Search found 217 matches

by FrGareth
Sun Oct 16, 2022 8:15 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Olives or Palms?
Replies: 5
Views: 25823

Olives or Palms?

As I was preparing next year’s Ordo for the Wales yearbook, some words jumped out at me which I must have copy-pasted there some years earlier… ASH WEDNESDAY: The ashes are of branches of the olive tree or, according to custom, of the palm tree or other trees, which have been blessed the previous ye...
by FrGareth
Sun Oct 16, 2022 7:48 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Cardiff & Menevia - Two Dioceses, one Bishop
Replies: 2
Views: 10184

Re: Cardiff & Menevia - Two Dioceses, one Bishop

Well, in the end +Mark did have two installations - in Cardiff on 20 June and in Swansea (the cathedral city of Catholic Menevia) three days later. As a Cardiff priest, to me he is Archbishop Mark, the Archbishop of Cardiff. I am not sure what circumlocations my Menevia confreres will use in practic...
by FrGareth
Tue Apr 14, 2020 10:09 pm
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Live-streamed liturgy: what about music?
Replies: 31
Views: 36816

Re: Live-streamed liturgy: what about music?

I am now a member of Sion Community and am locked in with 9 other community members in our house in Coventry. The community includes 3 guitarists,1 keyboard player and a cahon enthusiast! We have a 10-channel mixing desk connected to our streaming computer via a Komplete-1 Audio-to-USB interface. Th...
by FrGareth
Sun Apr 12, 2020 5:17 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Bidding Prayers and You
Replies: 1
Views: 4312

Bidding Prayers and You

For as long as I’ve been involved with planning liturgies, pre- and post-ordination, I’ve had many weary conversations in schools and parishes about how not to write bidding prayers, explaining time and again that they are meant to be invitations to the people present to pray, not direct supplicatio...
by FrGareth
Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:23 pm
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Liturgical Tourism
Replies: 220
Views: 478024

Re: Liturgical Tourism

Last Saturday I was at the Catholic Cathedral in Armagh for their Vigil Mass. Their choir doesn't operate during July and August so the musical leadership consisted of the presiding priest and a pre-recorded track at communion. From memory, Mass unfolded like this: Entrance: one verse of a rather ma...
by FrGareth
Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:04 pm
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Liturgical Tourism
Replies: 220
Views: 478024

Re: Liturgical Tourism

I am currently on holiday in Ireland. Yesterday (18th Sunday B) I climbed the mountain of Croagh Patrick, where there is a small oratory at the top. Mass hadn't been scheduled publicly (and I couldn't have predicted how long it would take me to haul my ample frame 764 m above sea level) but having m...
by FrGareth
Wed Jun 06, 2018 12:37 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Mary, Mother of the Church
Replies: 9
Views: 10205

Re: Mary, Mother of the Church

Is anyone else marking the new feast of Mary, Mother of the Church on 21 May? We've been asked to host a Mass for our pastoral area. But I just can't get my head round the suggested psalm: 86 with the refrain "Of you are told glorious things, O city of God" – and I'm not sure how it follo...
by FrGareth
Thu Apr 19, 2018 11:11 pm
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: 'Cursed' Cross
Replies: 3
Views: 5467

Re: 'Cursed' Cross

Christ became a curse for us, according to Galatians 3:13... and any gallows tree was intrinsically cursed. I think it's fair. All our curses were hung upon that Cross. So it's the most cursed Cross I could ever contemplate! But I've got no problem venerating a cursed Cross, since every time I recei...
by FrGareth
Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:11 pm
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: The Best Narthex in Christendom
Replies: 10
Views: 10351

The Best Narthex in Christendom

On the grounds that a Narthex is a liturgical space, I hope this isn’t off-topic… We are looking to re-design our church's narthex. How do we minimise clutter, while allowing it to be a community space? Do you know any really good examples of churches that deal with all the “stuff” we are sent to gi...
by FrGareth
Thu Jul 14, 2016 11:31 pm
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: How accessible is your church?
Replies: 16
Views: 32807

Re: How accessible is your church?

The key concept with "reasonable adjustments" is what is reasonable. At seminary, we were taught that one of the relevant criteria is how the cost of making disabled adaptations compares to the funds available for maintenance and actually spent on maintenance. If a church has not enough mo...
by FrGareth
Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:43 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Order of Celebrating Matrimony
Replies: 3
Views: 4438

Order of Celebrating Matrimony

I've just received my new copy of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony . It doesn't include the Eucharistic Prayers so has to be used together with an altar missal - though it does have the embolisms for EP1, 2 and 3 so you can have the embolism alongside the Missal rather than an awkward page turn th...
by FrGareth
Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:50 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: The Holy Year of Mercy - are we doing anything?
Replies: 17
Views: 16440

Re: The Holy Year of Mercy - are we doing anything?

As Diocesan Director of Evangelisation, I am beginning to think about non-sacramental liturgies which could be celebrated in Holy Door churches in such a way that they would be meaningful to non-Catholics and those Catholics unready to avail of confession. If anyone has useful resources, please save...
by FrGareth
Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:47 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Remembrance Prayers
Replies: 0
Views: 11434

Remembrance Prayers

Resource that might be useful for this Sunday or 11th November: Since 1968, a Service for Remembrance Sunday has been commended for general use by the Archbishops of Canterbury, of York, and of Wales, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and the Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council. This ...
by FrGareth
Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:45 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: The Preparation of the Gifts is not usually an appropriate p
Replies: 31
Views: 22346

Re: The Preparation of the Gifts is not usually an appropria

I'm coming late to this discussion, but I note the national guidance ranks a hymn or music at this point as "priority 3" on a par with singing Kyrie Eleison, Agnus Dei or a recessional! http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/Music/Singing.shtml
by FrGareth
Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:45 am
Forum: Liturgy Matters
Topic: Proclaim 15
Replies: 8
Views: 7850

Re: Proclaim 15

I am the Proclaim'15 co-ordinator for my diocese. Each co-ordinator was given the invidious task of selecting 35 individuals from their diocese to attend this limited-seats event in Birmingham. Since we are a small diocese, I wrote to all Parish Priests asking them to recommend delegates, as well as...