THE P RTAL


May 2012 Where “North” Begins!


Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane head north to visit the Darlington Ordinariate group


TRAVELLING FROM the South, it is said that Darlington is where road signs stop saying “To the North”. With the exception of Scotland, it about as far “north” as the Ordinariate gets. Famous for Railways,


engineering and the Northern Echo, Darlington stands on the river Skerne close to the Tees, with a population close to 100,000 people.


On the Monday of Holy Week


(2nd April 2012), THE PORTAL was at saint Anne’s Darlington to support the Ordinariate Group there in its reception into the Catholic Church.


Barry Taylor, a


retired engineer has no regrets at joining the Ordinariate


and said


the group from Saint James Darlington, now worshipping


at Saint After Mass with the Darlington group


Anne’s Catholic Church on the edge of the town, had been welcomed extremely warmly. “I cannot stress how warmly” he emphasised.


Te Group has some trustees


who care for the money, of whom the Treasurer is one. Tis has been their


interim arrangement. No


doubt they will transfer funds to the normal Ordinariate Account now they have joined the Catholic Church. Most members Giſt Aid their contributions and Barry thinks the Group can afford to keep itself and their priest Fr Ian Grieves.


Barry Taylor


and Blackpool are the nearest!). We have been made very welcome by the Diocese, and can manage.”


Rory Tompson, a retired


University Lecturer and a current voice coach expressed “great sadness that we had to leave out spiritual home. I was a Cathedral Chorister at Carlisle and am very much a Cathedral person. I married a Catholic and my children were Baptised in the Catholic Church. In the end it was an easy decision to accept the Hoy, Father’s extremely generous offer, that we are not losing anything, but gaining a great deal.”


“Te local Catholics


have welcomed us very warmly. It has been friendly and easy. Not in any way awkward. Just like visiting old friends.”


“Many of us travel some distance


to get to Saint Anne’s, but we did before. I travel a round trip of about twelve miles and some to as much as thirty to forty miles. We even have people from Bradford!”


“I am a Trustee of the Darlington Nicola Reeves “I think we shall grow”, he said; “not only from former


Anglicans and members of Saint Anne’s congregation, but also as we make inroads into the local population.”


“I do not think our distance from the other Ordinariate Groups is a problem (Sheffield, Manchester


Ordinariate Group – a charity – we will provide a stipend for Fr


Grieves and promote the Catholic Faith in this Area.” “We need to keep growing. Our continual


evangelising is through socialising. We are great ones for socialising. Everyone is encouraged to bring another! We also attract people through our music.”


“Most of the other groups in the north are small in


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