The diocese of Hexham & Newcastle continues to have links with the Holy City of Caravaca de la Cruz in Spain. During August, Maria Natividad Roman Garcia and Rosa Antonia Lopez Ciudad, two girls from Caravaca, attended the language school International House based in Stowell Street, Newcastle for a week’s long intensive course in English.
Rosa is a guide at the museum within the Basilica/Sanctuary of the True Cross in Caravaca. One of the reasons she is learning English is to assist her in explaining the story of Caravaca and the True Cross to the increasing numbers of English speaking visitors to Caravaca.
Rosa and Maria’s trip to the North East was arranged by Cruz Tours Ltd. the company that arranges pilgrimages to the Holy City of Caravaca de la Cruz and which is run by former Hexham & Newcastle parishioners Teresa and Tony Higgins.
Tony said “Rosa and Maria loved the time they spent in the North East, they commented especially on the friendliness of the people and the quality of the tuition that they received at International House”
During their visit Tony arranged for Rosa, Maria and a group of other Spanish students who were also learning English at International House to have a guided tour of Durham Cathedral. All the Spanish students were in agreement that Durham is a beautiful city and that the cathedral is a spectacular building. Tony commented that Cruz Tours have future plans to bring more Spanish people to the North East “ Not only do we want to make people in the UK aware of Caravaca we want to make Spanish people aware of the historical significance and Christian heritage within the Hexham & Newcastle Diocese. We are planning to bring a Spanish pilgrimage to the North East in the summer of 2009.”
As well as arranging for Spanish people to visit Newcastle to learn English Cruz Tours are also arranging for English speakers to visit Caravaca to learn Spanish. As part of this venture, whilst in Newcastle, Rosa and Maria also assisted Tony in the first meeting of a Spanish Language Meet up Group. This meeting was held in the Tyneside Irish Centre and was attended by 25 people in total. “The purpose of the group is to help people who are learning Spanish practice with other Spanish speakers in a friendly and social environment.” Commented Tony. The next meeting is scheduled for the Tyneside Irish Centre on Tuesday 9th September at 7:30pm anyone interested can contact Tony on telephone number 08701 417 167 or email cruztours@yahoo.co.uk
The group also has a web blog http://spanish.meetup.com/963
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