Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the appeal to cover the cost of live streaming equipment for St Cuthbert’s. A technician visited the church last week; we are awaiting an estimate, and we hope to start the work soon.

On Sunday 8th November there will be a shared reflection on the readings and the Gospel reading, on Zoom at 11.00am.

For details of how to take part, join the ‘St Cuthbert’s Parish Community’ Facebook group or email margaretdoyle1066@sky.com

Pilgrimage – a personal faith perspective. Individuals from different faith traditions and belief systems (including Fr Andrew) will share their personal experiences of and responses to pilgrimage. Monday 9th November, 7.00-8.30pm, on Zoom. Please contact gavin.wort@durham.ac.uk to register and to receive the log-in details.

The Government has introduced lockdown restrictions from Thursday 5th November. Public acts of worship are forbidden from that date, and all Masses from this Thursday onwards will be celebrated privately.

Churches can still open for private prayer. This week, St Cuthbert’s will be open at the following times:

Thursday 5-6pm; Friday 12-1pm; Saturday 9.30-10.30am.

Watch the website and the parish and chaplaincy Facebook pages for details of future opening.

The Gospel reading for today’s Feast of All Saints comes from the beginning of Jesus’  Sermon on the Mount. He goes up the hill and sits down, with a crowd of people waiting to hear him, and he sets out his teaching.

Our first reaction to Jesus’ words may be that his teaching is unrealistic. Jesus says, ‘Happy are the poor in spirit… happy the gentle… happy the merciful.’ But surely, that is not the way that the world is. It might seem more true to say ‘Happy are the rich… happy are the powerful… happy are those who fight to get what they want.’ Those are the values of the world.

But does it have to be that way? We have all known people who lived by the values that Jesus teaches us. We know people who are gentle, kind and merciful. There are people who are happy and contented, even though they seem to have very little. Those people are an example and an inspiration to us. They show us a better way to live.

Today, the Church remembers all the saints who are not canonised – those who are not famous, or even known. We celebrate the parents, grandparents and friends who taught us about Jesus, and who gave us an example of the Christian way of life. They lived by the values of the Beatitudes. The First Reading describes the gathering of the saints in heaven: ‘a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language.’ Everyone is invited into God’s kingdom, whoever they are and wherever they come from. There is a place there for each one of us.

St. Cuthbert’s is now open for public Mass throughout the week as well as on Sundays.

Please do not come to church if you are in the ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ group, if you are showing any of the symptoms of Covid-19, or if you have any concerns about your safety. The obligation to attend Sunday Mass has been dispensed by the Bishops until further notice.

You will be asked to give contact details and we have a QR code displayed if you are using the NHS COVID-19 Test & Trace App.

Face coverings became mandatory in Places of Worship from Saturday 8th August 2020. All those who are attending churches must wear a face covering unless they are exempt from doing so.

Sunday Mass: Mass will be celebrated on Sunday 1st November at 10:00am and 6.30pm, and Sunday 8th November, at 10.00am and 6:30pm. The capacity of the church is limited to 36 people under the diocesan Risk Assessment. If you wish to attend Sunday Mass, you must request a place, by emailing office@stcuthberts-durham.org.uk or telephoning 0191 384 3442. If you come to church without having booked a place at Mass, you may be asked to leave. If there is a high demand for places at the 6:30pm Mass, priority will be given to students.

Masses during the week. You can attend without prior booking, but you will be asked for contact details. Church will be open for an hour each time there is Mass and you are very welcome to come into church for private prayer immediately before and after Mass.

Receiving Communion: Please wait in the pews until instructed by the Stewards to come forward to the priest for Holy Communion, always aware of social distancing in the queue. Please unloop your face covering, hold your arms at “full stretch” so that there is a good distance between you and the priest, with hands, palms upwards, one of top of the other, extended as flat as possible, consume the Sacred Host and then replace your face covering before moving back to your pew.

Volunteers are needed to act as stewards, and to clean the church after each opening. You must not volunteer if you are in the clinically extremely vulnerable group, and if you are in the clinically vulnerable group, you should consider carefully your safety before deciding to volunteer. If you do wish to help, please get in touch by telephone or email, as above.

St Godric’s Church has Mass at 9:00am on Sunday 1 November and Sunday 8 November ; Exposition at 9:30am and Mass at 10:00am on Tuesday 3 November and Thursday 5 November.. 

St Joseph’s Church has Mass at 5:00pm on Saturday 31 October and 7 November; 11:00am on Sunday 1 November and 8 November. Exposition at 9:30am and Mass at 10:00am on Wednesday 4 November and Friday 6 November.

For Saturday and Sunday Masses, the deadline for requesting a place at Mass is 2.00pm on Friday, to book a place please contact Marjorie on 07391529827 or secretary.stjandstg@btconnect.com You no longer need to book a place at the weekday Masses, but will have to give your contact details to the stewards on arrival.

Book Launch; David Jones and the Craft of Theology: Becoming Beauty by Dr Elizabeth Powell. Tuesday 3rd November at 5.30pm, online. See CCS website for details.

Quiet Day: An opportunity to step aside, listen to God in scripture and enjoy the peace and tranquility of Minsteracres.  Led by Sr Rosarie Spence RSM. Coffee and tea are provided.  Please bring a packed lunch. Wednesday 18 November, 10am-4pm. Suggested donation: £15.

November is the month in which Catholics traditionally bring to mind those who have died and pray for their souls. This may be particularly poignant in our current circumstances.

Our Parish Book of Remembrance will be open at the font all month from All Saints Day for you to write the names of your departed family members and friends. If you cannot come along to church in person, please e-mail Andy Doyle (andydoyle1066@sky.com) and he shall arrange for names to be added.

The 10am Mass on Saturday 7th November will hold especially in mind all who have died in the last few years together with those who mourn and you are invited to come along, you do not need too book for this Mass.

Unfortunately, we shall not be able to offer the refreshments that have been available in previous years. The 10am Mass on Sunday 8th November (Remembrance Sunday) will conclude with a short moment of gratitude and remembrance for all who died in the World Wars and other conflicts of recent decades.

The Northern Cross has been part of the life of our diocese for over 60 years, but our diocesan newspaper has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic and closure of churches. You can help by:

Taking out an annual subscription; £36 for the print edition delivered to your door each month, £20 for the online edition. 

Advertising your business or service in the Northern Cross.

Sending in your stories. Northern Cross is your newspaper and we would love to hear what you have been up to over the past month.

You can contact the Northern Cross at  editor.norcross@btconnect.com, by post c/o WM Fortune & Son, Collingwood House, Church Square, Hartlepool, TS24 7EN, or on 01325 464008. Or go to www.northerncross.org.uk