At last the hard work has paid off. All the afternoon sessions, idea sharing, writing and photo taking have come together in this our Mission website. We launched this in school on the week beginning Monday 13th June and now have raised awareness of the upcoming Mission next October to all students at Cardinal Hume Catholic School. We are delighted with our work and ask you all to keep us in your prayers as we work towards our Mission next October.
- Mission Control

As part of our school Mission a group of Year 9 students spent an overnight residential working with the YMT and developing ways in which the school can begin and continually focus on the school Mission next October.

Our students were brilliantly creative and came back to school brimming with ideas. Indeed they impressed all they encountered that weekend in the Youth Village. Accompanied by Mr Andrew Johnson and the school Chaplain Jo Proctor, the whole event was a great starting point for our Mission focus. The group now meets with the Chaplain each Friday and is in the process of creating a Mission web page with expert Chris Youd. They will also be putting Mission updates out each month in parish bulletins courtesy of Father Patterson. So keep us all in your prayers as we continue to build momentum towards our Mission date, all prayers greatly appreciated!

Perhaps the best way to sum up the event is from the young people involved in 'Mission Control' and the following are a few comments they made:

"A chance to have more input within the school and Church and was fun and fulfilling at the same time"
Shelby
"Its good to know there is a place that understands teenagers and helps deepen our understanding of God"
Ruth
"A good weekend away to prepare for our Mission"
Joshua

It was with great anticipation that the weekend of the 5th and 6th arrived in east Gateshead as this saw the launch of the Cardinal Hume Catholic School mission in the parishes. A talented group of our 6th form students went out in twos over the weekend and stood up in front of parishioners asking for prayers and support for the Cardinal Hume Catholic School mission, which will be held in school next October

The students were a real credit to themselves and their parishes and families. It should be added that this was a voluntary group of students, most of whom witnessed and were inspired by the Papal visit. The Mission launch was something they wanted to do for their school and community in thanks for the support they have been given over the years. This is a great reflection of the Catholic ethos that is such an integral part of the success which is Cardinal Hume Catholic School.

At each service attended by the students an image of Cardinal Hume was presented and has been positioned in a special place in each of the parish churches. At the end of the service students read a letter and then handed out prayer cards to parishioners as they left Mass. Each classroom and work room at Cardinal Hume Catholic School contains the same image of Cardinal Hume as that placed in each church. This creates a visual link for staff and students focused on the upcoming Mission and highlighting the important link between parish and school.

The successful tone of the Mission launch was set on Saturday 5th Feb at St Albans where a wonderfully warm and supportive welcome was given by Fr Patterson and the parishioners. Two of the chosen 16, Alex Graham and Matthew Snowdon, launched the Mission brilliantly. Alex read superbly, despite the challenge of not liking public reading, and Matthew added excellent support in spirit and handing out prayer cards at the end of the Mass. It was also great to see Alex’s Mother and Grandmother at church to witness his biggest day at St Alban’s since his Confirmation.

An equally warm welcome was given by Fr Cummins and the parishioners of St Oswald’s the following morning of Sunday 6th Feb. It was an excellent experience with Jane Wood and Amy Lambton reading brilliantly. The only challenge was the screaming baby who sought to drown out the girls! All other parishes were equally welcoming and greatly supportive. I even heard there was a round of applause given to Alex Mc Culla and Rosie Turner at St Joseph’s!

A big thank you goes out to the clergy and parishioners involved in getting everything organised and enabling the Mission launch to be such a great success. Many thanks indeed, you all made the launch a lot easier with your help and kindness. I cannot finish without a big thank you to all the students involved in the excellent Mission launches. So in no particular order many, many thanks to you all: Lewis Doughty; Beth Prudhoe; Rebecca Lowes; Laura Greenwell; Rebekah Thompson; Kirsty Hamilton; Chantelle Galbraith; Rosie Turner; Alex Mc Culla; Vicky Gascoigne; Rachel McBean; Alex Davison; Hannah Davison; Jane Wood; Amy Lambton; Matthew Snowdon; Alex Graham; Georgina Forshaw; Gabinder Bassi 2. St Oswald’s Mission Launch St Alban’s Mission Launch