With the lockdown and having to celebrate Mass on line in empty churches, our well established Altar Servers Group and Parish Music Group, along with our Readers and Eucharistic Ministers all were put on hold
St John Paul II, on his visit to the Uk in 1982 said that “ in the church it is important to pray, but it is doubly important to sing”. We thank God for our Music groups and for their commitment
by Deacon Michael Kennedy
With the lockdown and having to celebrate Mass on line in empty churches, our well established Altar Servers Group and Parish Music Group, along with our Readers and Eucharistic Ministers all were put on hold.
When the Churches re-opened we were still having to restrict numbers and follow guidance concerning the celebration of Mass and so many of our ministries were unable to begin as they would have wished.
We are pleased that slowly, our Altar Servers Group have been returning and are so grateful to them for once again helping to enhance our parish liturgy. With their numbers returning we have also been able to re-introduce some of the Solemnity, that accompanies the Liturgy.
Our Parish Readers have also now returned and are once again enhancing our Liturgy by their proclamation of the Word of God. In addition, this has also been a time for new readers to join the group and we are delighted to welcome some young readers to the reader’s team.
One of the Casualties has been Music and the restrictions on Singing and playing of instruments.
However we are delighted that at last, even though we all have to wear face coverings to join in, our Music group has now began to reform again and lead us in music at 9.30am and 11.30am Mass. And once again we are delighted to welcome some new members to the group, to join the existing group.
St John Paul II, on his visit to the Uk in 1982 said that “ in the church it is important to pray, but it is doubly important to sing”. We thank God for our Music groups and for their commitment.
We are also pleased to be able to allow our Collectors to resume their important role in gathering the offertory collection at each Mass.
We are hoping to re-introduce our Extra-ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, an offertory Procession group to enable the gifts of Bread and Wine to be brought to the Altar and our Childrens Liturgy Group in the new year.
We have much to be grateful for- and to celebrate that, slowly, little by little, our Church and our Worship is beginning to return to normality again.
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