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.
Anniversaries: Linda Welburn, Kathleen Walker, Margaret Butler, Fr Martin Haigh OSB
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.
SOCIAL AND FELLOWSHIP GROUP Rearranged meeting will take place in St Benedict’s Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday 30 January. All Welcome.
METHODIST ASYLUM PROJECT Next Delivery: Wednesday, January 29th. Delivery of winter clothes shoes, boots for adults and children. Bedding including pillows, duvets, covers and sheets. Kitchen tools, pans and dining items. Small toys, soft cuddly toys, travel bags and suitcases. Please offer all these donations in the best possible condition. These are received with such gratitude and the best possible smiles. Cottage open from Saturday 25th more info Mary S 01439788563 As ever Thank YOU.
MISSION TO MALAWI Maria Toone is now in Malawi working with the Jacaranda Foundation. If you would like to support her efforts you can donate using the following website, https://www.jacarandafoundation.org/donate or by using our digital collection plate.
FAMILY MINISTRY EVENT The next Family Ministry event takes place on Saturday 8 February, from 10.00am in St Benedict’s Hall. It is a Crocheting, Knitting and Sewing Craft Morning. All welcome. Come learn a new skill, show off the skills you have, meet and get to know our children and their families.
MIDDLESBROUGH FOODBANK DEAR MFB SUPPORTERS, Our delivery on Jan.7th, though smaller than usual, perhaps because of the wintry weather, was gratefully and cheerfully received as always! Tracey and the volunteers welcome our visit and are always touched by the goodwill we bring from all of you! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR KINDNESS AND CONTINUING GENEROSITY AND THANK YOU TOO TO ALL WHO DONATE ON-LINE! NEXT DELIVERY: TUES. FEB.11th DEADLINE MON. FEB. 10th -12 NOON PLEASE REMEMBER, EVERY SINGLE DONATION COUNTS! Donations should be left at the back of Our Lady and St Benedict’s Church as always. THANK YOU ALL! PPS 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?
SYCAMORE SESSION THIRTEEN THE COMMUNITY OF THE CHURCH
St Benedict’s Hall Thursday 30 January from 10.15am or Friday 31 January from 7.00pm
ALL WELCOME
Our Lady and St. Benedict’s and St Hilda’s Community prayers.
Monday 30th December 10.00 a.m. St Ben’s Monday 13th January 10.00 a.m. St Hilda’s Monday 27th January 10.00 a.m. St Bens’s Monday 10th February 10.00 a.m. St Hilda’s
All welcome.
JUSTICE AND PEACE ASSISTED SUICIDE We can still defeat assisted suicide! There is a clear path toward the assisted suicide Bill being defeated at Third Reading. Early analysis shows that at least 36 MPs supported the Bill but have concerns that mean they may vote NO at later stages. Just 28 MPs switching their stance to NO would ensure it is defeated at Third Reading. We need MPs to know that their constituents want them to vote NO at Third Reading. Please take action now and visit www.righttolife.org.uk/ASvote to find out how your MP voted and ask them to vote against the Bill at Third Reading. See also the posters and website information.
My MP is still in favour of enacting legislation to make ‘assisted dying’, ie physician-assisted suicide legal in our country. The Bill is now in its Committee stage and could receive its third reading in the Commons at about the end of April. In addition to the experience of jurisdictions which have legalised suicide and/or euthanasia, there are other things my MP should know and to which we might draw his attention. He states in his email to me and others “I firmly believe that any debate on assisted dying should not detract from the vital importance of delivering high-quality palliative care.” In the relevant jurisdictions, however, despite the assurance of legislators that the palliative care they profess to value would not suffer, the opposite has taken place. In February 2024 the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committtee on Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide [AD/AS] reported that ‘they did not see any indications of palliative and end-of-life care deteriorating in quality or provision following the introduction of AD/AS: indeed the introduction of AD/AS has been linked with an improvement in palliative care in several jurisdictions.’ This conclusion was no doubt of assistance to legislators in their late November 2024 debate on ‘assisted dying’. Two weeks beforehand however, and therefore probably not seen by many MPs, Professor David Albert Jones (Blackfriars, Oxford and St. Mary’s,Twickenham) had concluded in his highly accessible critique of the Commons Report - ‘Evidence of Harm: Assessing the Impact of Assisted Dying / Assisted Suicide on Palliative Care’ * - that a ‘more complete review of the available evidence points in the opposite direction’, that ‘The evidence examined here shows clear indications in several jurisdictions of palliative and end-of-life care deteriorating in quality and provision following the introduction of AD/AS, and a negative impact on some healthcare professionals. Recent evidence shows that palliative care is not improving as quickly in jurisdictions with AD/AS as it is in jurisdictions without AD/AS.’ It seems that despite the best of intentions, palliative care in our country, the most highly rated in international rankings, will suffer if the ‘Assisted Dying’ Bill becomes law.
Advance notice of this latest online event. All welcome to join Fr Kentigern in participating. Thursday 20 February 8.00pm St Benedict’s Hall
LEADERSHIP TEAM On Wednesday 15 January Fr Kentigern and three members of the Leadership Team met with our Divine Renovation Coach. We reflected on the experience of Christmas and some of the developments taking place in Family Ministry. Our discussion then revolved around the theory of the “Genesis Compass”. A way of tracking the stages of development in the renewal of the Parish. The main focus was on the key basis of “Missional Prayer” behind all we do. Watch out for more information and invitations to participate in this.
Please remember that the members of the Leadership Team are always available to chat about ideas, suggestions, concerns, questions, worries you may have around our journey of renewal. The Leadership Team: Fr Kentigern, Clare Lally. Philippa Armstrong, Robert & Amanda Toone, David & Sue Walsh.