Starting on Sunday 30 September 2018, we began to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the opening of this church. Throughout the anniversary year, we had the opportunity to reflect and celebrate what it means to be a member or friend of Holy Name today.

Our various celebrations increased appreciation of the church building itself and helped our community to continue to grow as a place where all – young or old, married, single or divorced, and whatever their sexuality – are welcomed and cherished.

Thank you so much to everyone who planned, prepared, participated in and celebrated the Anniversary celebrations, not least the Exhibition and the Fauré Requiem Mass on the weekend of 2/3 November 2019 which brought our celebrations to a close. All were exceptionally well done and truly memorable. I am immensely grateful for everyone’s contribution. Now here’s to the 100^th! ~ Fr Michael Campion

Anniversary Events 2019

A Sign of Change

Helen Waddell, who works in TV production in London, made a film of 35 minutes about our parish which she titled A Sign of Change. Helen explains: “A Sign of Change offers a window into how a modern, Catholic parish thinks and feels about Catholic identity, faith and the future. Filmed at Holy Name, we see how Fr Campion and the parishioners struggle with and draw strength from their Catholic faith at a time when the reputation of the Church is in crisis. The film was screened in the hall on Saturday 23 March.

Centre for Catholic Studies (Durham) Lectures

The Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University supported our celebration with three of their eminent scholars giving presentations in our Church Hall over the course of the year. They began with Gary Wade’s exploration of Seamus Heaney’s Catholic Sensibility. 

Professor Paul Murray spoke on Catholicism Transfigured: The Current Catholic Moment and What It Requires of Us. I

Professor Stephen Regan gave a lecture on ‘English Literature and Catholicism: The Poetry of Devotion’, featuring poems by Francis Thompson, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Seamus Heaney.

History and Heritage

From Clare Roberts: Thanks to the award of Heritage Lottery funding, we produced in November an exhibition in church and a recording of voices in which members and friends shared their personal memories of Holy Name.

Safeguarding and Abuse in the Church

How should a Catholic person respond to the continuing revelations of abuse and cover-ups in the Church? Do we remain silent, with heads down and hoping it will all just blow over? Many people, rightly, are left angry, hurt and bewildered. On 4 July two parishioners – Sarah Woolrich and Nick Stonor – who are barristers with experience in family law, led a structured meeting in the hall to allow people to share their views and to discuss all the issues involved in the wider context of safeguarding and abuse in the Church.

Day of Reflection

On Saturday 7 September our spiritual Day of Reflection was led by Fr Eamonn Mulcahy.

Fr. Eamonn is a Spiritan missionary from Manchester. A priest since 1980, he has been on mission in Congo-Brazzaville, Nigeria and Kenya. He has extensive experience of deepening the Faith Formation of Adults in the UK and leading spiritual retreats to priests, religious and lay-people in Europe, North America, Australia and Africa. Since summer 2013 Eamonn is back in the UK on the team of the inner-city Holy Spirit Parish in Manchester whilst working as one of the Episcopal Vicars for Religious in Salford Diocese. He teaches Systematic Theology one day a week in Oscott College Seminary, Birmingham, and still maintains active involvement in educating street kids back in the infamous slum of Kibera, Nairobi. He is passionate about communicating the beauty of our Faith and the interface between Theology and Spirituality.

Baptism Party

Parents who had children baptised at Holy Name in the previous three years took party with all their children in September.  Following a short Service in the church at 1pm for the blessing of the children and their parents, the Party followed in the hall with refreshments, compliments of the parish, and some fun activities as well.

Bishop’s Visit

Bishop Robert Byrne, installed as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in March celebrated Mass with us on Sunday 29 September. At the end of Mass he dedicated the recently completed new church entrance (‘piazza’).

Requiem Mass

A Requiem Mass was celebrated on Sunday 3 November for the deceased members and benefactors of our parish. The augmented Holy Name Choir, with guest Director Alan Fearon, sang Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor throughout the Mass.

Communal Anointing of the Sick

A communal celebration in church of the Anointing of the Sick took place in May and was followed by Afternoon Tea in the hall for all participants. This Sacrament is for people struggling with any form of pain, disability or illness. It … gives the grace of the Holy Spirit to those who are sick: by this grace the whole person is helped and saved, sustained by trust in God, and strengthened against temptations of the Evil One and against anxiety over death. Thus the sick person is able not only to bear suffering bravely, but also to fight against it. (Pastoral Care of the Sick, n. 6).

Previous Events

On Sunday 30th September 2018 we marked the 90th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone for the church building with a simple Fizz and Cake reception after each Mass. Many people took part – and said they’d like to see more occasions like this one!

On 23 June 2018 on HMS Calliope on the River Tyne guests began the evening with leisurely drinks on deck and in the Officer’s Mess while taking in the best views of the river. That very evening  they had the unique and privileged view of the spectacular water feature erected on the Tyne – as part of the Great Exhibition of the North – that was paying homage to one of the North East’s most famous landmarks, the Angel of the North.  Later, after enjoying sumptuous food prepared by the Navy’s chefs, they were able to dance the night away to a ‘live’ band. Thanks to a generous sponsor (who wishes to remain anonymous) the cost of this unique celebration on the Tyne was about half what it normally would cost for such an event.

Fundraising

In our anniversary year Holy Name raised £10,000 to support a project in the parish of St Anthony in Walker to benefit young people. T