John Donne: Priest, Poet & a different sort of Saint

On dealing with frogs - and our fears

Passiontide begins - our Parish Eucharist

Pastoral Message for Passion Sunday

The Bishop of Durham speaks to the people of the Diocese.

I hope we will be able to share our own Eucharist for the Fifth Sunday of Lent as we mark the beginning of Passiontide.

Al fresco Morning Prayers

Theology after breakfast (actually this afternoon)

Happy New Year?

Time alone - and the days ahead

A simple way to get into an ongoing rhythm of prayer is to use the Church of England's "Time to Pray" app. It's now free for iPhone and Android. More about it if you follow this link.

Starting this new day

Mothering Sunday Eucharist at St. Cuthbert's

The Eucharist, celebrated privately this morning at St. Cuthbert’s. It’s in the form prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer - traditional as that is, it might be new for many. And it incorporates prayer for Mothering Sunday and for our current situation. Please click and be the congregation - it lasts 30 minutes. Sorry about the camera angle - it’s the best I can manage at present.

Morning Prayer was later said in St. John’s Church, Castleside - and the Vicar also managed to join in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at St. Pius’s Church, Moorside before returning for open prayer at St. Cuthbert’s.

St. Cuthbert's Day - and we're not in church...

Those who sow in tears

An evening reflection on Psalm 126

Coronavirus and good practice at Holy Communion

Hopefully most of you have already read the previously shared advice from the Church of England regarding Holy Communion at this time of fears over Coronavirus Covid-19.

The Church’s official advice has not moved much further though it has suggested that clergy “may take a view” about the need for further restrictions in administering the sacrament. Our own bishop has gone further: “If locally you decide to operate an even tighter regime that will be understandable but to operate anything less than the national guidance would be deeply unwise.”

I’ve been following official lines of advice and listening to people locally. I think that it’s important that it’s more than about me taking a personal view. I’ve listened to people’s fears and noted that there have been cases already where people have stepped back from receiving the chalice. I note that in our neighbouring diocese the Bishop of Newcastle has written to all her clergy recommending that the use of the shared chalice be discontinued, and that the shaking of each others’ hands at the Peace should also be stopped for the moment. In the end I conclude that this is the best course of action in delaying and mitigating the spread of infection.

From Sunday (8th March) holy communion at the Eucharist at St Cuthbert’s will be administered in the form of the Body of Christ (the consecrated bread) only. The Church has always taught that Holy Communion is received in its fullness even if just one kind is received (i.e. Christ is present for us fully in either the consecrated bread or the consecrated wine). So while the chalice will be used, only the priest will receive from it.

At the sign of the peace we ask people not to shake hands but to turn and greet those around them with a smile / eye contact and the words ‘peace be with you.’

Tea and coffee will be served as usual after worship. Soap and water also available in the Hall!
At present it’s clear what is dominating the news. I hope our response will be not one of fear but responsibility. If you’re well, don’t let it put you off coming to church – don’t let it put you off doing other things which are part of a normal life! We encourage those coming to church to wash their hands thoroughly before coming. You might wish to carry hand sanitising gel. We’ll try to get it in place at the church doors in due course – but it’s not in stock in the shops I’ve been in recently. However, we have it at the altar and I shall be using it as recommended before the Eucharistic prayer and the administration of Holy Communion.

I hope this is helpful. We’ve had precisely the same practice with regard to the Peace and not receiving the chalice during the swine flu outbreak. We hope to return to normal practice as soon as possible.

Let’s be healthy and holy!

Into Lent …

I always look forward to Lent as an opportunity! By this I mean not that I’m all that keen merely to be “giving things up,” but rather to use the time to get to grips with things that otherwise I might put off - like reading, praying, thinking things through in a more considered way than normal.

This year I’m going to do that partly through a Lent Course running at both St. Cuthbert’s (in the Vicarage on Wednesdays at 7.30pm) and St. John’s, Castleside (after the 10am Wednesday Eucharist - about 10.45 in the church’s Community Room). I hope you’ll join me.

I’m calling the Course “A Land and its People,” and I’ll be looking at different aspects of life in the country we tend to call “the Holy Land.” There’ll be pictures from Israel / Palestine, both of religious sites and of everyday life, to help us - but I hope we’ll reflect further using Scripture, shared experience and prayer to ask what it means to be a Christian in our own land. Please do join us at either venue from 4 March.

There’ll be other opportunities for deepening our faith during Lent, but these are the sessions of the Lent Course as they might work out:

·        4 March     Holy Land or Secular Nation?

·        11 March   The Pilgrim in the Land - from Galilee to Northumbria

·        18 March   The Peoples of the Land - citizens and exiles

·        25 March   People at Prayer - their experience and ours

·        1 April         The Way of the Cross & an Empty Tomb

Wishing you all the blessings of a Holy Lent…                       Martin Jackson