Music for Mass blog

Read Kate’s latest about advent for The Tablet – Carolling gaily before the carols start

We’ve just had St Cecilia’s feast day and the week after, St Catherine’s, and I’m very glad to see these two significant ladies weighing in, as I need all the help I can get at the moment.

We’re coming to the end of the Church’s year, which means Advent is just around the corner. And planning the Advent music is quite stressful.

For one thing, it’s an incredibly busy time anyway, with school events, church events, family events and so many expectations to manage. Christmas comes at the same time every year, but I never seem to have started thinking about it early enough, and there’s always something unexpected happening to throw a spanner in the works. So I resolve not to worry about anything specifically Christmassy until I have sorted out the Advent music.

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Read Kate’s latest for The Tablet – Succession planning . Who will be helping in your parish in ten years time?

We’ve just had our Parish AGM, which is actually called something slightly different, but it’s the open evening when the parish gets together to discuss the annual report.

Every group in the parish is tasked with filling in the answers to an extensive questionnaire about what we have been doing all year and what our plans are. We are encouraged to be discursive, and address also any issues which we feel are material. The final document is seventy or so pages long, and available to everyone on line, with a hard copy for anyone who can’t access the digital version.

It’s always an eye-opener, because much more goes on in the parish than most of us are aware, and there’s enough detail given so that if you want to read between the lines, you can. People are honest and direct in their accounts, and there are various encouraging bits of information. We aren’t yet back up to pre-Covid levels of attendance, but the trend is definitely upward. Some excellent work is being done very quietly, and there is a lot of variety in what’s on offer. The report covers the financial aspects, but the emphasis is more on the pastoral, care within the community, and outreach and evangelisation.

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