A SACRED icon is to begin a national tour in the North-East this weekend.
The picture - Our Lady Star of the Sea - will be touring Catholic churches in the North-East from April 22 to May 25 to encourage people to offer prayers for seafarers, and also to raise awareness of the work of the Apostleship of the Sea.
The icon - created by Dr Stphane Ren - will be taken around the region by volunteers.
The tour of the region will start with a Mass led by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, Kevin Dunn, at 6.30pm tomorrow at Our Lady and St Cuthbert's Church, in Berwick.
Afterwards, the icon will visit Catholic communities in Blyth, Whitley Bay, Gateshead, South Shields, Sunderland, Seaham, Hartlepool, Billingham and Middlesbrough before moving south.
Bishop Dunn said: "It's an honour to be associated with such a beautiful painting, and to promote the good work of the Apostleship of the Sea.
"The North-East has traditionally been a seafaring region, and it's important that we maintain our spirit of hospitality to seafaring visitors when they are so far from home."
The icon shows the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a child, with a ship on the sea behind.
Four fish symbolising the Gospels appear at her feet and above her head is Sirius, the chief star used in navigation.
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