Partnerships Sharing Area
We are members of one Diocesan family accompanying each other on the same journey of renewal. As we move forward together we have the opportunity not only to develop our own partnerships but to contribute ideas and approaches that might be helpful to those in other areas too.
This section contains various ideas and approaches that we get to hear about from partnerships. However, we can only get to hear about them if you tell us, so please provide us with anything you feel might be suitable.
Continue to share your ideas and approaches through one of the following contacts:
Cleveland and South Durham: Andrew Gillingham
Newcastle and North Tyneside: Amy Cameron
Northumberland: Fiona Standfield
South Tyneside and Gateshead: Jeff Ledger
Sunderland and East Durham: Katherine Nugent
Latest Items:
John Ingram – Garden Party
Following last year’s successful Afternoon Tea, hosted by the parish of Our Lady and St. Philip Neri, the decision was made that the Partnership should hold an annual social event. This year one of the parishes, St. Wilfrid’s Gateshead, suggested the partnership should combine this event with their Annual Garden Party. We were thrilled to be invited, happily agreed and advertised it widely across the Partnership.
July 2019
Finchale Partnership – Partnership Event
The Partnership’s Building our Community Group proposed a Partnership event, to bring the people of our 7 parishes together. We are lucky to have Ushaw within the boundaries of the parish. With so much Catholic history, and excellent facilities, it’s a great place to hold large events and they always make us very welcome.
Representatives from all our parishes met several times to plan the event. We wanted a mixture of prayer and socialising, with plenty to do for everyone, whether people came along with families or to spend some time exploring the house and grounds.
July 2019
Seaton Delavel Partnership – Partnership Mass
Tuesday 2 July was a night of celebration for the Seaton Delaval Partnership. Not only did we welcome our new Bishop for the first time but we also presented our first Faith in Action Awards.
All assembled at Sacred Heart where they were led in the liturgy by musicians, singers, readers and servers drawn from all parishes. It was the opening hymn which set the tone for the Mass when the congregation gave a very enthusiastic rendition of ‘All Are Welcome’, truly giving voice to the line “Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter, all are welcome in this place.”
July 2019
Blackfriars Partnership – Pentecost
Following on from the success of the 24 hour prayer, held two years ago at Pentecost at the beginning of the Partnership, the Blackfriars Spirituality Group marked the two year anniversary with another 7 hour prayer, again at Pentecost. This event, called Celebration of the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit, was held at St. Robert’s RC Church, Fenham on 8 June.
June 2019
Sharing Your Ideas
One year on from the establishment of the 18 Partnerships in our Diocese, it was felt to be timely to provide every Partnership with the opportunity to review the year. Each Partnership completed a short review and the responses make for a very rich source of information about what is going well and what are the main challenges going forward. A document has been produced as a compilation of the ideas and approaches that Partnerships offered in their responses. Entitled ‘Sharing your Ideas’, it is available here (pdf - word).
Archive:
2019:
Partnership name Date Topic Finchale June 2019 Open Afternoons Escomb June 2019 Day of Recollection St. Mary the Virgin May 2019 Partnership Day Blackfriars May 2019 Day for Readers and Eucharistic Ministers Blackfriars April 2019 Partnership Progress Report Blackfriars March 2019 Being the Prodigal Son Blackfriars March 2019 Space for Grace – Our Call to Holiness Jesmond St. Mary March 2019 Liturgy of Mercy Service
2018:
2017:
Partnership name Date Topic Blackfriars Sept 2017 Partnership early planning stages St. Mary the Virgin August 2017 Partnership early planning stages
Some Food For Thought
During our Forward Together in Hope journey we gathered from Parish Questionnaires some of the many ideas and activities that were put forward as examples that might be of interest to others. These were collated and published in June 2016 as a 20-page booklet under the title ‘Some Food for Thought’. It is made available again here (pdf - word) as a reminder of the approach and a resources that can be dipped into.