ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
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"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them."
Matt 18:10
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Our Partnership is made up of 11 Catholic church communities that serve the city of Sunderland and surrounding area. Monkwearmouth is one of eighteen Partnerships which were formally established by Bishop Séamus at Pentecost in 2017. We are part of the Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, click here for the diocesan website.
WHO ARE WE?
Our Partnership is made up of 11 Catholic church communities that serve the city of Sunderland and surrounding area. Monkwearmouth is one of eighteen Partnerships which were formally established by Bishop Séamus at Pentecost in 2017. We are part of the Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, click here for the diocesan website.
WHY MONKWEARMOUTH?
Each of the Partnerships has been given a name rooted in our Christian heritage and a Partnership Dean. Monkwearmouth was chosen by the Diocese to represent our newly named partnership because of its links with the great Catholic heritage of our local area. The Monkwearmouth Monastery and the church of St Peter’s, situated on the banks of the River Wear, date back to 674AD and were of course home to the community who had the great and venerable St. Bede as one of their members.
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Our Partnership is in many ways not a new initiative. Our 11 church communities have worked together for many years as a deanery, frequently coming together for joint events, initiatives and celebrations. However, the Partnership does give us an excellent opportunity, not only to reflect together on our current practices but importantly to evaluate and plan how we can ensure that we have vibrant and flourishing Catholic communities in the future.
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Click here to read more around partnership development groups.
The Partnership Development Group (PDG) is made up of representatives, of both clergy and lay people, from each of our 11 church communities. The overall aim of the PDG is to create a forum that is genuinely representative of our parishes. The PDG is an interim arrangement and has a 2-year lifespan. Longer-term arrangements, informed by the work of PDGs, will then be put in place across the Partnership. The PDG is led by the Partnership Dean and is chaired by a lay person from one of the parishes, Fr Michael McCoy is our Partnership Dean and our Chair is Adrian Brooks. The Diocese has recommended that the remit of the PDG is to further God’s Kingdom through:
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Co-ordinating and supporting the development of effective partnership arrangements.
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Developing an initial action plan for the partnership.
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Communicating the work of the partnership across the area.
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The details of the PDG representatives for each parish can be found on the following page. The PDG has met three times already and is in the process of developing an action plan for our partnership and has identified 6 different areas of focus. They include:
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Communication
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Youth & Young Adult
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Finance
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Spiritual & Liturgical Formation
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Pastoral Outreach
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Social Activities
If you would like to find out more about how you can get involved please talk to your PDG representative or parish priest or click here. Please keep the work of the Partnership and the PDG in your prayers.