouTube channel.

The latest edition of the Finchale Partnership’s newsletter is now available here.

Partnership Newsletter Feb 2021

A ‘Retreat in Daily Life’ brings the experience of an individually guided retreat to you, fitting around your work and study commitments.

What does it involve?

• Roughly 30 min daily personal prayer & 30 min daily one-to-one meeting with a guide for 5 days.
• An opening (Sunday evening) and closing meeting (Friday) to top and tail the retreat
• Evening workshops exploring how to live out faith in this complex world (e.g. ways of praying, discerning God’s will and making God-centred decisions, images of God)

This year, all meetings and workshops will be held online, via Zoom or other platforms.

Who is it for? Christians wanting to deepen their prayer life, or if you aren’t sure what you believe but are willing to risk seriously exploring the reality of God. Either way, for any generous soul willing to commit to the elements of the week.

Why do it? When we are generous, God is more so. Everyone receives even more than they give. We meet a God who loves us and wants to use our gifts. It can also be a great help in making or confirming decisions, big or small. We learn new ways of praying.

Will it affect my work or studies? Yes and no. Participants will be busier that week because of these extra demands, hence the need to be generous. The retreat runs alongside a normal week, however, so no one will miss any lectures, seminars, or housework responsibilities. Sorry 🙂

Contact Fr Andrew Downie – email: andrew.j.downie@durham.ac.uk, tel.: 0191 384 3442

We can now live stream Masses and services from St Cuthbert’s. To see our live stream search for ‘St Cuthbert’s Catholic Church, Durham’ on YouTube) or click here.

If you’re new to YouTube, the easiest way to access our livestreams and to check which Masses we have scheduled for streaming for the next week is to subscribe to our channel.

Once you have subscribed, if you go into YouTube, there’s a section called ‘subscriptions’ (probably at the bottom of the screen on a tablet or phone, but in the column on the far left if you are on a computer). That will take you to a screen with lots of videos from all the channels you have subscribed to.

Click on the picture of St. Cuthbert’s (in the column on the left on a tablet or phone, but you may need to click on Manage’ at the top right on a computer) and it will take you to our channel.

The top line will give you the videos we have already streamed, and if you scroll down you will come to ‘Upcoming live streams’.

Thank you all for your kindness to me over the Christmas season, and for your contribution to the life of our parish during the past year. Let us pray for one another as we move forward into 2021 – Fr Andrew.