ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Bishop Seamus recently wrote to our parish communities about the process of consultation that is taking place in our diocese and identified three important priorities as we seek the best way forward: spiritual development, formation for all and new structures.

An important part of this exploration towards new ways of carrying out our mission is our ministry with young people. Young people in many ways hold the key to the next step along the way for the Church of Hexham and Newcastle. How do we help young people to grow spiritually? How do we empower them for the work Jesus calls them to do? How do we set up life-giving structures? But also how do we learn from young people? They have much to bring to our Church and we need to look at new ways of ‘inviting them into the circle of community, and sending them out to share their gifts.’ (Tom East)

Together with young people, we are all co-workers in the mission of the Church, the mission of Jesus. On this faith journey, young people need adult support and the wisdom of our experience as we need their energy and fresh vision. This year’s Youth Ministry Conference is an opportunity to reflect on our youth ministry, to receive input, to be inspired and encouraged, to network with others and to go away with a sense of direction for youth ministry at parish, deanery and diocesan level.

The day aims to bring together youth leaders and helpers, catechists, parents, teachers, chaplains, concerned parishioners and young people themselves. Each parish is asked to be represented by at least 2 adults and 2 young people (14+) and during the programme there will be an opportunity for parish groups of adults and young people to work together looking towards their Youth Sunday celebration.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Tom East is the Director of the Center for Ministry Development in the United States. He has worked for many years in the field of Catholic youth ministry training with both adults and young leaders and is highly recommended by Bob McCarty, who was our speaker at the 2008 Conference. Tom has worked in parish, diocesan and national youth ministry and is the editor and main author of ‘Effective Practices for Dynamic Youth Ministry, Total Youth Ministry Coordinator’s Manual and Leadership for Catholic Youth Ministry’.

Bob describes Tom as bringing expertise and passion to this ministry. We feel that Tom’s vision, skills and practical experience will be both inspiring and helpful as we seek in our own diocese to find new ways of ‘moving forward’ alongside young people.

Download Youth Ministry Conference 2010 Booking Form here.

Reminder: Coffee and registration from 10.00am. Please bring a packed lunch; tea and coffee will be served.

Photo of Pope Benedict XVI © Mazur/www.papalvisit.org.uk

178 young people from every corner of Hexham and Newcastle Diocese have responded to YMT’s invitation to join them on a very special pilgrimage and are eagerly preparing to travel to London in September for the Papal Visit.

The group will travel overnight to be at Westminster Cathedral by 8.00am on Saturday 18th September where Pope Benedict will greet 3,000 young people in the piazza. They will then process through central London to Hyde Park for an open air concert followed by the Prayer Vigil with the Pope. 20 of the young people, all members of the Diocesan Youth Council, will spend much of Saturday rehearsing in Hyde Park for their part in a special procession during the Vigil when they will represent our diocese.

A preparation day for all the pilgrims is planned for Cardinal Hume Catholic School in Gateshead on Sunday 12th September.

Watch Bishop Seamus Cunningham talks about what ‘Heart Speaks Unto Heart’ mean to him here.

Ant, Bishop Emeritus Ambrose, Bishop Seamus, Fr. Dermott and Dec ‘push the button’ to the officially open the Youth Village.

Photo Gallery avaibale below.

The 5th July 2010 will always be a special day for youth ministry in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle because of the official opening of the Youth Village by Ant and Dec and blessing by Bishop Seamus Cunningham. Over 400 people, representing schools, parishes and community groups from around the diocese gathered to celebrate and mark the opening of the Youth Village which houses the Youth Ministry Team (YMT). The Youth Village has en-suite facilities to provide opportunities for over 90 young people to stay at any one time.

The official opening was presided over by the diocesan Bishop, Seamus Cunningham who addressed the crowds and spoke of his dream to allow every young person in diocesan schools the opportunity of a residential retreat at the Youth Village. Fr. Dermott Donnelly, Director of Youth Services, paid tribute to the many volunteers who over the years had made a fantastic contribution to the youth ministry in the diocese. He also thanked the fundraisers and those who supported the work financially. He thanked his younger brother Dec and his other half Ant for their support with fundraising.

After the speeches a moving liturgy took place focusing on the Gospel of John 10:10 when Jesus said ‘I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full’. After the Gospel was proclaimed by Bishop Ambrose Griffiths, Bishop Emeritus, the site was blessed and the opening plaque was unveiled by the family of the late Bishop Kevin Dunn, the former Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

Ant and Dec then came forward with the two bishops and Fr. Dermott and ‘pushed the button’ to officially open the Village, balloons and confetti canons marked the occasion and the celebration concluded with the singing of ‘How Great thou Art’.

The button was the actual button that is used on Ant and Dec’s TV show, ‘Push the Button’ and was borrowed for the day’s celebration. The TV celebrities, when giving interviews to the waiting media, said how they watched the youth village move from a dream to a reality and how proud they were to be part of it.

More online:
A tribute article from Fr . Lawrence Jones with photos here.
More photos and article from Karen Burbridge of the Diocesan Website here.
Read the Journal Live article here.
Read the Chronicle Live article here.
View Chronicle Live Video of the Opening here.
More from the Chronicle Live here.
Read article with photos from Northern Echo here.
Read and post your comments on Ant & Dec’s Official Website here.
View Photos and Caption from BBC Website here.
Read Article from the Sisters of Mercy here.

Post your messages below.

[Show as slideshow]

123456►

The World Cup may be over but there is still time to relive the Diocesan Secondary School Summer Festival! Tell us what you thought of this year’s Summer Fest. What did you enjoy most? What would you remember most in all the activities? What message will you be taking back to your family, school and friends? Did you enjoy making the making the music video? What is your hope for the future? What is the truth?

(If you want to watch your Summer Festival video, please tell your School Chaplain or Pastoral Co-Ordinator to make a request to Xavier.)

Post your messages below.

[Show as slideshow]

1234567►

DIOCESE OF HEXHAM AND NEWCASTLE
WORLD YOUTH DAY – MADRID 2011 PILGRIMAGE

9th – 23rd August 2011

“Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith” Col. 2:7

£960/person (18+)

ITINERARY
(The itinerary below is provisional and may be changed nearer the time.)

9th August - Early morning departure from Newcastle city center, Dover/Calais Crossing. Arrive at Nevers for evening meal.
10th August - Hotel breakfast. Veneration of St. Bernadettes body, followed by mass in the convent. Arrive San Sebastian for evening meal
11th August – Leisurely morning in San Sebastian, mass. Arrive Toledo Evening.
12th August - Days in the Diocese of Toledo
13th August - Days in the Diocese of Toledo
14th August - Depart Toledo arriving in Madrid for evening meal in local restaurant (included in price)
15th August - Breakfast at hotel
16th August - World Youth Day Programme
17th August - World Youth Day Programme
18th August - World Youth Day Programme
19th August - World Youth Day Programme
20th August - World Youth Day Vigil
21st August – World Youth Day Closing Mass
22nd August – Early morning departure from Madrid, arrive in Orleans for evening meal.
23rd August - Arrive back in Newcastle late evening

A Celebrity Golf Day took place at De Vere Slaley Hall on the 30th April 2010 to raise funds for the Youth Village.

A number of celebrities including TV presenters and footballers, including present NUFC Team players do their bit to support the work of YMT and the developments of the Youth Village.

In the evening, the celebrities were joined by their friends, families and fans for a gala dinner with auction and entertainment.

The evening was capped with an excellent performance from the Leeds-based band International Party Doctors.

Below are images taken during the Charity Golf Day, can you spot the celebrities who graced the event?

[Show as slideshow]

The Hexham and Newcastle Diocesan Youth Ministry is supporting the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in the United Kingdom and we’d like to show that Christianty is still alive and well in this country and is still something that a great deal of people are serious about.

Click the image above and sign up to show your support to the Pope’s visit.

You may also copy this link http://www.petitiononline.com/PopeinUK/petition.html and forward it to everyone you know so that they too can show their support.

STEP INTO THE GAP is an exciting new venture for CAFOD and YMT that offers a joined up programme for leadership development during a Gap Year. This is Blog # 7 of the YMT/CAFOD Team experience in Liberia, Africa.

1. Food, especially palm butter and pineapple
2. The fantastic West African music especially “Yori, Yori”.
3. The glorious sunshine that glows like a balloon in the sky at night
4. Shaking hands with everyone and anyone we meet
5. … and doing the African ‘snap’
6. Getting a high five on the way back from Communion
7. People remembering your name
8. People getting your name wrong in a friendly way
9. People looking delighted to see you even though they’ve only seen you once before
10. Patience and Kindness sitting next to each other in class
11. … just behind Comfort
12. Watching football
13. Talking about football
14. The Virtuous Women’s Multipurpose Collective
15. Walking round inside the President’s Palace on an impromptu visit
16. Visiting Guinea without a visa or a passport
17. How beautifully mathematical the Palm trees are as well as all the amazing trees in general
18. Sitting in a gushing waterfall, dancing next to the water fall, drinking Club Beer next to the waterfall and dancing to African Gospel music next to that same waterfall
19. Messages of (Spirit) inspiration… on the bumpers of yellow taxis
20. The warm welcomes
21. The amazing people
22. The tropical fruit (including Solero fruit)
23. People being shy but never embarrassed
24. Everyone wanting to be your friend, including those you shake hands with on the street
25. The spontaneous harmonies that pop up as kids sing in class
26. The silent conversations (with smiles and head nods) with people you pass on the street
27. Putting ‘o’ on the end of words and sentences
28. Being introduced to people with brand new – and sometimes peculiar – names wherever we go
29. Being told by people they heard you on the radio
30. … and they remember what you said
31. Club beer
32. Sugar cane
33. Having our own driver
34. Having these particular drivers – Simeon, Flomo, Jimmy and Bility…
35. Dancing at any given opportunity
36. Teaching Africans to dance
37. Orange Fanta that’s deliciously different to our own Orange Fanta
38. Driving along with the windows open taking in brisk air (and being able to smell lots of different kinds of foods)
39. New sights everywhere we drive
40. People being out and together all of the time, day and night
41. Seeing wild fires at the side of the road
42. Beesie the dog and his fox-like friend
43. The massive “No Lemon” sign marking the garage which indicates that they don’t sell lemons
44. Bizarre Liberian advertising and billboards
45. The fact that people still say Happy New Year to you, even though we’re two months into the year…
46. …and also that people still have their Christmas decorations up

The country itself – we’ll never forget our first trip to Africa

[Show as slideshow]

Click here to know more about the YMT/CAFOD Programme.

STEP INTO THE GAP is an exciting new venture for CAFOD and YMT that offers a joined up programme for leadership development during a Gap Year. This is Blog # 6 of the YMT/CAFOD Team experience in Liberia, Africa.

The biggest complaint in all the police stations we visited was lack of funding for transport and basic furnishings. The policemen often don’t have enough money to hire a motorcycle taxi to go to crime scenes, and one policeman apologised that they didn’t have enough chairs in the station for us all to sit on. There were five of us.

But he was proud of the businesslike way they had developed their own police jargon – ‘Romeo,’ he told us, was code for ‘rape’. There are so many people hanging around police stations that they don’t like to broadcast the news if there is an accusation of rape.

In our first week, we came to a police station with three little boys – aged nine, ten and 12 – in the Women and Children’s Protection Section. “Small Romeo,” said Robert, our Don Bosco Homes guide. “Are you getting me? Small Romeo”. The policeman behind the desk also looked at us knowingly. The charge on the sheet was “corruption of minor”.

One of the boys looked slightly tearful, another blank, and the third – who said he was 12, but looked much younger – seemed excited by this sudden appearance of white people and beamed at us. He was so taken with us when we all left that he forgot his toy car. The policeman called him back and handed it to him as we left.

At Don Bosco’s Savio Village halfway home, Robert gave the three of us a sheet each to fill in with the boys’ details. It was difficult, partly because of the Liberian English, and partly because we were nervous about the sensitivity of the case.

Some details emerged: they were on the way to or from the water pump; there was a building nearby; there was a man involved – possible the uncle of one of them.

The next day we were leaving for a week in Gbarnga, but when we returned, we asked what had happened. We heard a confusing story. The three boys had been returned to their families and there was to be no charge brought; the community would deal with the incident. Our first reaction was of outrage: surely this couldn’t be fair?

Robert took us out for a full day following up different cases. The last one was to visit the three in the Small Romeo case. We met the two aged nine and ten in a dingy half-constructed building with a huge hole in the floor that the owner had intended for a cesspit, but which was currently lined with rubbish and dirty water. The father of one boy was in a wheelchair; the other boy’s father carried his baby daughter and answered the official questions stony-faced.

The boys were healthy and apparently happy to be back home, we heard. Both fathers had talked to their boys, and the community witnesses said they were behaving normally. Everything seemed comfortable, but we were all thinking of the seriousness of the case, and wondering if one of these men was the ‘uncle’ in the descriptions we’d heard.

The third boy lived in a house almost on the beach. We walked further into the community, through mazy paths and sudden corners, but he wasn’t there. For a moment, we stepped out of a dark alley and savoured the bright sunlight and the fresh sea air. Word had got to the boy and he came to meet us. He was at his Grandmother’s stall back up the road the way we’d come, and he happily walked us back there.

The same questions followed: Was he healthy? Was he happy? Was there anything to be concerned about? His Granny again seemed content that all was well with the boy: he helped carry the stall – selling vegetables and bottles of locally produced gin – out to the main road in the morning and back in the evening. He washed his own clothes, carried water, and cleaned up in the house.

We took a picture of the three of them before we left – again one looked sheepish, one blank and the third one was smiling happily.

Back in the car, we were burning with questions, so we asked Robert to explain the full story. He told us that the three boys had waylaid a girl on her way to the pump and raped her. The ‘uncle’ had caught them. Because they are minors, they can’t be charged, so the best that can be done is for the community – with DBH prompting – to monitor their behaviour and keep them on track as best they can.

“Ah, they are bad boys,” said Robert.

Click here for more information on the YMT/CAFOD gap year programme.

STEP INTO THE GAP is an exciting new venture for CAFOD and YMT that offers a joined up programme for leadership development during a Gap Year. This is Blog # 5 of the YMT/CAFOD Team experience in Liberia, Africa.

Football atheism in a land of believers:

Here in Liberia – in this land where everyone believes in something and literally everyone loves football – you get a similar bemused reaction saying you don’t support a Premiership football team that you would if you said you don’t believe in God. One devout worshipper has even embarked on the hopeless task of trying to convert me: promising to email me once a week on our return to England with reasons to support Arsenal.

Yesterday we went along to the final of the African Cup of Nations at the Relda Cinema: a dark cavernous shell of a building that was almost destroyed during the war – everything was looted from inside, including the entire upstairs. All that is left are the red theatre-style seats, most of which don’t fold up, some of which have the springs poking through, and here and there, there is no seat at all. To our surprise there were two games projected onto the huge back wall: the final between Ghana and Egypt and a game between Arsenal and Manchester United.

As people with little to no interest in football, to Michael and I it was like watching a load of brightly coloured ants running around a billiard table. I’d sooner have turned my chair around and watched the audience, who broke up the tediousness with constant screams of support and excitement.

Surprisingly everyone’s attention seemed to be on the English Premiership match rather than the African final: there’s globalisation for you! When there was nothing much happening a man a few seats down simply stood up and shouted delightedly at the screen: “Football, Football!” The enthusiasm of everyone here hasn’t quite succeeded in breaking through my own indifference to the game but I have been impressed to see what a unifying and motivating force football is in Liberia.

I don’t know if there was an official statement released to this effect, but everyone tells you that football in Liberia is “a unifying force”. During our stay, the County Meet – a football tournament between Liberia’s 15 counties – came to a climax, and the final was to be contested between Nimba and Grand Gedeh counties – the two main antagonists in the county’s 14-year civil crisis. Nimba won 2-0, but there was no crowd trouble: county officials shook hands on the pitch before and after the game and fans joined together in one big post-match party. Unlike our Premier League’s over-paid stars, professional footballers in Liberia earn around $40 Liberian per game, so anyone playing football at any level in Liberia can only leave the country to be a success.

Teku Nahn, who toured the UK with the Millennium Stars football team as a teenager in 1999, was top scorer in Liberia with 16 goals before Christmas last year. Callers to radio phone-ins clamoured for his inclusion in the national team. He was invited for a three-month try-out with Cape Town FC in South Africa, which he thinks went very well. He scored in his first game and impressed the coaching staff with his skills and hard work. Now he is waiting for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to be over before finding out whether they will offer him a contract.

If Teku makes it to South Africa it will be a success for the whole Millennium Stars club – a narrow bridge to success that others may be able to follow him across. For those left behind, the focus is shifting from their own dreams to the dreams of others. Now in their fourteenth year – they are engaged in a consultation with team members to transform the football club into a community organisation to be role models to local children and help them develop their talents in music, singing, sport, and especially football.

Click here for more information on the YMT/CAFOD gap year programme.

[Show as slideshow]