Of your charity, please pray for Abbot Alan, monk of Belmont Abbey Hereford and member of this Society. Alan died on Saturday October 1st.
Alan had been particularly kind and helpful to me and to our parish of Our Lady and Saint Michael, Abergavenny. His contribution to liturgical church music is substantial.
May he rest in peace.
Abbot Alan Rees R.I.P.
Moderators: Dom Perignon, Casimir
Sad news. He was a calm and thoughtful and prayerful man. I have a fond memory of seeing him boogying in the Gospel Choir at last year's Summer School; I believe that may have been a new experience for him. I asked him at the time whether he'd ever clapped on the off-beat before, because that too seemed to be a new and unfamiliar activity. 
He took it serenely!
M.
He took it serenely!
M.
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excathedra
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Merseysider
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I didn't know Alan Rees, but my parish's previous organist (whose untimely death catapulted me into the job) was an oblate at Belmont, and was close to him. We therefore have used a lot of his music in our parish.
We'll put on one of his masses this Sunday: either the Paschal Mass or the (elsewhere) little know St Begh Mass, and look for a suitable antiphon.
We'll put on one of his masses this Sunday: either the Paschal Mass or the (elsewhere) little know St Begh Mass, and look for a suitable antiphon.
It's not a generation gap, it's a taste gap.
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excathedra
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Abbot Alan's funeral at Belmont Abbey yesterday was a very moving and finely-judged occasion. The abbey church was filled to capacity with friends, parishioners, religious, abbots, bishops, and at least one archbishop. The present abbot of Belmont spoke movingly, openly and at length about Alan's life. The readings were all ones that were dear to him: Joshua 1:6-9, Psalm 26 (to his own music), 2 Corinthians 4:5-15 (especially poignant in the circumstances) and Luke 10:38-42. The Requiem Mass was framed by two quintessentially Welsh tunes, 'Love divine' (to Blaenwern) and 'Guide me, O thou great Redeemer', which were sung as fervently as was the intervening chant sung so sensitively by all present. If the joy of the Resurrection was slightly muted by our sadness, it was nonetheless the dominant note of this celebration.
Like the man himself, the occasion was inclusive and hospitable. All present processed outside to the grave, close by the wall of the abbey church, and the presider was careful to wait until all had taken their places before continuing and committing Alan's body to the ground. When all was completed, the large congregation was invited into Hedley House for refreshments.
Everyone I spoke with agreed that this had been a very fitting and well-ordered occasion. I fully expect that a fuller account of it will appear in Music & Liturgy before long.
The back cover of the well-produced service book carried a lovely photograph of Abbot Alan in full abbatial fig, along with the verse from 2 Corinthians 4:7 that he had chosen for his ordination card:
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us."
Like the man himself, the occasion was inclusive and hospitable. All present processed outside to the grave, close by the wall of the abbey church, and the presider was careful to wait until all had taken their places before continuing and committing Alan's body to the ground. When all was completed, the large congregation was invited into Hedley House for refreshments.
Everyone I spoke with agreed that this had been a very fitting and well-ordered occasion. I fully expect that a fuller account of it will appear in Music & Liturgy before long.
The back cover of the well-produced service book carried a lovely photograph of Abbot Alan in full abbatial fig, along with the verse from 2 Corinthians 4:7 that he had chosen for his ordination card:
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us."
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organist
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It was a truly memorable occasion and we were fortunate indeed to be able to join Tony Hemson's choir for the occasion which made it even more special. Alan would have loved seeing everyone there and we enjoyed that part of it too. The Society was well represented. We went on to evensong at Hereford Cathedral and were pleased to see a tribute to Alan in the newsletter of the cathedral.
He will be much missed but it's a nice thought that he will be there to greet us when we visit the Abbey - just near the entrance and his music will live on. Gwyn I wish I knew who you were - we could have met. Peter Harrison was also there but I don't think I have met him. I did meet Alan Smith, Kevin Mayhew, Paul Inwood, Philip Duffy, Fr Mark Hartley, the Abbot of Worth, the Archbishop of Southwark, Bishop Stack, the superior of New Hall (no longer there), Sr Cecilia, Frances and Jennifer, etc, etc. What a wonderful assembly. See The Tablet this week for Abbot Paul's moving obituary.
He will be much missed but it's a nice thought that he will be there to greet us when we visit the Abbey - just near the entrance and his music will live on. Gwyn I wish I knew who you were - we could have met. Peter Harrison was also there but I don't think I have met him. I did meet Alan Smith, Kevin Mayhew, Paul Inwood, Philip Duffy, Fr Mark Hartley, the Abbot of Worth, the Archbishop of Southwark, Bishop Stack, the superior of New Hall (no longer there), Sr Cecilia, Frances and Jennifer, etc, etc. What a wonderful assembly. See The Tablet this week for Abbot Paul's moving obituary.
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Gwyn
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Did he (Alan) ever tell you that joke about the two housewives chatting over the garden fence? It runs something along these lines. . .
"Hello Doris. How are you today?"
"Well, Mildred, I'm all about. My Bert went down the garden this morning to pull a cabbage for us to have with our dinner, he got to the cabbage patch and dropped down stone dead."
"Good God, Doris. How awful. What did you do?"
"Well, I did what anyone would have done. I opened a tin of peas."
Priceless.
"Hello Doris. How are you today?"
"Well, Mildred, I'm all about. My Bert went down the garden this morning to pull a cabbage for us to have with our dinner, he got to the cabbage patch and dropped down stone dead."
"Good God, Doris. How awful. What did you do?"
"Well, I did what anyone would have done. I opened a tin of peas."
Priceless.
