As the people of God in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle we are called, to live the Christian life to the full, to build up the Church, the Body of Christ, to realize the Kingdom of God in society, and to work for Christian unity in a divided world.
This task depends on a strong faith, a faith in a loving God revealed in his Son Jesus Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
We, the people of God are a 'pilgrim people', moving forward in time and space towards the kingdom. The Church is a 'pilgrim church', living out the human condition of change.
The diocese is a section of the world wide web of the universal Church, and the parish is a cell of the web of the diocese. Only when they are connected up can the parishes come alive and be living communities.
A parish becomes a Christian community when all the baptized, priests and people live and work together, worship and pray together and witness and be of service to the local community together.
The interior life of the parishes of the diocese is sustained by the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church. This is the 'source and fount' of the Christian life. Everyone, priests and people, young and old must take part, must be involved and come to know better the mysteries of life, of faith, of God himself. Personal prayer underpins the whole liturgical life of the community; private prayer and liturgical prayer depend on each other.
The Church, the diocese, the parish are called to be the 'salt of the earth',' the light of the world', 'the leaven'. This can only be realized by, a strong and deep faith, an informed faith, an intelligent and adult faith.
In today's world, adult Christian education is absolutely necessary. This education is for 'mission', for the bringing of the Gospel of the crucified and risen Lord to all people everywhere. This is the challenge to us all.