In his homily at the Funeral Mass for Bishop Kevin Dunn, Vincent Nichols, the then Archbishop of Birmingham and soon to become Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster, said that the people of the Midlands remembered with gratitude the journey of Saint Chad from the North East: “He was formed here on Holy Island in the school of evangelisation headed by Saint Aidan and he came to the Midlands with great zeal to be a preacher of the faith.” Bishop Kevin made the journey in reverse bringing “in his own way .... an energy and a zeal for the faith that was the best that we could offer.”
Bishop Kevin quickly became part of “the great spiritual family “ of the North East, taking as his own the great saints especially Aidan, Cuthbert and Bede. His passion, the Archbishop called it, for the potential of the little church on Holy Island led him to mount the campaign to have it restored and enlarged.
As a priest and Bishop he was always supportive of the Catenian Association and he saw a possibility of the Association helping to restore Saint Aidan’s.
His passion for the island and a mission and enthusiasm to rebuild the Church was so infectious that the Province accepted the challenge and even went on to gain nation-wide coverage for the appeal. Soon a trickle of donations started to come inb from Circle raffles and social functions - resulting in members of the Association individually or collectively making a significant contribution to the refurbishment of Saint Aidan’s Church.
The restoration was overseen by Father Tony Owens, supported by Sister Tessa Fiske F.C. A wonderful job has been done in Fr. Tony’s indomitable manner and in 2007 Bishop Kevin was delighted to welcome the titular Bishop of Lindisfarne and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Island.
The project has given the Association a permanent connection to the Holy Island and this is marked by an annual Pilgrimage by the Catenian families to celebrate and remember the great spiritual and cultural legacy left to us as Christians in today’s secular world.
In the photograph Director Harry Curran holds the ciborium being blessed by Fr. Tony Owens. The ciborium was presented to the church by the Catenians during the annual pilgrimage in 2009.
On Holy Island: The Director, Harry Curran, and the prime mover in the purchase of the Ciborium, immeadiate past Provincial President Bob O'Brien, with the priests on Holy Island and Sister Tessa Fiske
Catenians in Hexham and Newcastle Diocese
Tony Carter, Provincial Secretary