Our Lady and St. Benedict
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    • Second Sunday of Lent
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    • Noah's Ark story part 1 >
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    • Wind beneath my wings; Bette Midler
    • Lockdown poem
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    • Zimbabwe missions appeal >
      • Mashambanzou Bulletin September 2020
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 “Nowadays I often hear it said that there is a vast difference between a religion like Christianity & purely human striving for self-fulfilment, & that the two are incompatible. This reading from John 4 (Jesus meeting the woman at the well) may show us that we will not find God in any other way than by understanding at least the reasons why we are unhappy. At this point Jesus helps the woman to understand what she is looking for, what she wants, & what it is that keep throwing her back into disappointments & blind alleys. Only at this point, when the woman’s life is sorted out, does their conversation turn to religion. Here the contrast is renewed: You Jews worship in Jerusalem, we Samaritans on Gerizim, & which of the religions our ancestors taught us is correct, which is true? Jesus evokes a shocking breath from the dawn of history when he addresses the life of this woman. It is not a question of fixing belief through its origins & traditions. What God wants are people who turn to God out of their own inner truth & spirit, out of a solid conviction. Everything the woman has learned in this dialogue enters into her own truth & reality.
Then comes the question: how can such a conviction in spirit & truth be articulated & expressed? Could it not be that we know everything & yet do not know how to live, here & now? In our Church we so often hear it said that we should not be impatient. We cannot expect changes immediately, & everything comes to those who wait. We wait & wait until the twelfth of never. So this woman, in her faith & confusion says, “I know that the Messiah is coming, & will explain everything to us. But when?” there is only one way to live as a Christian “Who, if not I, & when, if not now?”, & no delay is permitted. Then we will see, in the person of Jesus, that the barriers between heaven & earth are opened & there is no longer any opposition between God & human beings, or between the language of religion & that of human self-fulfilment, & that there is no longer any basis for barriers between human beings here on earth. Even the people in Sychar will say later on “We no longer believe because of what you said, woman, for we have heard it ourselves.”
                                                                                                                                                               (The Open Tomb: Eugen Drewermann)
Our Parish Vision Prayer
  • We pray that we may be a growing community
             Which, thorough the power of the Holy Spirit, joyfully serves the mission given to us by Jesus Christ.
  • We pray that we may be a welcoming family
             in which, young or old, you are known by name, loved and accepted as you are, invited to pray, to share your life,                        
             to heal and to grow, to enjoy a loving relationship with God, yourself and others, and so become the person you     
             were created to be.
  • We pray that together we may reach out in love
             To serve the needs of the world and offer the joy and hope of the Gospel to others, through our actions, our words         
             and the example of our lives, responding above all to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth, so that in all     
             things God our Father will be glorified.
 
 Living God, you walk alongside us & speak to us throughout the Scriptures. Your Son, Jesus Christ, listens to our hopes & fears & shows us how to live for one another.
Send us the Holy Spirit to open our hearts & minds so that we may be your witnesses throughout the world. Amen.
V. Your word is our path & your truth is our light.                        R. This day & every day.
                                                                                                                    (Prayer of the Word for the Year of the Word)
 
Our journey towards the eventual amalgamation of our three Churches continues, & some of our Coordinating Group & Vision Group are to meet on Tues evening to discuss & discern a number of key issues in our attempt to help each & every parishioner through this difficult time of transition & change. During this season of Lent, & its moment of extra prayer & recollection, please let us pray especially for each other as we meet the challenges & opportunities differently & yet, vitally & hopefully, together. I will be in a position very soon to bring to each of our three Churches an update of where we are, & where we hope to be into the future, &, to arrange a full Parish meeting, where we can each listen to each other & from which I will seek your advice & wisdom.
                                                                                                                                                                     
​                                                                                                                                                                         with my love & prayers Fr Bede.
​
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​
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  • Home
    • Church History
  • Mass Times
  • Homilies
    • Second Sunday of Lent
    • First Sunday of Lent
    • Ash Wednesday
    • Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
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    • Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
    • Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Baptism of Our Lord
    • Epiphany of the Lord
    • Homily; 1 Jan 2021; Mary Mother of God
    • Christmas Midnight Mass
    • Fourth Sunday of Advent
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    • Homily; 1st Sunday of Advent
    • Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
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    • Homily for Tuesday Wk 6 Easter
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    • The Presentation of the Lord
    • Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
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    • Mary Mother of God
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    • Remembrance Sunday
    • Thirty-first Sunday
    • Twenty-fourth Sunday
    • Twentieth Sunday
    • Eighteenth Sunday
    • Seventeenth Sunday
    • Sixteenth Sunday
    • The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ
    • The Most Holy Trinity
    • Seventh Sunday of Easter
    • Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Thirteenth Sunday
    • St John the Baptist
    • Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Transfiguration of the Lord
    • Cemetery Mass
  • Newsletters
    • Second Sunday of Lent
    • First Sunday of Lent
    • Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
    • Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • The Baptism of the Lord
    • Second Sunday after the Nativity
    • The Holy Family
    • Fourth Sunday of Advent
    • Third Sunday of Advent
    • 2nd Sunday of Advent
    • 1st Sunday of Advent
    • Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
    • Thirty third Sunday
    • Thirty second Sunday
    • All Saints
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    • Twenty-ninth Sunday
    • Twenty-eighth Sunday
    • Twenty-seventh Sunday
    • Twenty-sixth Sunday
    • Twenty-fifth Sunday
    • Twenty Fourth Sunday
    • Thirty-third Sunday
    • Twenty-second Sunday
    • Twenty-first Sunday
    • The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
    • Nineteenth Sunday
    • Eighteenth Sunday
    • Seventeenth Sunday
    • Sixteenth Sunday
    • Fifteenth Sunday
    • Fourteenth Sunday
    • St Peter & St Paul
    • Twelfth Sunday
    • The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ
    • Trinity Sunday
    • Pentecost Sunday
    • Seventh Sunday of Easter
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    • Fifth Sunday of Lent
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    • Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • The Presentation of the Lord
    • The Baptism of the Lord
    • The Epiphany of the Lord
    • Fourth Sunday of Advent
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    • First Sunday of Advent
    • Thirty-first Sunday
    • Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Twenty-fourth Sunday
    • Twenty-third Sunday
    • Twentieth Sunday
    • Eighteenth Sunday
    • Sixteenth Sunday
    • The Most Holy Trinity
    • Sixth Sunday of Easter
    • Fourth Sunday of Easter
    • Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • St John the Baptist
    • Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
    • Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
  • Coronavirus
    • Caritas Middlesbrough helpline
    • Live streaming
    • Home Prayers
    • Our Advent Journey to Christmas sheet
    • Blessing of Advent Wreath
    • O Antiphon thought for each day
    • The Tablet
    • Seized by the Holy Spirit by Abbot General
    • Letter to Daniel
    • Joyce Rupp reflection
    • The Rev Julie Nicholson
    • Noah's Ark story part 1 >
      • Noah's Ark story part 2
      • Noah's Ark story part 3
      • Noah's Ark story part 4
    • Wind beneath my wings; Bette Midler
    • Lockdown poem
    • Our Lady and the child Jesus
    • Pope Francis Rosary
    • Seven gifts sheet
    • Women & the post-covid church
    • Jesus images
    • Ark
    • Why I'm not opening church's yet
    • Abbot primates five blessings
    • Holy Spirit
    • Angelus & Come down O Love divine hymn
    • Simon & Garfunkel song
    • Trasna Poem
    • The seven I am titles of Jesus
    • Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat by Simon de Myle
    • Angels Unaware
    • Be still and know that I am God
    • Extraordinary moment of prayer
    • Halik
    • Don't be fooled
    • Home picture
    • The Last Supper
    • Iona Gate
    • Caravaggio 1
    • Caravaggio 2
    • Poems 1
    • Poems 2
    • School
    • Leeds
    • 5th Station, Simon of Cyrene carries the Cross
  • Hospitality & Outreach
    • Middlesbrough Food Bank
    • The Sick and the Unwell
    • The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP)
    • ​Together Middlesbrough and Cleveland (TMC)
    • Zimbabwe missions appeal >
      • Mashambanzou Bulletin September 2020
  • Gallery
    • Bernard's bench 2020
    • Cherry tree in blossom 2020
    • 2016 in our Church
    • Church Photos
    • Historical Photos
  • Contact us
  • Caristas Newsletter
  • 100 Club Winners
  • GDPR - Privacy Notice
  • Justice & Peace
  • Knitting for Refugees
  • Parish Hall for hire
  • Rosa Ampleforth
  • Safeguarding
  • Useful Links