Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle

Prayer Vigil

On Monday 10th March, in preparation for the Requiem the next day, Bishop Kevin’s body was received into St Mary’s Cathedral and Mass celebrated followed by a prayer vigil until 10pm.

 

Crowds gathered at the Cathedral and it soon became filled for the Mass and Vigil as people came to pay their last respects to Bishop Kevin.

 

The body was received into the Cathedral and the coffin was sprinkled with holy water and Christian symbols placed .

 

A Requiem Mass was celebrated; the principal Celebrant was Emeritus Bishop Ambrose Griffiths, and concelebrants were Rt Rev Hugh Lindsay, Bishop Emeritus of Hexham and Newcastle, Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool, Rt Rev Patrick Lynch, Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, Rt Rev John Rawsthorne, Bishop of Hallam, Rt Rev Thomas Williams, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool, and many priests from Hexham and Newcastle Diocese, Birmingham Diocese and beyond.

 

The mass was signed for the deaf by Fr Robert Kinlen, and the choir from St Mary's Cathedral led the moving hymns and chants.

 

The reading was given by Sr Barbara Carroll, the Diocesan Vicar for Religious, the prayers of intercession were read by John Hardy, chairman of the Pastoral Council, and the African choir sang during Holy Communion.

 

 

 

Fr Tony Rohan, a personal friend of the late Bishop from the Archdiocese of Birmingham,

gave the homily, in which he paid tribute to Bishop Kevin, and reminisced on some touching and humourous episodes from Bishop Kevin's life. He commented: "We all have lovely memories of Kevin, both in this Diocese and in the Diocese of Birmingham." Referring to tonight's Gospel he quoted St Thérèse of Lisieux: "We do not know what the future holds - but we know who holds it."
We entrust Kevin to the Good Shepherd, he said.

 

 

In a tribute given at the end of Mass, Canon Cunningham who is the elected Administrator for the Diocese, said:

"We have had a smiling Pope, and I believe we had a smiling Bishop in Bishop Kevin. Even when the going was tough he would manage to smile. There was a lot of joy and love in his heart." He continued: "He was a people's Bishop, at ease in any company. He had a great way with everybody - children, young people and the elderly. He had very good ecumenical relationships as he has with all faiths."

 

Canon Cunningham spoke about the Bishop's faith: "He was a man of great faith with a great love of God and the Church. The Mass was very much at the centre of his life."

Canon Cunningham paid tribute to the family of Bishop Kevin: "It was very clear from the beginning that he came from a loving close-knit family. He'd say "I must go home to see my Mam". It was lovely for us to realize that the Bishop had a 'Mam'.

 

Canon Cunningham also paid tribute to the doctors and nursing staff of the Freeman Hospital, especially the Intensive Care Department, where, he said "I saw God's love at work in a very powerful way through their care and devotion throughout Bishop Kevin's illness. "