by Michael McG | Oct 1, 2018 | Bishop Terry, Catholic Bishop's Conference, Pope Francis
Statement from the Bishops of England and Wales, Rome, Saturday 29 September 2018 As we end our visit, ad limina Apostolorum, we offer these reflections on our days together in Rome. On Friday September 28 we were immensely privileged to share conversation with Pope...
by Michael McG | Sep 30, 2018 | Voice Column
I offer you a thought for the Month of October, the month of the Holy Rosary dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. I sin not because of what I do or don’t do, but because of what I am – a sinner, a deep down sinner. And left to myself there is nothing I can do about it. It...
by Michael McG | Sep 25, 2018 | Catholic Bishop's Conference
STATEMENT FROM OUR CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF ENGLAND AND WALES, SEPTEMBER 24 2018 As we gather in Rome for our visit ad Limina Apostolorum, we have spent time together reflecting again on the impact of the recent reports containing stark revelations of child sexual abuse...
by Michael McG | Sep 17, 2018 | Pope Francis, St Wilfrid's, York
Parishes in our diocese have been responding to the call of Pope Francis for prayer and fasting after the latest revelations concerning sexual abuse within the Church. The Holy Father called for this penitential exercise as a sign of solidarity with victims and...
by Michael McG | Sep 17, 2018 | Missio, Organisations
Sunday October 21 is World Mission Day, which the Church traditionally sets aside to support the work of Missio, writes CANON MICHAEL LOUGHLIN. Missio is the Pope’s official charity for overseas mission and is part of the worldwide network of Pontifical Mission...
by Michael McG | Sep 12, 2018 | Voice Column
Probably as you are reading this the National Eucharistic Congress in Liverpool is taking place or has just taken place. As Catholics, the Eucharist should be the centre of our lives. The Eucharist strengthens and nourishes us so that our faith grows stronger. We...
by webmaster | Sep 10, 2018 | Adoremus (Eucharistic Congress)
Those who attended the Eucharistic Congress ‘Adoremus’ in Liverpool last weekend were given much to ponder at the event. The keynote speaker was Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop and ‘Word on Fire’ founder Bishop Robert Barron. The talks he gave are...
by Michael McG | Sep 7, 2018 | Appeals and Special Events, Walsingham statue visit
The statue of Our Lady of Walsingham from the shrine’s famous Slipper Chapel is coming to St Mary’s Cathedral this advent as part of a two-year “Dowry Tour”. The tour is part of the spiritual preparation for England’s rededication as the Dowry of Mary in 2020....
by Michael McG | Sep 6, 2018 | Apostleship of the Sea
Apostleship of the Sea warmly invites you to “AoS Past, Present And Future”, with a buffet lunch and a talk from port chaplain Anne McLaren. Come and find out about the origins of AoS, their work with seafarers today and how you can be part of their work. Admission is...
by Michael McG | Sep 5, 2018 | Adoremus (Eucharistic Congress), Sacraments
Prayer and action for Christians persecuted for their faith will be central to a leading Catholic charity’s contribution to Adoremus this weekend (September 7 to 9). Aid to the Church in Need will call on all those taking part in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage...
by Michael McG | Sep 5, 2018 | Event Calendar, Miscellaneous
People of all faiths and none are invited to a service in York to remember those who have been lost to suicide. Father Tony Lester, parish priest of Our Lady’s Church in the city, is among those taking part. “Many people find it difficult to talk about bereavement,...
by Michael McG | Sep 5, 2018 | Appeals and Special Events, Event Calendar, Pilgrimage, St Mary's Cathedral, Middlesbrough
Tickets for this year’s Summertime Special are still on sale, with comedian Jimmy Cricket and a host of top quality acts lined up to entertain on Friday September 28 in aid of our Lourdes Fund. Jimmy returns after last year’s smash success and there are also plenty of...
by Michael McG | Sep 5, 2018 | Bishop Terry, Pilgrimage
Bishop Terry is pictured with the 14th Station of the Cross on the 70th anniversary of it being carried to Walsingham by a group from Middlesbrough in July 1948. The board shows that they walked 236 miles, further than any of the other stations brought from around the...
by Michael McG | Sep 5, 2018 | Justice and Peace
Christians are encouraged to pray and care for the world around us each year during Creation Time from September 1 to October 4 (the Feast of St Francis). This year CaFE (Catholic Faith Exploration) has produced a new film-based resource for parishes, groups and...
by Michael McG | Sep 5, 2018 | Vocations
The Carmelite nuns at Thicket Priory in York are holding an information day for people interested in learning more about the contemplative life. “A lot of people ask about our life here, from the curious to those actively discerning a religious vocation,” said Mother...
by Michael McG | Aug 29, 2018 | Apostleship of the Sea, Bishop Terry, Miscellaneous, St Mary's Cathedral, Middlesbrough
Apostleship of the Sea invites you to a Mass in honour of their patron Stella Maris, Our Lady Star of the Sea. Come along and pray for the work of Apostleship of the Sea and for seafarers on Wednesday October 3 at 7pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, Dalby Way, Coulby Newham,...
by Michael McG | Aug 17, 2018 | Lady Chapel
The forecast rain held off as Bishop Emeritus John Crowley returned to the diocese as principal celebrant for our annual Assumption Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Grace. Around 250 hardy pilgrims braved the difficult conditions on the climb to the Lady...
by Michael McG | Aug 9, 2018 | Voice Column
The World Meeting of Families takes place every three years. It started in 1994, when Pope St John Paul II asked the Pontifical Council for the Family (now part of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life) to establish an international event of prayer, catechesis...
by Michael McG | Aug 9, 2018 | Voice Column
We approach July with a hint of joy and some sadness. There is great joy because it is the time of the year when priestly anniversaries are commemorated. We have the opportunity to give thanks for many years of good, fruitful and faithful ministry. As a priest, one is...
by Michael McG | Aug 9, 2018 | HCPT, Organisations
HCPT Group 122 hosts its latest glittering Great Gatsby Ball at York Racecourse’s Ebor Suite on Saturday October 6. The evening includes a three-course meal, silent auction, raffle, casino and dancing, with money raised going to help the Hosanna House and...
by Michael McG | Jul 24, 2018 | Pope Francis
All 500,000 tickets for the closing Mass World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Sunday August 26 have been booked out. Father Timothy Bartlett, secretary general of WMOF2018, said he wasn’t surprised at the huge level of interest in the event....
by Michael McG | Jul 18, 2018 | Bishop Terry
Bishop Terry invites you to join him for the annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Walsingham, from Saturday October 27 to Sunday October 28. The cost is £85 per person, including return transport, evening meal, B&B and Sunday lunch. Some ensuite rooms are available for...
by Michael McG | Jul 3, 2018 | Apostleship of the Sea
July 8 is Sea Sunday, when the Church asks us to pray for seafarers and support the work of AoS, whose chaplains and ship visitors provide practical and pastoral help in ports around the coast of Britain… Visiting a supermarket is a task we all take for granted....
by Michael McG | Jul 3, 2018 | Bishop Terry, Pilgrimage, postgate
Hundreds of pilgrims came from all over the diocese to the annual Postgate Rally in honour of the English and Welsh Martyrs and Blessed Nicholas Postgate. The rally takes place in Egton Bridge and Ugthorpe in alternate years and this time was held in Ugthorpe, which...
by Michael McG | Jun 26, 2018 | Lourdes
Bishop Terry’s Homily from the Lourdes Grotto Mass, May 2018… So how many of you watched the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19? I know it was a really difficult choice for some between the cup final and the wedding. There were crowds queuing up at...
by Michael McG | Jun 7, 2018 | CAFOD, CAFOD Appeals, St Mary's Cathedral, Middlesbrough
Many of our parishes have been organising Share the Journey walks to support the global Share the Journey campaign led by Pope Francis and Caritas Internationalis and stand up for the rights of refugees and migrants. Scarborough Catholic Parishes’ confirmation...
by Michael McG | Jun 4, 2018 | Bishop Terry's Pastoral Letters
Dear Brothers and Sisters, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2.5) I write this letter to you while in Lourdes with the Diocesan Pilgrimage, and these words have lodged firmly in my heart – it is the theme of Lourdes this year taken from the Gospel of the Wedding Feast...
by Michael McG | Jun 1, 2018 | Voice Column
As we leave the Easter Season behind us, with all its joys, celebrations and rich liturgy, we enter into the month of June. From a very natural point of view we hope that June will be a month of warmth and sunshine – sadly, this is not always the case! However, the...
by Michael McG | May 8, 2018 | Adoremus (Eucharistic Congress)
Catholics from our diocese are invited to attend the National Eucharistic Congress and hear an inspirational speaker who has been described as “one of the Church’s best messengers”. Bishop Robert Barron is the keynote speaker at the all-day event at the Liverpool Echo...
by Michael McG | May 3, 2018 | Blessed Nicholas Postgate, Parishes, Postgate Society, Redcar
Parishioners in Redcar have come up with a small way of promoting the Cause for the Canonisation of Blessed Nicholas Postgate by having badges made and offered for sale. In recent years the previous four parishes that served Redcar, namely Sacred Heart, St...
by Michael McG | Apr 25, 2018 | Justice and Peace
Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the Diocese of Middlesbrough Justice and Peace Commission has launched its environment policy at All Saints’ School in York. The event contributed to activities around the globe for Earth Day on April 22 and the...
by Michael McG | Apr 25, 2018 | Justice and Peace, Study Days
The Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission is delighted to welcome Dr Anna Rowlands as this year’s Anthony Storey Memorial Lecture speaker. Anna is a political theologian and an expert on Catholic Social Teaching and is St Hilda Associate Professor of Catholic Social...
by Michael McG | Apr 18, 2018 | Postgate Society
The Postgate Society, which aims to spread knowledge of and devotion to Martyr of the Moors Blessed Nicholas Postgate, has launched a new website. As well as giving a detailed account of the life of Blessed Nicholas Postgate, it contains information about the...
by webmaster | Apr 11, 2018 | Papal Documents, Pope Francis
Pope Francis’ new Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate or “Rejoice and be Glad” is now available from the Vatican website. He states in his introduction: “My modest goal is to re-propose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own...
by Michael McG | Apr 11, 2018 | Adoremus (Eucharistic Congress)
Pope Francis recently announced the forthcoming canonisation of an iconic 20th century martyr for social justice, Blessed Oscar Romero, soon to become San Romero of America. Although the date has not yet been announced, Romero, who was gunned down as he offered Mass...
by Michael McG | Apr 9, 2018 | CAFOD, CAFOD Appeals
CAFOD Middlesbrough has the following volunteer opportunities… Office volunteers Office volunteers are key members of our volunteering team, helping to ensure the smooth running of the local volunteer centre. By keeping our records of school, parish and volunteer...
by Michael McG | Apr 9, 2018 | Lady Chapel
People of faith in our diocese and beyond are being invited to play a part in helping to preserve and promote the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Grace at Osmotherley. New members are being sought for the Friends of the Lady Chapel, which was launched by Bishop Terry in...
by Michael McG | Apr 5, 2018 | Education Service, Schools and Colleges
School Standards minister Nick Gibb has written to a Middlesbrough primary school with congratulations on results that place it in the top one per cent in the country. St Pius X Roman Catholic Primary School in Park End has been recognised for its excellence in...
by Michael McG | Mar 29, 2018 | Bishop Terry, Sacraments, St Mary's Cathedral, Middlesbrough
Priests from throughout the Diocese of Middlesbrough reaffirmed their ministry by renewing the promises made at their ordination at the annual Mass of Chrism in St Mary’s Cathedral. There was standing room only as around 750 worshippers swelled the congregation, with...
by Michael McG | Mar 23, 2018 | Voice Column
In this month’s Voice there are many important articles, but I would just like to draw your attention to two in particular. Our Diocesan Justice and Peace Organisation, in the light of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ – On The Care Of Our Common Home, are...
by Michael McG | Mar 23, 2018 | Appeals and Special Events, Pope Francis, World Youth Day
Young people are being offered the opportunity of a lifetime by joining Pope Francis and a party from our diocese heading to World Youth Day 2019 in Panama. Bishop Terry and Monsignor Gerard Robinson will lead the group attending the six-day event in the Central...
by webmaster | Mar 12, 2018 | Event Calendar, Ushaw College
Ushaw College with the Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University are celebrating the 450th anniversary of the founding of the English College at Douai with a special anniversary conference: ‘450 Years Pioneering Catholic Education: Past, Present, Future’ at...
by Michael McG | Mar 9, 2018 | Obituaries
A much-loved priest who spent 32 years at St Paulinus in York from its foundation as a parish has died in Ireland at the age of 94. Father Pat Grant was born in Thurles, Co Tipperary, on November 14 1923 and attended St Patrick’s Seminary in his hometown. He was...
by Michael McG | Mar 9, 2018 | Liturgy and Music, Sacraments, St Mary's Cathedral, Middlesbrough
Candidates and catechumens were given a warm welcome as they began the final part of their journey towards being received into full communion with the Catholic Church. Canon Pat Hartnett led the traditional Rite of Election and Call To Continuing Conversion, which...
by Michael McG | Mar 9, 2018 | Appeals and Special Events, St Mary's Cathedral, Middlesbrough
An appeal has been launched to help buy a new bus so that sisters including Middlesbrough-born Sister Pat Pearson can continue providing vital services to vulnerable communities in Ghana. In January, Monsignor Gerard Robinson visited the Padre Pio Rehabilitation...
by Michael McG | Mar 8, 2018 | Apostleship of the Sea
Parishioners from Middlesbrough are invited to join those from other dioceses on a Day of Pilgrimage and Prayer to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on Saturday June 2. Now in its fifteenth year, the day will be a special one to pray for seafarers and for the work of...
by Michael McG | Feb 26, 2018 | CAFOD
Calling young people aged 18 to 30! CAFOD is looking for volunteer climate champions to take part in an international workshop in summer 2018 on sustainability with other Catholic young people from across Europe. The Catholic charity is also offering a free one-day...
by webmaster | Feb 24, 2018 | Bishop Terry's Pastoral Letters
Dear Sisters and Brothers, What goes up must come down. Breathe in then breathe out. These are truths, facts that most of us would not deny. We take them for granted as self-evident. In a way they are parts of a greater truth, a natural law: the law of gravity and...
by Michael McG | Feb 21, 2018 | Diocese, Obituaries
Father Tom Ryan, who served for 40 years in parishes in the north and south of our diocese, died at 6am on the morning of Saturday February 3 at the age of 86. Father Tom was born in Caherconlish, County Limerick, on August 29 1931. He attended St Patrick’s Seminary...
by Michael McG | Feb 21, 2018 | Appeals and Special Events
Catholics from England and Wales are invited to visit Dublin for the ninth World Meeting of Families, which takes place from August 21 to 26. Pope Francis is expected to attend the meeting, which has the theme of “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World”....
