Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
Darlington Mission
1 November 2026 – All Saints’ Day
Group Pastor – Fr. Thomas Mason – thomas.mason@ordinariate.org.uk – 01833 631457 – 07876 308657
Assistant Priest – Fr. Ian Westby Deacon – the Rev’d Carl Watson
Web: https://www.ordinariate-darlington.co.uk
Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/OrdDarlFacebook
Services this week:
Monday 2, 10am, Barnard Castle – ALL SOULS
Monday 2, 12noon, Gainford – ALL SOULS
Monday 2, 7pm, Barnard Castle (Ordinariate) – ALL SOULS
Tuesday 3, 10am, Gainford – Requiem
Thursday 5, 10am, Barnard Castle – Requiem
Friday 6, 12noon, Barnard Castle (Ordinariate) – Requiem (preceded by Sext at 11.45am)
Friday 6, 6-7pm, Barnard Castle – Holy Hour
Saturday 7, 12noon, Blessing of the Graves at the Catholic Cemetery
Confessions (at Barnard Castle): Monday 5.30-6pm, Thursday 5.30-6pm, Saturday 10-11am
Prayer List
Of your charity please pray for all the sick, especially: Morag, Ethel, George Gwilliam, Andrew Gwilliam, Fay Jackson, Dennis Walburn, Elaine Robertson, Barbara Ugoletti, Andrea Matthews, Bridget Wright, Graham Pegley, Calvert Hardy, James Hardy, Keith McAllister, Elizabeth Rawling, Pauline McAllister, Paul Laughlin, Garth Redvers Harris, Geraldine Dobson, Pat MacGregor, Ann Griffiths, Ruth Park, Lily Berepiki, William Evans.
As also for all the faithful departed, particularly the recently departed, as well as those whose years-mind falls at this time, including Richard Brown. Requiescant in pace.
November – month of the Holy Souls. The usual devotions for the Holy Souls will take place during November with all available Masses as Requiems. Forms for lists of names to be placed on the altar during November are available, please pass to Fr. Thomas – these will be included in the Bede Roll on All Souls’ Day. The Martyrs’ Chapel will be a shrine with lamps burning for the departed – forms are available to request lamps for one or more of your loved ones.
Monday 2 November, All Souls’ Day – Sung Ordinariate Mass at 7pm
Parish ceilidh 28th November We will be hosting a Parish Ceilidh on Saturday 28th November at St. Mary’s Parish hall, Newgate, Barnard Castle. Doors open 6:15pm, music & dancing from 6:30pm. There will be a shared table, please bring along food to share, with ingredient list re allergies. Bring your own drink and if you wish, cash for the raffle. Family ticket £25, £8 adults, child £5, under 5’s free. Tickets will be for sale before and after Masses.
Men’s Group the first meeting of the men’s group is being planned as a ramble around Low and High Force on Saturday 14 November, meeting at church at 11 to share rides up the dale.
Last Things First, Living in the light of eternity – a course delivered online by Fr. Ian Hellyer (of the Ordinariate)
Tuesdays on Zoom at 7.30pm (3, 17, 24 November 1, 8 December)
1 Death – counsels for a happy death with St Joseph, St Francis of Assisi, and St Benedict. 2 Judgement – the moment of truth with St Faustina, St Catherine of Siena, St Bridget of Sweden. 3 Purgatory – the fire of love with St Catherine of Genoa, St Nicholas of Tolentino, St Gertrude the Great. 4 Hell – the reality we dare not ignore with St Teresa of Avila, St Faustina, St John Bosco. 5 Heaven – our true home with St Therese of Lisieux, St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross
To join: email ian.hellyer@ordinariate.org.uk for the notes and zoom link
Month of the Holy Souls – Purgatory
We can’t be entirely sure how far back the practice of praying for the departed goes, but it was certainly an accepted reality before the time of Christ. In 2 Maccabees we hear of sacrifices being offer for dead soldiers – they had fallen in battle after carrying a forbidden idol rather than trust entirely in God, prayers were offered that their sin be done away, looking forward to the resurrection (2 Maccabees 12). From this we can reasonably assume that Christians have always included the departed in their prayers. Over time, the Church more fully fleshed out the teaching on purgatory and what our prayers do, as we enter into the month of the Holy Souls, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on this.
We are told clearly in Scripture that following this life, we have an eternal destiny and that this is either in heaven or hell; but while this final destination is fixed at the moment of our death, in many cases the path to heaven hasn’t been completed and so needs to be finished (see Catechism 1022). This ‘finishing off’ is what happens in purgatory. This is a key point to note, there is a notion one sometimes finds in the popular imagination is that purgatory for those who are not bad enough for hell, but not good enough for heaven. The Church is clear that purgatory is a final purification to be ready for heaven. As the Catechism puts it: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (1030).
There are some who die completely prepared for heaven, these are the Saints whom we celebrate today. Some of the Saints have been identified and are venerated by name, but a great many are currently unknown to us on earth. Our aim in life should be to be among them, close to God, and fully prepared and purified by him here so that as soon as we die, we are ready to see him face-to-face (see 1 John 3:2).
But that doesn’t mean that if we still have various minor faults we are going to be barred from heaven – that would be far from a message of good news. As we start to embrace God and his goodness we begin a process of sanctification, in which his grace works in us, and we co-operate with it through our good works. That process of sanctification can continue after death, if needed.
In a few points Scripture talks about a purifying or refining fire (e.g., 1 Corinthians 3:15, 1 Peter 1:5), the Church understands this to apply to the purifying of our souls. The image chosen by S. Peter is of gold, when it is first mined this often has various other impurities mixed in with it; but when passed through a furnace those other parts can be burnt off, leaving the pure gold behind. So too, when we sin, we add various other elements to our souls which need to be drawn out and cleansed.
The precise mechanics of purgatory are never really outlined in Scripture, and so the Church does not engage in speculation in her formal teachings. However the central point remains, that purgatory is directed towards heaven – everybody in purgatory will gain the joys of heaven. The other important point is that those in purgatory are still our brothers and sisters in Christ; we are bound together with them in the love of God. Our prayers assist them to speed through that process of purification, of preparation for heaven. During this month we intensify our prayers for them, especially for those we knew on earth. May the Lord speedily complete their purification, and grant to them eternal rest and peace with him in heaven. – Fr. Thomas.
Safeguarding The Group operates in accordance with Statutory Safeguarding Guidance and Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) and Diocese’s policies and procedures at all times. Our Group Safeguarding Representative is Jos Thompson or alternatively the Diocesan Safeguarding Team can be contacted on 0191 2433305 or at safeguarding@diocesehn.org.uk