The Sick: The Diocese, on advice and under Data Protection Regulations (May 2018), asks us not to name individuals, but to pray for them as a group within the Parish Body as those in particular need.
Recently Dead: Pope Francis, Fr Stephen Wright OSB, Barry Roberts
Anniversaries: Fr Vincent Wace, Frank Stephenson, Tim Harrison, Nora Morgan, Pauline Brown
HOME COMMUNIONS If you require Holy Communion at home, please contact John Ridge: [email protected], Fr Kentigern or Fr Bernard either by e-mail or leave a telephone message by 8.00pm on Friday evening stating whether you require a weekly visit or a one-off call. Someone will then be in contact to arrange a suitable day and time to visit.
EASY FUNDRAISER Do you regularly shop online? Did you know you could support your church at the same time? For more information speak to Tracey in the Parish Office and see information leaflets in the Hall.
WORLD COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION Meets each week: Mondays at 2pm - 3pm in St Ben’s Hall: contact Mary Sturges Thursdays at 8pm - 8 45pm on Zoom: contact David and Sue Walsh Should you wish to join either group contact Mary Sturges 01439788563.
CHRISTIAN MEN OF THE VALLEY Meet each Monday at 8.00pm to share faith, friendship and interests.
FABRIC PROJECTS Works have cost £35000. All contributions to these costs will be gratefully received.
CAFOD Donate to CAFOD’s Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal at cafod.org.uk/ipc or call 0303 303 3030. or to the Sudan Crisis Appeal: cafod.org.uk/SudanAppeal or call: 0808 58 588 85.
VOLUNTEER DRIVERS As part of the experiment in providing more time for Fr Kentigern to develop his Leadership of the Parish, Fr Bernard will be taking on some of the visiting of the housebound in Gilling. The next opportunity is 23 May
YORK DEANERY APPEAL Eucharistic Ministers-are there any Ministers of the Eucharist who could visit York Hospital on a weekly basis to help support the two who are presently bringing Communion to Catholic patients? Training and support will be available and a DBS check will be necessary of course. Please contact Sue Ellis on 07748108253.
MAP METHODIST ASYLUM PROJECT - MIDDLESBROUGH Thank you to all who contributed to the March delivery. NO delivery in APRIL but Donations of Summer clothes can be left in cottage after May 19th for delivery on the last Wednesday May 28th.
CONCERT Saturday 3 May, 4.00pm – St Hilda’s Church. Classical songs from Spain, France, Germany & Britain Katie Gilbert (Soprano) & Sue Whittaker (Classical Guitar) FREE ENTRY, Retiring Collection for St Hilda’s Church, Refreshments
COXWOLD ARTS FESTIVAL OF PALESTINIAN FILMS 2025 We are showing the best of films coming out of Palestine. These are very troubling times, and these films show a glimpse into the life loves and challenges of Palestinians and indeed their neighbours. 7 for 7.30 Coxwold Village Hall – with a bar.
COMING SOON – Wajib and The Teacher
WAJIB: 2017. For some light relief I highly recommend this delightful film. After years abroad in Italy, Shadi returns to his native Nazareth. But this is no spectacular homecoming. He's back somewhat begrudgingly to honour his "wajib" (or duty) to hand out invitations to his sister's wedding with his father. The simmering tension between the two — who are often stuck in a car, more often than not in traffic — builds, exposing the sometimes-comic chasms that exist between men who live in different worlds but share an unshakable bond.
THE TEACHER The film takes its cue from a real prisoners’ swap that took place in 2011, when Israel freed more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one soldier who had been kidnapped by Palestinian militants. In “The Teacher,” a Palestinian school teacher played by Saleh Bakri struggles to reconcile his commitment to political resistance with his emotional support for one of his students. There is also a subplot involving his romantic relationship with a British volunteer worker, played by Imogen Poots (“The Father”). The film, which is produced by Sawswan Asfari and Farah Nabusi, has been well-received on the festival circuit after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in 2023.
Donations only to support ABCD Bethlehem’s work with disabled kids in Gaza and the West Bank – RSVP Anthony 07711 423649
MIDDLESBROUGH FOODBANK - MFB Please accept my sincere thanks to everyone at Ampleforth Hub for your recent donations to Middlesbrough Foodbank. We really do appreciate your support. To date this year, we have fed 3,849 people. Our donations have dropped, and we have to purchase food on a regular basis. We really do value your support and couldn't do it without you. Thank you for all you continue to do. Kind regards Tracey Godfrey-Harrison - Project Manager, Middlesbrough Foodbank
Dear MFB Supporters, A very BIG ‘Thank you’ to you all for your generous donations of food again this month, needed more than ever with rising costs all round. It was particularly heart-warming to see so many Easter goodies in the cupboard and know how gladly they would be received! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL RESPONSE TO THE EASTER APPEAL! Tracey and her team were very grateful indeed for the deliveries from both ends of the valley and from Easingwold, as were we to Peter and Sue Allen for their donations from Stonegrave, Cawton and Gilling and also to Peter McAleenan who brings over the donations from St John’s, Easingwold. Special thanks too to fellow- parishioner, Michael Clarke, for delivering the donations from the Ampleforth hub this month. TOTALS for EASTER APPEAL:- Goods: 345.73kg Cash : £260 Cheques: £170
NEXT DELIVERY: TUES. 20th MAY ‘25 DEADLINE FOR DONATIONS: 12 noon MON.19th. PLEASE HELP ALL YOU CAN! Donations should be left at the back of Our Lady and St Benedict’s Church as always. THANK YOU ALL! PS. MFB GIFT AID forms are now available at the back of church for individual donations of cash and cheques. If you are able to, please could you hand them into the office along with your donation or give them to us directly?
AMPLEFORTH LOURDES PILGRIMAGE There's spaces available for assisted pilgrims on the Ampleforth Lourdes Pilgrimage from 11th to 18th July. We're specifically looking for pilgrims who are able to walk a little (or a lot) unaided, however all applications from assisted pilgrims will be considered. Many assisted pilgrims live completely independently, but are only able to join our joyous week in Lourdes because of the additional support we can provide through our clinical team and volunteers, young and old. The pilgrimage fundraises throughout the year to ensure that anyone can apply to join our pilgrimage as an assisted pilgrimage regardless of personal circumstances. If you are interested in joining us, or know someone else who may be, please speak to Emma Craig or Gavin Williams after mass on Sunday, email Gavin at [email protected] or visit www.ampleforthlourdes.org.uk
Social and Fellowship group The next meeting will be on Thursday 1st May at 7.30 pm in St Benedict's Hall. We will be discussing the planned Beetle drive, and a possible talk by one of our parishioners, amongst other things. All welcome to attend and to make suggestions - or just turn up and hear what is going on! See Jennie Black for further details.
ASSISTED DYING DEBATE Please see the additional pages giving details of the meeting between Robert Toone, Philippa Armstrong and our MP Kevin Hollinrake. They encourage all to write to Mr Hollinrake and arrange to meet him. The following link will assist with this. https://righttolife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Meet-your-MP-briefing-doc.pdf We are hoping to run another forum on end-of-life care and the realities of the Bill on May 1st. (see above) but we will need to wait to hear back from Kevin for confirmation.
THE CHURCH OF ST HILDA AND THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY & ST BENEDICT
Rev James & Fr Kentigern invite you to join them for
COMMUNITY PRAYERS 10.00am
Monday 28 April – Our Lady & St Benedict Monday 12 May – St Hilda Monday 26 May – Our Lady & St Benedict Monday 9 June – St Hilda Monday 26 June – Our Lady & St Benedict Monday 7 July – St Hilda Monday 21 July – Our Lady & St Benedict
Followed by refreshments and fellowship
SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATIONS Please pray for God’s Blessing on: Hamish & Hattie Roberts – making their First Communion at Easter Pip Saggers and Slade Broadwith – being baptised on Easter Saturday Megan and Ilana Broadwith – being Received into Full Communion on Easter Saturday Tommy Glaister, Ryan Kambli and Oscar Evans – being Confirmed at Ampleforth Abbey on 4 May
THE ALPHA EXPERIENCE In October 2025 we will be offering the opportunity to join the Alpha Experience. At present we ask you prayers as we discern the right people to lead this. We also ask that you pray about and discern who might be invited to take part in this experience. Who do you know with questions about faith or who is seeking meaning for their lives?
MISSION APPEAL 2025 On the weekend of 7/8 June we will be receiving an IHM Sister delivering a Mission Appeal at each Mass. Watch out for more details. Might anyone be willing to offer overnight accommodation etc for that weekend?
MUSICAL EVENING We are planning an evening of musical entertainment to raise funds for our friends in Youth 2000. Watch out for more details.
On April 4th, Theos, a think tank exploring the intersection between religion, politics and society, published an open letter from 112 prominent women of faith, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Quaker, Sikh, highlighting their concerns with respect to the so-called Assisted Dying Bill as amended and improved (?) by Committee. Some signatories favoured assisted suicide in principle, some did not, yet all were in agreement that “the proposed legislation could create a new tool to harm vulnerable women, particularly those being subjected to domestic abuse and coercive control, by helping them to end their lives.” Women of faith are particularly vulnerable, their faith liable to weaponisation at the hands of their abusers, leaving them unable to see anyway out but death. Similarly vulnerable are impoverished women, working class women, migrant and disabled women, those from minoritised groups, those with no voice, for whom the proposed legislation constitutes a threat. We must not allow the slippery slope, a reality in some jurisdictions, to become a reality here. The Bill must fail and this needs your MP’s vote, if only a precautionary vote. This needs you! Now! Even if you’re repeating yourself. We are the Easter people. We assert the primacy of life over death as Francis did until the end. Google: ‘Theos open letter’