Pope Benedict XVI has declared 28th June 2008 to 29th June 2009 the ‘Year of St Paul’ to celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of St Paul’s birth. It is the Holy Father’s intention that during this year we all come to know better ‘the immense wealth of teaching’ of St Paul.

But in addition to being a year of study, Pope Benedict primarily intends that it be a year of pilgrimage: ‘pilgrimage of the heart, with Paul, to Jesus Christ’. For if we read the words and deeds of St Paul in the New Testament, we find a man gripped by the love of God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. His whole life and message, after his conversion, was totally Christ-centred.

Therefore the Pauline Year is really as much about Christ as it is about St Paul, because he pointed to Christ in all that he did and said: ‘I live now not with my own life, but with the life of Christ who lives in me’ (Gal 2:20). So through learning more about St Paul this year, we can hope to learn more about Christ of whom St Paul preached, and to more effectively witness to Christ’s love and truth in our daily lives. We can join with St Paul on a pilgrimage into an even deeper knowledge and love of Christ.

The Holy Father also asked that during the Pauline Year ‘in every part of the world initiatives be implemented in the dioceses’. In the Diocese of Middlesbrough we have implemented a number of initiatives, including workshops on St Paul that are taking place in several parishes.

In addition we are delighted to announce two very special Diocesan Celebrations of the Year of St Paul, to which the whole Diocese is warmly invited by Bishop Terence. These events will be Liturgies of the Word, led by the Bishop, with invited guest preachers who will share their enthusiasm and understanding of St Paul and his relevance for Christians today.

These prayerful Liturgies will include excellent music and singing led by the Diocesan Choir, and involvement of children and young people in reading and symbolic action. The liturgy will be based around some of the most profound and well-loved words of St Paul.

We hope these will be fitting celebrations of the great ‘Apostle to the Gentiles’, whose understanding of the Gospel of Christ has inspired, informed, and literally changed the lives of countless men and women for two thousand years.

The details are as follows:

• Thursday 26th February (the day after Ash Wednesday) – 7.00 pm at St Charles Borromeo, Hull
• Sunday 28th June (Feast of Ss Peter and Paul) – 7.00 pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, Middlesbrough

Please do try to come to one or both of these evenings, and perhaps invite family, friends and ecumenical guests to join you on this act of pilgrimage and praise.