This quarter started with a particularly busy time, Christmas. Between December 22 and January 7 our servers and singers managed a Sung Mass on all but 3 days. Once again David Guest’s excellent professional choir sang the Mozart Mass at Midnight giving our own Schola a break between singing the Vigil Mass at 12.30pm, and the Day Mass of Christmas. Once again, we must thank Fr Southwell for spending his Christmas break with us. We also thank Fr Diaz who now lives locally. We celebrated the Blessing of Epiphany Water after our usual Saturday Sung Mass on the Vigil of the Epiphany, with the chalk being blessed after our Sung Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany. This year Candlemas fell on a Saturday so we were able to have a full Sung Mass and procession.
Over this quarter our Choir has sung polyphonic Propers by Palestrina (Offertory) and Issac (Introit, Alleluia, and Communion) on the 3rd and 5th Sundays after Pentecost. On the 2nd Sunday of Lent they sang the Byrd three-part Mass with the rarely heard Credo, as well as his setting of the Emmendemus in Melium and Ave Verum. This year thanks to our new parish Priest, Fr Holden, we have also started up a monthly special Sunday with shared lunch, talks for adults and catechism for children, ending with Rosary and Benediction. We also now have catechism preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation meeting twice a month after the Sunday Mass. Our Chapter of the Guild of St Clare, continues to repair our vestments meeting on the 3rd Saturday of the month. As part of this day we have added servers practice, and children’s choir practice, as well as run a crèche for smaller children and babies. Our Community continues to grow with so far five new babies being baptised this year, with another three mothers expecting!