19th October News from our Parish Schools

Parish School pages on our website

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

https://stjosephsgilesgate.bwcet.com/

On Wednesday 22^nd October the children will be attending church at 10am for a Whole School Mass. All friends and families are welcome to attend.

On Friday 24th October we will be ending our Autumn half term with a ' Be the light' disco in school. It will start at 3.30pm- 5.30pm. The children can bring clothes to change into, and tickets will be available to buy from the office. 

Food and refreshments will be available to buy at the event.

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St Godric's Catholic Primary School

https://stgodricsdurham.bwcet.com/

We have our Y4 Mini Vinnie Commissioning  prayer service at 2.30pm on Monday 20^th  October. Any parishioners who would like to join us,  would be very welcome.

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St Thomas More Catholic Primary School

https://stthomasmorebelmont.bwcet.com/

St. Thomas More School are still seeking some volunteers, amongst our catechists or parishioners, to help run some sessions to Year 4, ahead of their First Holy Communion Preparation.  These sessions would be run every few weeks, after school, from 3:30pm until 4:30pm.

The idea behind them is to extend the children's learning and knowledge (from what they learn in the school curriculum) about the blessed Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Please contact St. Thomas More school office, for more information, or if you think you could assist.

We look forward to seeing our previous students, at the Year 7 St. Leonard's Welcome Mass. This will take place on Thursday 23^rd October at 6pm in St. Joseph's Church. We hope our children and families can join us at this, always lovely, celebration. 

Finally, the friends of St. Thomas More are hosting a candy floss and toffee apple making session and a Halloween Disco on Tuesday 21^st and Thursday 23^rd October. We're so lucky to have the wonderful support of these families, on the PTA, who can help organise and run these exciting activities. We always need the additional support and implore anyone, who can give up a little bit of time to support our school, to get in contact with our PTA chair or the school office. 

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St Leonard's Catholic Secondary School

https://stleonardsdurham.bwcet.com/

Year 7 Mass of Welcome: We will be celebrating all our Year 7 pupils at our annual Mass of Welcome, on Thursday 23^rd October. Mass will take place at 6pm at St. Joseph’s Church, Gilesgate. More information will be shared on our social media and via Arbor to our Year 7 families.

The Wednesday Club

Do you enjoy cheerful company, good conversation, a chance to catch-up with old friends and make new ones? The Wednesday Club is the group for you!  We meet in St. Joseph’s each week from 12 noon till 1.00 p.m.

Thanks to our generous parishioners, we can usually provide transport if this would be a problem and then you will be generously fed - food and gossip in a lovely, warm atmosphere while our hidden workers slave over the washing up, serving up and clearing up!  Not sure if this is for you? Come and try it- a warm welcome awaits! 

Contact Pat( Conway) - 07943016225/ 0191 3868216

or Kathleen ( Murray) 07759130837/ 0191 3867733 

19th October 2025 - Thought from Fr. Colm

For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.

David Livingstone

There are three kinds of violence. The first, mother of all the others, is institutional violence. It legalises and perpetuates domination, oppression, and exploitation. It crushes and eliminates millions of people in its silent and well-oiled cogs.

The second is revolutionary violence, which is born of the will to abolish the first.

The third is repressive violence, which stifles the second, by making itself the helper and accomplice of the first violence- the one that causes all the others.

There is no worse hypocrisy than only calling the second 'violence', while pretending to forget the first one, that gives it life, and the third, that kills it.

Helder Camara , Spiral of Violence