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The John Paul Centre
" Where Strangers Become Friends "

I help on the Coffee Bar and have designed a poster and information leaflet about the centre and its activities. The Order of Redemptorists manage the centre for the Roman Catholic Diocese with the help of forty volunteer helpers, their aim is to create a home from home in town for the use of " Every Person Irrespective of Sex, Color, Race or Creed ". Also based here are other orgonisations which include Teesside Special Friends, Marriage Care, Ascent, C.A.U.S.E., Middlesbrough Mind, Refugee Service. As well as the coffee bar the centre has a book/card, piety shop, and has conference facilities for medium sized events. Children are welcome with the rest of the family, there is a Chapel open Monday to Saturday with Mass at 12.10 pm for all denominations. Other regular religious meetings/events include Signed Mass for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Medjugoje Evening and the Legion of Mary.

Maria of the Lord

Maria gratia plena, maria dominus tecum,
Maria ora pro nobis, Maria of the Lord, Maria of the Lord.

Gentle child receive the word and do not be afraid.
you shall bear the Son of god, rejoice the lord is with you.

Mighty god and Prince of Peace, the child you are to hold;
from the stable comes the king rejoice Mother of God.

And a sword shall pierce your heart, your love upon a tree.
but new joy shall blind your eyes, rejoice the Risen Lord to see.

Leam MacKeown 1992

Saint Patrick's, R.C. Church

I help on the Social Committee organising various events such as a BBQ night, I am also one of three Master of Ceremony's. I got involved with this through my son Marcillino, who was going through his First Holy Communion Classes. He became a Server at St. Pat's, through taking him to practices I was asked to help out by the priest there, Fr. Derek Turnham, you can never say No to a Priest! I have designed, with a friend, a brochure for the church for a flower festival, (Cannon Park Now & Then). Where the church is situated there once was a thriving community, now it stands in the middle of an industrial complex. There where displays from M@RC and the 5 Parks Partnership, showing what is going on in the area. Memorabilia and photographs from days gone by and flowers filled the body of the Church. The event was a great success, the organising group though thought it wouldn't go well because there was, not a lot of take up on ticket sales for the Police Band playing on the first evening. In the end £1600 was made, Farther Derek said it was the most that a group of people that he was involved with had made over a weekend. We are at the planning stage for our Centenary year in the year 2001. I am hoping we can have it over three days this time with a concert each evening with different styles of music - brass, jazz and classical evenings. I think this would go down quite well.