Churches November 2023

Special Service

Remembrance Sunday 12th November. 

There will be a service of Morning Prayer at 10am. This will be followed by Act of Remembrance at the flagpole on the Village Green - 10.45am for 11am. All are welcome to join us.

St Helen's Contact Details

During the Interregnum the Area Dean will be responsible for the Parish.

Rev. Chris Groocock   01670 813358

Website: www.achurchnearyou.com

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Thought for the Month - an Introduction

My brothers and sisters, I wish to introduce myself to you. It has been one month and one week since I came to Ashington and Longhorsley. I am glad to be here. Since I arrived here, I have received a warm welcome from the community around Longhorsley and Ashington. I thank God for another opportunity to serve in these two parishes.

I was born in Uganda. A Kakwa by tribe and in a place called Koboko in the West Nile region. I was born in a family of nine children. I am the second last born of the nine of us. My father and mother were both farmers at a small scale. Both of my parents have died. Two of my brothers have also died and one sister of mine died. At the moment we are six left. 

I grew up in a humble village called Lurunu and went to different schools due to wars. However, in 1989 I finished my primary school then I went to the prestigious St. Charles Lwanga College Koboko Secondary School for ordinary level classes; from form one to four. In 1994 I went to Moyo Senior Secondary School for Advanced level for two years. 

In August of 1996 I was admitted to the Spiritan Major seminary in Arusha in Tanzania. After I finished philosophy in 1999, I went to the Novitiate at Tanga in Tanzania. In 2000 I finished Novitiate, and was admitted for theology to Tangaza College, a constituent college of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. I did theology for four years to 2004. 

I was ordained a deacon in 2004, then six months later I was ordained a priest. In 2005 around September, I was asked to go for my first appointment to West Africa in the country of Sierra Leone. I worked there until 2009, when I was called back to Uganda to start a new mission in Hoima Catholic diocese in Western Uganda. I worked there for four years. I was then appointed a chaplain to the National Referral Hospital.

In May 2017 I was asked to come to England. I first worked in the London Westminster archdiocese until 2019, when I went to Scotland. I was unable to understand the fact that in England or working in London someone could go to work in Scotland. I asked if there was a need for me to have a separate visa for Scotland. However, I was told that you are in the United Kingdom. My stay in Scotland was at the peak of Covid, 2019 to 2021, living in coldness with the warmhearted people of Scotland. 

I came to North East England in 2021, to the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. I started my work here in the diocese at Washington and Penshaw at the parish of St. John XXIII. I am grateful to be in St. Aidan's and St. Thomas of Canterbury. I have been welcomed in different ways. I one time went to the church in Longhorsley, when I opened the door of the church I found a big basket full of farm produce. That took my mind back to the days I was at my parents and the whole family harvesting fresh farm produce. We have come to stay and I wish everyone God's blessing.

Yours, Ascensio Vincent Waiga CSSp

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For our other group meetings, please see the Group Activities sections.

Visitors are always very welcome to all our events.

Contact Ian Pagan 788263 idpagan@btinternet.com

Website: www.longhorsleymission.org.uk

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