Forthcoming Meetings

We prayed the Stations of the Cross in St Andrew's RC Church, and had some social time in the in the Chaplaincy room sharing conversations and hot cross buns. 

We welcomed Bishop Stephen to our meeting. It was a well attended evening where we prayed and shared our experiences as LGBTQ+ Catholics in our parish and as members of Proud Catholics. 

Just before the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we welcomed representatives from a number of LGBTQ+ inclusive churches in Newcastle, to share our experiences of this ministry as lay and ordained Christians.  

We celebrated Mass at St Andrew's RC Church, followed by refreshments and an opportunity to exchange Christmas greetings.

We examined some of the Biblical texts which are used against LGBTQ+ people, and considered possible alternative interpretations. It was a great time of reflection and interaction.

Fr Dermot Preston shared with us a reflection on what the Gospel according to Luke says about Jesus and "outsiders" and how it teaches us what it means to be a disciple.

We shared our experiences of "thin places", places where the boundary between heaven and earth seems so insubstantial that it is easy to encounter the divine. We shared experiences of places of worship, communities, nature, sounds, forms of prayer, unexpected insights from God.

To celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, we joined Mass at St Andrew's at 5.30pm followed by a picnic in the Chaiplancy Room (due to bad weather). It was a good time catching up with each other and meeting new people. 

Pride Weekend (22-23 July) is an opportunity to celebrate diversity and inclusion. Proud Catholics, together with other Christian groups and churches, takes part in the event to testify that the inclusive love of God is for everyone. In our meeting, 

we experienced a quiet time of prayer in preparation for the event. It was an opportunity to spend some time with God and each other, giving thanks for our lives and celebrating the hope and peace that God invites us to share.

We shared some books, a poem, meditations, pieces of art and craftwork, and other items that have spiritual significance for us. Our faith was deeply nourished and enriched by each other's stories. 

We met to review the year, plan for the future and hold elections for the coming year's Committee. 

We celebrated a very prayerful Mass at St Andrew's, followed by refreshments and chat in the Chaiplaincy room.

We prayed with the Stations of the Cross in St Andrew's Church and shared some social time afterwards in the chaplaincy room. 

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday, we joined with the University Chaplaincy for a convivial time sharing pancakes.

We shared reflections with the help of a thoughtfully prepared meditation on the words of Our Lord from the Gospel according to John (17:21): 'May They All Be One'. This was followed by our usual social get together. 

We celebrated Mass in the church at St Andrew's and enjoyed relaxed pre-Christmas refreshments in the Chaplaincy room. 

We met Gaël Pardoën, a doctoral researcher in Catholic systematic theology, and Dr Clare Watkins, Reader in Ecclesiology and Practical Theology, to take part in their research project "Living Catholicism in Queer spaces". We listened and shared our experiences of living our Catholic faith as members of the LGBTQI+ community. 

We had a prayerful and reflective evening, using the ancient method of Lectio Divina to reflect on the following Sunday's Gospel reading.

We joined together to celebrate Mass at St Andrew's, followed by bring-and-share refreshments.  

We shared a relaxed time with tasty refreshments and good conversations. 

We took part in the LGBT+ Catholics York monthly Mass at the Bar Convent.  It was a great opportunity to strengthen our links with the LGBT+ Catholics group of our neighbouring Diocese.

In this meeting we had a very insightful conversation, taking a closer look at our core beliefs as expressed in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. 

We joined together to celebrate Mass at St Andrew's, followed by our usual social time.

We celebrated the achievements of the past year and we looked forward to the year ahead. Elections to the Committee also took place. 

We brought examples of prayer, scripture, poetry and music which help us to keep alive the sense of renewal from Easter. We had a very enriching evening, sharing what gives us hope and discovering new sources of inspiration.

Christians traditionally pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent to remember and share in Jesus' painful journey from the Garden of Gethsemane to the garden of his tomb. We prayed the Stations together around the walls of St Andrew's, joining those who encountered Jesus during those hours of suffering, and remembering that this is ultimately an uplifting pilgrimage, culminating in the Resurrection.

We had a lovely meeting with Fr Adrian Tuckwell and Bernadette Hirst. Fr Adrian outlined some of the work that has been undertaken in Caritas and the recent initiatives. Bernadette gave us an insight into the projects she is involved with, in Joe's Place and Green Pastures. 

We dedicated the meeting to listening and sharing, prompted by questions from the Synod. The questions explored some of the areas in which we are journeying together as a group within the Church. 

We celebrated Mass at St Andrew's, followed by social time and Christmas greetings with mince pies and mulled wine. 

We welcomed Gerard Swan - chairperson of Quest - and together with him explored both the history of Quest and how it supports LGBTQ+ Catholics today. 

We explored our faith in Mary and shared our experiences and devotions. 

We returned to meeting in person with a celebratory Mass at St Andrew's RC Church, followed by social time. 

We had a stimulating meeting, with a video documenting six people's experiences of being LGBTQ+ and Catholic, and a reflective Q&A with the producer and one of the witnesses.

Proud Catholics is part of the diocesan Vicariate of Caritas. We had an interesting and informative meeting with Fr Adrian Tuckwell (Episcopal Vicar for Caritas within the diocese) about Caritas and its work within the diocese.

We shared reflections and personal experiences regarding various topics, especially some social issues which challenge us personally and as a Church.

We had a very insightful sharing of our understanding of Jesus and our connection with him, how it has developed and changed through our life and what aspects we strongly connect to now. 

We shared the general and financial reports and elected members of the Committee for the coming year.

We discussed the traditional Lenten practices (prayer, fasting, almsgiving), sharing our experiences and reflecting on how these practices help us to renew our connection with God, ourselves and others. 

We reflected on Romans 8:28 and considered how challenging this verse can feel in difficult times and as LGBTQ+ people. 

Pope Francis made two very important statements of significance for us: we have a right to family life and a right to enter into civil partnerships. On the face of it a major turning point in our relationship with the Church. At about the same time, the Church of England issued an apology for all the hurt/damage they've caused LGBTQ+ people. 

At this meeting, we discussed on what this all means for us.

As November is the time when we particularly remember those who have gone before us, and in the context of our experiences of loss due to the pandemic, we turned our hearts to the hope which can illuminate our lives.  We shared pieces of scripture, poems, hymns and reflections that inspire and shine a light on hope.  

We reflected on our experiences of prayer. Together, we considered different forms of prayer-based worship (for example the Rosary, Taizé Prayer, Centering Prayer, ...) and encouraged each other along the way. 

We shared some of our favourite biblical verses, what they mean to us, and how they have helped us.

We were invited to present a treasured item connected with our faith, and to share the story of how we came to own it and what it means to us. 

Pride, as we all know, is one of the seven deadly sins. Yet we say we are Proud Catholics, and some of us join Pride parades and events each summer. These events are viewed by some as inciting immoral and debauched behaviour, while for others they are a joyful celebration of God-given identity. We asked ourselves: can we celebrate Pride with integrity? and we shared our thoughts and opinions.