Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle

Charity Details

History and Activities

The Roman Catholic Church is one of the oldest, possibly the oldest institution in Northumberland. Introduced to Britain by the Romans, Catholicism in the North East has had profound influences on the church in England as a whole on a number of occasions from Bede’s writings (672-735), the Lindisfarne Gospels (715-720) and the Synod of Whitby (664). Indeed, Lindisfarne and Saint Cuthbert are internationally recognised as both a place and person of great historical significance to the Roman Church.

An official history of the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle was produced by Reverend David Milburn in 2004 and begins with an exploration of the Catholic Church in 1500. At this time England was experiencing a major religious restructuring as the reformation and subsequent Dissolution of the Monasteries imposed by Henry VIII tore the country away from papal authority and exposed deep social and political divides. It took until the mid-19^thcentury for some semblance of religious freedom but the rights of nonconformist and nondenominational families were still heavily restricted. By the end of that century, the Catholic population in Northumberland had grown and prospered, however (thanks in part to the influx of Irish migrants) to openly re-establish and establish a strong network of Catholic churches, schools and organisations.

Today the Diocese continues to support local communities and mission work in developing countries where poverty is perhaps most acute, in 2017 they spent £169,000 on this type of work. The remainder of their expenditure supports the pastoral work in the community, undertaken principally by volunteers. These volunteers perform a wide variety of functions, from supporting homeless people to caring for the elderly. There is also a department for youth services whose aim is to create the next generation of active and committed Catholics. This department is a subsidiary but is also a separate charity. It is supported with an annual £100,000 diocesan grant.

The charity’s income is derived mainly from donations and legacies (£8,108,000), with a smaller amount of £1,666,000 coming from their investment income which was valued at £43,019,000. The charity reported fixed assets of £73,139,000 in 2017, including tangible assets of £30,120,000. 

Vital Statistics (year to 31/02/2017)

Website

http://www.rcdhn.org.uk/index.php

References