March already! It doesn’t seem like five minutes since Auld Lang Syne was being bellowed out. The good thing about March is that January and February have passed us by, so we can really begin to look ahead with some hope. And there are lots of signposts for us.
As the month begins, so does Lent. Ash Wednesday falls on March 5 and we “begin with holy fasting the campaign of Christian service…so that we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.”
On the First Sunday of Lent, March 9, we celebrate in the cathedral the Rite of Election, when we solemnly welcome those who are to be baptised and received into full communion with the Church and we promise to accompany them with our prayers, as we all prepare for the celebration of Holy Week and Easter.
Also on March 9, we join the nation in a Day of Reflection to remember those who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. This day provides an opportunity to reflect, pray and support one another as we honour the resilience of our communities. You are invited to light a candle, offer a prayer and remember all those who died as a result of the pandemic. Let’s also give thanks for the strength and compassion shown during those challenging times. May we continue to offer love, hope and kindness to all.
This year there will be another Flame event for the young people of our national Church. It will be held on Saturday March 15 at Wembley Arena and will be the largest ever, with more than 10,000 young people attending. Let’s remember to pray with and for our young people on that day.
More locally, on the feast of St Joseph, Wednesday March 19, the choirs of our Middlesbrough and York schools will gather at the cathedral to celebrate Mass at around 1pm. They are all part of the National Schools Singing Programme, of which we should be very proud.
Just in case you think the Lourdes Pilgrimage is still far away, there will be a full day’s preparation and formation on Saturday March 22 for all those who have volunteered as helpers.
Then at long last we can say that we are definitely on the way to better days as British Summer Time begins during the night of March 29/30. Don’t forget to put your clock forward. It’s for that reason that the Easter Vigil should not begin until 9pm as it will still be light, and as we all know, the Vigil should begin in the darkness.

In blessed hope,

+Terry