Parish Groups

APF MISSIONS

The Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF) is a worldwide organisation run by the Mill Hill Fathers to raise money for missionary work throughout the world. The familiar red collecting boxes are given out to people to place in their homes and save loose coins for the missions. The boxes are emptied by local collectors, usually 4 times per year.

In our parish the local secretary/treasurer and 6 collectors look after 70 boxes in parishioners homes which they visit quarterly to empty the boxes and distribute the Mill Hill Missionary Newsletter. Last year (2008) the amount raised in this parish was over £3500.00-one of the highest in the Diocese.

More collectors would enable even more money to be raised for the important work of the missions. If you would like to be a collector please contact Sheila Sharpe.

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ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY (SVP)

Broadly, the aims of the SVP are to give help to the needy or deprived. Originally the SVP was concerned with giving material help but "deprived" has developed to include spiritual deprivation, sickness, loneliness etc.

In practice, much of the work of the SVP in St Cuthbert’s Parish consists of visiting the elderly and sick, and increasingly, refugees and asylum seekers. The conference is also involved with taking elderly parishioners to Mass, with bail hostels in Newcastle, helping financially with two "twinned" conferences in Southern India and providing bursaries for two Indian students. Regular financial support is also given to the local St Nicholas Hospital Conference whose members visit hospital patients and organise outings for them, and to local and national charities.

The Conference subsists on donations from parishioners and at present money is not a problem. What is a problem is a decrease in the number of members and increase in the work to be undertaken. The work associated with refugee/asylum seekers within the parish is growing and members are aware that they are only scratching the surface of the needs of people within the parish boundaries.

Membership has declined over the years and at present there are only five full members plus a number of auxiliary members (who provide transport, catering etc.) The conference is keen to attract more full members, particularly younger people who could enable more of this worthwhile work to be undertaken.

If you are interested, please contact Dave Hudson or Tony Murray.