Afternoon Pilgrimage to The Diocesan Shrine of
Our Lady of Lourdes, Hednesford
Sunday 2nd July 2017

Pick-up points:

St. John the Evangelist Kidsgrove      12noon

Holy Trinity Newcastle                        12.15pm

St. Augustine’s Meir                            12.30pm

Cost per person:

£8 adults

£4 under 16

To book a seat on the coach please speak to your APC representative

Timetable:

1.00pm

Picnic (bring a packed lunch) or you can buy hot and cold food in the parish hall

3.00pm Rosary

4.00pm Mass followed by Blessed Sacrament Procession

6.30pm Finish

Our Lady of Lourdes Pray for us.

St Thomas More  Catholic Academy – OFSTED Inspection

St Thomas More received a two day inspection by the OFSTED on the 9th and 10th May.  The school community is very proud of the outcome.  The school was rated as a Good school and rated as Good in every category including Sixth Form.  Inspectors recognised the significant improvements in education and the changing culture of the school to improve life chances of the students.  This comes just a few months after the Diocesan inspection which judged the school as a good with outstanding features.  The full report can be accessed from the homepage of the schools website www.stmca.org.uk.  Ofsted Inspection Report 2017

North Staffordshire Vocations Promotions Group

The North Staffs Vocations Promotion Group was started in 1988 by Fr Seamus Gilroy. Fr Gilroy was the Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Birmingham and was aware of what a large geographical area the diocese covered and of his inability to be able to be in all places at once to help to promote vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life.

The group is made up of 8 lay people and 2 clergy reps – Fr John Gilbert & Dcn Neil Adlington. It meets about every 2 months and receives regular support from the Archdiocese Vocations Dept. (See below for Newsletter, Presentations 2017 and contact details

SOWING THE SEEDS Growing in Faith North Staffs Deanery

A 11 week taught course for catechists, those who would like to be catechists and those who would like to know more about their faith.

To be held on Tuesdays beginning on Tuesday 2nd May 7pm-9pm in Holy Trinity Parish, London Road, Newcastle-under- Lyme ST5 1LQ
For further details and an application form please contact your Parish Priest or Sister Gillian

As of today, Thursday 26th January, the hospital chaplain is unable any more to search on the hospital computers for Catholic patients,  as the new system does not have this facility.
As a result, the only information Fr Michael Puljic will have of Catholic patients is if people ring the chaplaincy office on 01782 676400.
Therefore it is important for you to inform the chaplain directly or the chances are that they will not be visited whilst they are at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Marriage Care North Staffs.

Marriage Preparation Courses 2017.

As from Monday 21st November 2016 all couples who wish to book on to a Marriage Preparation course organised by Marriage Care should contact the Marriage Care Appointments Team at National Office. The contact details are as follows:

Telephone numbers: 0800 389 3801.    01159 934 255

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Office hours:

Monday - Thursday 9.00am till 6.00pm Friday 9.00am till 5.00pm

The dates for 2017 courses are on the following Sundays:

February 5th April 9th May 21st July 2nd October 1st November 26^th

All courses take place at Our Lady & St Benedict Catholic Church, Abbey Hulton, Stoke on Trent.

As the summer courses fill very quickly - we suggest you book onto the earliest course that you are able.

Meir, Caverswall & Creswell Statement.

Our Diocese is preparing to welcome two new priests from the Religious Order of St Paul, Fr Kazimierz and Fr Pawel to serve in the parishes of St Augustine's Meir, St Filumena's Caverswall and St Mary's Cresswell.

They will be living at the presbytery at St Augustine's Meir.

The weekend Mass times , from the beginning of August, will be:

Saturday for Sunday  6pm  at St Mary's Cresswell.
Sunday 9am at St Filumena's Caverswall
Sunday 11am st St Augustine's Meir.

The Changes come into effect from Saturday 6th August 2016.

Cardinal Vincent Issues a Pastoral Letter on the Synod on the Family

In the letter, Cardinal Vincent explains that the Synod ‘was about the pastoral care that we try to offer each other, the “motherly love of the Church”, especially when facing difficult moments and experiences in family life.’

Read more at Diocese of Westminster >

In Evangelii Gaudium - the Joy of the Gospel - Pope Francis invites us to live our missionary calling with great joy and reminds us that our ‘task of evangelisation’ is actually ‘authentic personal fulfillment.’ 

Evangelii Gaudium, the Joy of the Gospel, looks at the new evangelisation for the transmission of the faith and has chapters on the following subjects:

• The Church's Missionary Transformation
• The Crisis of Communal Committment
• The Proclamation of the Gospel
• The Social Dimension of Evangelization
• Spirit-Filled Evangelizers

Download/read

You can download a 223-page PDF of Evangelii Gaudium by using this link 

CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION – 13 OCTOBER 2013

You may be aware that the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation is promoting a Marian Day on the 13 October 2013. This will be one of the major celebrations for the Year of Faith in St Peter’s Rome at which, in the presence of the Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary from the Capelinha (Little Chapel of the Apparition) in Fatima, Pope Francis will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Since the Archdiocese is under the patronage of “Our Blessed Lady Conceived Without Sin” it would be fitting for our parishes to be associated with the Holy Father’s act of consecration by praying the following Consecration Prayer at parish Masses on Sunday 13 October.

Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we consecrate ourselves, in an act of total entrustment and of oblation to the Lord.
By you we will be led to Christ your Son, and Only-Begotten Son of God, and by Him and with Him to His Eternal Father. We shall walk in the light of faith, of hope and of love so that the world may believe that Christ is the One sent by the Father to give to us His word, and we, as His ambassadors, shall carry His knowledge and love to the ends of the earth.
Thus under the maternal protection of your Immaculate Heart, we will be one people with Christ, ransomed by His death and witnesses of His Resurrection, and by Him led to the Father for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity Whom we adore, praise and bless. Amen.

Lumen Fidei- The Light of Faith

Pastoral Message from Bishop Egan. Bishop of Portsmouth introducing Lumen Fidei
Click Here

Lumen Fidei, The Light of Faith, is the first Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis's pontificate. "Those who believe, see; they see with a light that illumines their entire journey, for it comes from the risen Christ, the morning star which never sets."

lumen-fidei-light-of-faith.pdf 496.21 kB

 Habemus Papam Franciscus!

English translation of the first words of Pope Francis.  News VA. The Vatican Today.

Brothers and sisters good evening. 
You all know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone almost to the ends of the earth to get him… but here we are. I thank you for the welcome that has come from the diocesan community of Rome.