Category Archive

On Saturday night 17th September the Pearl of Africa Children’s Choir from Uganda visited our church and entertained us with a feast of dancing and singing accompanied by traditional African drums. There were also craft items for a sale and overall on the evening £828 was raised for the foundation so thanks to all who attended and supported the event.

The choir represent Pearl of Africa Child Care, which is a UK based charity which raises funds for six Ugandan schools and homes run by the Molly and Paul Child Care Foundation. The foundation is a non-government organisation which provides education, food, shelter and healthcare for orphaned and destitute children in the Kampala and Masaka districts. There are approximately 2000 children attending these schools in both the primary and secondary sectors.

Although the foundation has a strong Christian ethos it is non-denominational and accepts children from all faiths with some of the schools having services conducted by a RC priest, a Protestant minister and a Muslim Imam.

On this visit to the UK the choir are based in the Morpeth area and will be visiting schools and churches in the surrounding area.

Further details of the organisation can be found on www.pearlofafrica.org.uk

On Saturday 3rd September the parish held their annual summer barbeque. Unfortunately this year we were not blessed with the best of weather and so it was decided to move the tables and chairs from the front lawn into the Church Hall with the fires being set up under a gazebo just outside the Hall.

Despite the conditions everyone enjoyed the evening and we had our usual St Anne’s extensive raffle.

Thanks are due to everyone who helped in setting up the gazebos and barbeques but particularly the Social Committee who organised the whole event.

Let’s hope and pray for better weather next year.

Congratulations to Maureen Jackson on the celebration of her 80th Birthday. After mass on Sunday 6th August parishioners joined Maureen for refreshments in the Church Hall and presented her with a beautiful birthday cake.

Congratulation to the winners of this month’s weekly 200 Club draw

Week 26 3rd July – Number 30 Mollie Noble (Bill Hudspeth)

Week 27 10th July – Number 25 John Kelly

Week 28 17th July – Number 14 Maureen Walton and Number 46 Chris Wright

Week 29 24th July – Number 12 Joan Hardesty

Week 30 31st July – Number 95 Terry O’Brien

After Mass on Sunday 31st July Evie Grace and Charlie were baptised. We hope their parents extended family and friends had a great day. We will remember them both in our prayers and hope that God will nurture the seed he has sown in them both.

We offer our congratulations to Natalie Ann and Scott who were joined together in Holy Matrimony at church on Saturday 16th July. May their marriage be blessed with every happiness and great joy.

After mass on Sunday 3rd July Ayla Murray and Mark Hadfield were baptised.

We hope their parents, extended family and friends had a great day.

We will remember them both in our prayers. May God bring to fulfilment the good work he has begun in them.

Last week was a very special time for our parish when we celebrated our 40the anniversary since Bishop Lindsay officially opened our newly built church in 1976.

It was a special time for parishioners past and present to recall our journey over the last 40 years. It was a great team effort with input from numerous parish groups who all worked tirelessly to make the church beautiful for the celebrations.

The celebrations started with a mass celebrated by Father Kelly on Sunday morning. We were blessed with a full church of parishioners and friends old and new which created a lovely atmosphere of prayer and thanksgiving for all the parish has achieved and received over the years. The mass began with a procession to the altar of representatives from all the parish groups, who brought candles to symbolise the work of the parish over the years. A picture of Our Lady and St Anne kindly donated by a parishioner was also brought to the altar to mark the occasion.

The choir were in wonderful voice as usual with the psalm being sung by the youngest choir member. Bidding prayers were specially composed for the occasion and called for our thoughts and prayers all who had worked practically and spiritually to build our parish community.

The children of St Anne’s and Cardinal Hume schools made a beautiful patchwork banner depicting the thoughts and prayers of the children who attended our schools.

The mass was followed by a buffet lunch in the church hall where everyone gathered to catch up with friends and look at old photographs and memorabilia of our parish journey. A celebration cake was made for the occasion with figures depicting Fr. Brendan and our first parish priest Fr. Philip O’Brien. Speeches were given by two parish members with their memories of  early days of the parish and of past parishioners who are no longer with us. The choir entertained everyone with some music chosen for the occasion.

It was a wonderful day of thanksgiving, celebration and prayer. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the occasion in any way and to Fr. Kelly for his continued hard work in leading our parish.

After mass on Sunday 3rd. July  Ayla Murray and Mark Hadfield will be baptised.

We look forward to welcoming them both into our parish and hope their parents Christopher & Rebecca (Ayla) and Kris & Rachael (Mark), their extended family and friends have a lovely day.

Congratulations to our 200 Club Winners in June 2016

Week 22 June 5th – Number 48 – Margaret Davidson

Week 23 June 12th – Number 102 – Sharon McQuiggan

Week 24 June 19th – Number 37 – Andrea Green & Number 147 – Paul Elliott

Week 25 June 26th – Number 122 – Kath Tate (D. Tate)