Bishop Cunningham attends Extraordinary For Mass at St Joseph's, Gateshead

During his parish visitation we were delighted that Bishop Seamus Cunningham sat in choir at Missa Cantata on Sunday 22nd March 2015. The celebrant was v Rev Dr Michael Brown with a young serving team from the parish led by MC Andrew Armstrong (one of our 3 newly appointed LMS Local Representatives) and music provided by the Westland Singers of Sunderland under Paul & Theresa Dewhirst. Our usual congregation of some 50/60 were present to greet the bishop after Mass. It was good that his lordship saw a wide age range in the congregation. All we need now is for Bishop Seamus to celebrate the EF Mass for us in St Mary's Cathedral.

Music at the Sage

John Wilson conducted the Royal Northern Sinfonia with Sir Thomas Allen in an eclectic concert on Sunday afternoon 15th March 2015. Sir Tom was in great voice singing many lovely ballads including a nice selection of local songs,

Back after blogging for LMS

Having stood down as a Joint Local Representative of the Latin Mass Society for the diocese of Hexham & Newcastle I have resurrected my previous blog. I hope that my new posts will contain items of fairly wide interest ranging from church matters, LMS matters, music etc, etc My first post concerns music as Theresa & I were pleased to attend a concert in St Mary's Anglican Church in Ponteland nr Newcastle upon Tyne on Saturday last. The concert was given by chamber choir Northern Praeclassica under the direction of Mark Edwards who also directs Felling Male Voice Choir. Their music is all a capella & the concert itself was entitled "Ave Maria" which encompassed "...sacred music from European Renaissance and Romantic composers, including Palestrina's Missa Brevis & Allegri's Miserere. The most modern work was Angelus by Biebl (1906 - 2001) - wrongly named in the programme as Ave Maria. Also included were works by Brahms, Anerio, Willaert, Verdei, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky & Tomas Luis de Victoria. In addition to the choral works organ solos were played by Warren Smith (church choral director & asst to Mark at Felling MVC) who played works by Boellermann & Bach/Vivaldi.

How can they be classed as racists?

You will have read in the media & seen on TV the disgusting sexual predators in Rotherham. The 'excuse' put forward by Council officers & police is that they were afraid of being labelled racist because the vast majority of the perpetrators were Asian men of mainly Pakistani origin. It seems that such sexual predation is almost commenplace in Pakistan & the (largely Socialist) officials were concerned that making strong statements about these men might harm their political support from voters of that background. Two things should happen; the officials should be sacked & the perpetrators must be gaoled for long periods & their continued residence in our country must be reconsidered. There is no place in our country for such people unless they accept our standards and integrate fully into our culture. Religion cannot be used for remaining apart. If they don't like our culture they should move back to countries where their behaviour is accepted as it most certainly is not here.

WARNING

Please avoid contact with a blog "Catholic Left" who responds directly to your home email without the courtesy (or courage?) to sign his emails. Like many other cowards he utilises the excuse that his job is security linked & he must not divulge his email address or identity.
He has responded to a blog on this site months after it was posted (posted November 2011).
Anyone who considers that it is necessary to acknowledge that they are not just 'Catholic' but 'Catholic Left' is a concern in my book 

Hurrah for 'Alma Mater by the Tyne'!!

Yesterday (21st October 2011) we celebrated Founder's Day of St Cuthbert's Grammar School - now St Cuthbert's High School - in Newcastle upon Tyne. Due to Half Term holidays the day was celebrated 1 week early.

It was in 1881 that Bishop Chadwick founded this school for boys of the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle. Several moves later - including to the country during WWII - the school settled on Denton Bank. During my years at the school - 1949-1954 - we had boys from as far north as Alnwick, as far south as Darlington, as far west as Hexham and as far east as Tynemouth & South Shields.

My  Headmaster was Canon (later Monsignor) JJ Cunningham whose office was situated at the top of the '13 steps' on the right & immediately opposite the chapel. In which order did one visit them? The Head Prefect - in charge of discipline - was Fr Gerard (Ged) Crumbley. It was quite a shock to come from our (mainly) avuncular parish clergy to these cassocked figures who were now among the teaching staff. Fr Ged left to go to parish work & arrived at my home parish of St Michael's in Newcastle where his brother, Fr Raymond, was already a curate. What a change!

Following Fr Ged we had the (in)famous Fr (later Canon & Headmaster) Cassidy. Who can ever forget his saying through tightly clenched teeth "Every time I open my mouth some fool speaks."

Whilst every day at St Cuthbert's was not a bed of roses I can say with honesty that my schooldays were happy, that - although no star pupil -, I had a good education and that my Faith was strengthened, my sense of discipline was formed and I was readied for adult life.

To quote the school song:

"Come then boys come rally round her
Let our hearts with hers entwine
Come and laud her to the echo
Alma Mater by the Tyne"

Travellers

I have been following closely recent stories regarding the travellers who occupy sites at Dale Farm in Essex. One of our bishops supports them as they claim that if moved of this - illegally occupied - site they would be homeless. Let us look at the actual situation as widely reported in the media.
Their occupation of most of the site is & always has been illegal. A small number of sites were initially allowed but (almost secretly) large numbers of others moved onto the site over a bank holiday weekend suspecting (rightly) that the authorities would not be there. Following the decision of the planning authorities to uphold the law of the land & protect the longstanding local (legal) residents of the area the travellers offered to move for £3m.
Looking at their "homelessness" we are told that a number of them own expensive properties in Rathkeale i Ireland. One traveller owns Bally-William Close a development of some 30 houses while another is developing 44 houses near Rathkeale called Castle Park Estate. A large number of other travellers own properties in that area which for 11 months of the year are locked up with steel grilles being opened up only over the Christmas period when the owners return home. These same people are registered in that area of Ireland for voting in local, national and European elections.
Please let's not be sympathetic to a bunch of lawbreakers intent only on circumventing the law of the land in England without contributing anything to our country.