SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

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MaryR
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 3:45 pm

SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by MaryR »

The Society’s Annual Conference is almost upon us! This year, we have extended the conference slightly so as to be able to offer those attending a workshop on Saturday morning. The timetable is as follows:

Friday 9 November
6.00 pm Meet at the Cathedral for tour (given by Peter Harrison)
7.30 pm Dinner

Saturday 10 November
9.30 am Arrivals and tea/coffee
9.45 am Workshop ‘The Word of God in Advent’ (Fr Michael McAndrew)
11.00 am Music rehearsal for Mass
12.00 noon Lunch
1.00 pm Crichton Memorial Lecture: 'Making the most of the Missal: Challenges and Opportunities’ Mgr Andrew Wadsworth
2.00 pm Annual General Meeting
3.00 pm tea/coffee
3.30 pm Mass in the Cathedral
4.30 pm Departures

Accommodation
If you should like to come for both Friday and Saturday, I have information regarding accommodation in the area. Please email me.

Friday Evening
Our former Treasurer, Peter Harrison, has kindly offered to lead a tour of the Cathedral on Friday evening which promises to be very interesting. Dinner afterwards will be an informal affair at a local hostelry. It’s important I know who is coming so that I can book a table so please do let me know if you’re planning to be there on Friday.

Music
The Cathedral’s Director of Music, Richard Jeffrey-Gray will lead the music for our Mass. Richard is a long-time member of the Society and is looking forward to catching up with old friends. Some members of Richard’s choir will join us to sing, but anyone attending the conference is most welcome to join the music rehearsal for Mass.

Cost
There is no charge for the Conference, save for lunch on Saturday for which the cost will be £10.50 per person.

Booking
If you intend to come, please do book a place so that we can cater for you. Bookings can be made by email to mary.rouse@ssg.org.uk or by telephone: 07540 532785.

If you have any further queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I do hope that some of you will be able to attend for all or part of the conference. The event is open to non-members.
Mary
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SOP
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by SOP »

Looking forward to meeting up with members on the Friday evening, both for the tour and the meal afterwards. Hopefully some of them have also booked into Emmaus House for the night.

Different format this year so it will be interesting to see how it all works out.
JW
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by JW »

How did it go then?
JW
MaryR
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by MaryR »

Perhaps I’m not the right person to comment as one of the organisers, but the feedback I have had is very positive.

We had a wonderful tour of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St Paul. Clifton on Friday evening, led by Peter Harrison, former Treasurer of the Society. Peter was involved with the planning and design for the cathedral and his personal knowledge of the work, and even the workmen involved in the building of the cathedral brought the whole building to life for me; I saw it through new eyes. It is beautiful, and there was a purpose to every aspect of its design. The tour was followed by a convivial dinner at a local restaurant.

Saturday morning began with a workshop focusing on the Word of God in Advent, led by Fr Michael McAndrew. He was brilliant! We finished by looking at the Gospels for Advent, but there was oh so much more to it than that! You had to have been there. :)

The James Crichton Memorial Lecture was given by Mgr Andrew Wadsworth and he began by likening the experience to a survivor of the Johnstown flood who, when he eventually died, asked St Peter if he could tell everyone about his experience. St Peter agreed but, just as he was about to begin, informed the survivor that Noah was in the audience! Mgr Wadsworth admitted that he felt as though he was addressing a lot of Noahs! His talk was reasoned and balanced and generally well received. A transcript of it can be found on the Chant Café website here so you can decide for yourselves. He left a good bit of time for questions and discussion, which was mostly constructive. Mgr Wadsworth came across as very supportive of the Society and its aims.

At the Annual General Meeting, the proposed new constitution was voted in by a majority and, among other things, I stepped down as Secretary, an office I’ve held for the past six years.

Richard Jeffrey-Gray who is Music Director at Clifton was in the charge of the choir and led a music rehearsal for those who wanted to sing. Our Mass in the cathedral was a wonderful celebration (albeit a little chilly!) and a great way to end the Conference.
Mary
liturgyprof
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by liturgyprof »

The text of this year's Crichton Lecture is now also where it belongs: on our own website! http://www.ssg.org.uk/images/awads_web.pdf.

It includes Andrew Wadsworth's request that the members of the SSG respond to ICEL and their own bishop on the reception of the new edition and translation of the Missal.

In addition to comments you might wish to pass directly to ICEL (please send those to icel@eliturgy.org), or to your own bishop, you are warmly invited to share your thoughts with the Society also. Please share your thoughts with the
Society by sending them to allenmorris@rcdow.org.uk.
A selection of members’ responses will be published together with the Crichton
Lecture 2012 in the first issue of Music and Liturgy to be published in 2013, likely to be with members by the end of January/beginning of February.

Allen Morris
JW
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by JW »

He's changed his tune, hasn't he? Here is a report of an interview with Vatican Radio a year ago.

Monsignor Wadsworth says "it's the same mass but it will sound different." He explains that thousands of people around the world were involved in the consultations concerning the new translation and says "the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive" although he adds that "obviously everybody finds change slightly unnerving and at times difficult."


Sorry, but I fail to see how more responding to ICEL and our bishops on the new translation will get us anywhere. What have they done with the flood of responses they received when the translation was being prepared and introduced? I can't see them revising the translation for at least 20 years - too much loss of face involved. There is no point flogging a dead horse. Strange how they are starting to wake up now that we are hearing some really odd renderings of the missal prayers from celebrants.

Instead we need to get bishops and organisations like ICEL to a point where they are able to really engage with all the clergy and laity without fear of reprisals.
JW
BobHayes
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by BobHayes »

JW wrote:Instead we need to get bishops and organisations like ICEL to a point where they are able to really engage with all the clergy and laity without fear of reprisals.


'... without fear of reprisals'. Wow, have I missed something? :!:
Bob
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mcb
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by mcb »

BobHayes wrote:'... without fear of reprisals'. Wow, have I missed something? :!:

Well, how many consultors to ICEL were sacked for publicly voicing their disquiet at how the translation process was hijacked and subverted? One or two prominent names spring to mind.
JW
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by JW »

BobHayes wrote:
JW wrote:Instead we need to get bishops and organisations like ICEL to a point where they are able to really engage with all the clergy and laity without fear of reprisals.


'... without fear of reprisals'. Wow, have I missed something? :!:


Bishops, priests and deacons are expected to toe the line and are slapped down, or even sacked, if they don't.

I humbly submit, though am open to correction, that there is little point at present in informing the bishops or ICEL that the new translation should be improved, using proper standards of translation from the Latin, without interference by people who, although they may be as eminent as they come, their first language may not be English but could be any of a multiplicity of languages. See what I did there?

Is Mgr. Wadsworth now accepting there are issues with the translation, when he was part of the body that introduced it after "wide consultation"; or is he suggesting that problems are the fault of those at the Vatican who made alterations after ICEL produced its translation? This was the point I was trying to make.

As a layman I can speak out, only because I am quite prepared for my parish priest to say to me: "John, you're being too controversial. Cease and desist your comments or cease and desist your role in the church." As a layman, my living doesn't depend on what I do in the church and I have made no promises to uphold everything the church teaches, so I will continue to express my views on the new translation and other issues and debate them with those who disagree, in an attempt to eventually reach the truth.
JW
BobHayes
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Re: SSG Annual Conference - Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

Post by BobHayes »

Thanks for clarifying what was meant.
Bob
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