As we begin our journey towards Christmas we have collated a variety of resources to enable you to take part in further online learning, reflection and prayer throughout the Advent season, these have been selected from a wide range of sources and will hopefully offer something for everyone. Although much of the material is internet based we want to appeal to families and friends to reach out to those who would like to access the material but are unable to use the internet . Please think about what you can do to help. To access the resources please click the link below:
Advent Retreat with Fr Dennis
Following the generous response to his retreat “Reflecting with Paintings” Fr Dennis Mc Bride has been encouraged to offer a retreat for Advent. Following the example of St Alphonsus Liguori, he devised a set of fourteen stations – called “Stations of the Infancy” – as a mindful way through the season of Advent.
Together with Alessandro, the film maestro, they have made a set of twelve Stations – 3 for each week of Advent. They are short pieces – each Station lasts about eight minutes – aimed at helping us approach the great feast of Christmas. You are very welcome to join him each week of Advent and I hope that this free resource will prove a helpful and joyful one.”
Diocesan Advent Resources
The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle has offered a selection of reflection resources as a lifebuoy, a remedy and a prayer book for the days ahead. Advent is a time to stretch and arouse our imagination for what it brings: a deep listening to one another as we discern what and where the Holy Spirit is stirring us. This Advent is wrapped in the theme: ‘Listening and Belonging to the Father – Communion’. The Synod tells us that by his gracious will, God gathers us together as diverse peoples of one faith, through the covenant that he offers to his people. Together, we are inspired by listening to the Word of God, through the living Tradition of the Church, and grounded in the faith that we share. We all have a role to play in discerning and living out God’s call for his people. (Synod Vademecum, 2021)
Enjoy these reflections and prayers, click the button below to access the resources:
Advent – The Time Has Come
In Advent we wait in expectancy, we wait, we remember, and we also look forward. We remember how Israel awaited the promises of the Covenants and the prophets. We remember Jesus coming, his birth, the fulfilment of the promise, and the promise of the resurrection, and we look forward expectantly in the present, in finding Jesus and the Spirit in all we do and see around us- looking forward expectantly in faith, to the promise given to all of us, the final coming of the Kingdom. We wait in hope for the ongoing grace to feed our seed of Faith into ongoing growth and fruition, on and in our Faith Journey, alone and together. Join Pat Kennedy (MPS) in an exploration of our own journey through Advent.
An Ignatian Advent Retreat
For the four weeks of Advent The Ignatian Spirituality Centre offers you material for daily prayer. Scripture to pray with; you may like to ponder in the world in the ‘Lectio Divina’ style, or where there is a Gospel story you might like to imagine you are one of the characters in the scene – Imaginative Contemplation, also known as Ignatian Contemplation. They provide a link to a suitable piece of music for the day. Each day they provide a new picture to ponder which in some way links to the Scripture as well as a daily reflection which usually links the Advent theme to our world today.
Lectio for Families
Lectio for Families is a free app for families to do together. It features daily Bible readings, a weekly memory verse, engaging questions to pause and talk about, and prompts for reflection and prayer. The app can be downloaded by parents and carers onto a mobile device. Families can then choose to either listen to the audio content together, wherever and whenever they are together, or they can read it as they pass the device to each other
Journey with St Joseph
The four-weeks season of Advent, in preparation for Christmas, begins tomorrow. One way of spiritually preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth is to receive the Jesuit daily “Year in Our Church” newsletter from their Loyola Press. This year it will help us to spend a few moments each day of the season on a Journey with St. Joseph. This series—coming at the end of the Year of St. Joseph—will explore Joseph as a man of courage, love and acceptance. If you wish to take part in this journey, click the button below:
CAFOD Advent Calendar
The online calendar of daily prayer and reflection offers an opportunity to reflect, pray and take action in the run-up to Christmas. Join CAFOD and journey through the season of Advent with our global family.
Mission Together Advent Resources for Children
The season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is a time of prayerful preparation. During Advent we recall the Israelites’ long wait for the Messiah’s birth and remember that Jesus was born into the world and will come again. Each year Mission Together produce engaging and fun resources to help children keep Jesus at the heart of this exciting season. Our resources are free to download and include scripture, prayer, craft activities and a call to action.
Youth Ministry Team
Youth Ministry Team is the Youth Service for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle since 1994. Since then they have provided vibrant and relevant Youth Ministry provision throughout the Diocese and beyond, team members carry with them the passion of accompanying young people towards a personal relationship with Christ and fully into the life of the Church. This year they have produced a weekly series of short videos called ‘Wait a Minute – It’s Advent‘, this series contains reflections and interviews from a wide variety of people across the Diocese throughout Advent starting with Bishop Robert on 28th November, click the link below to access them