Easter Round Up

25 March 2008

Images, music and news from around the Clifton Diocese have been sent into cliftondiocese.com, illustrating the celebrations that have taken place during Easter.

Chris Davies reports from Corpus Christi in Weston-super-Mare where young people played an important part of the parish’s Easter celebrations. 

The parish held its, now customary, celebration of the Passover with a meal.  Prayers and hymns accompanied by music made it an evocative and spiritually uplifting occasion.  It was even more memorable this year as the leader of the evening was 15 year old Matthew Munday (see our picture gallery on the right) who showed a maturity way beyond his years.  Chris Davies told cliftondiocese.com, “What better way of celebrating the start of the solemn Easter season as well as marking the springtime of new life in our church.”
 
Still in Weston, the Way of the Cross on Good Friday morning was performed by the children of the parish.  They carried the cross in procession through the church and grounds before re-enacting the crucifixion on the altar steps.  Chris Davies said, “The church was well filled and all present found it a moving enactment of Christ's trial, journey to Calvary and his crucifixion.  Afterwards most of those present went into the church hall for a Good Friday meal of soup bread and cheese prepared by the young people to raise funds for CAFOD.”

Meanwhile, further south - in Wellington - it was again young people playing a leading role.  Parish Priest Father Bob Rainbow emailed in the news.

Members of St John Fisher Church’s junior youth group ‘KingFishers’, (aged from eight to 4) drew praise from other parishioners when they set up an ‘Easter garden’ for Holy Week.

The creation illustrated the journey of Jesus from the meal with his disciples, through crucifixion, to the stone-covered tomb. Through Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, the display’s focus moved from the plaque, past the crosses to the ‘tomb.’  On Easter Sunday the stone was removed to reveal the empty grave-clothes of the risen Jesus.

Father Bob told cliftondiocese.com, “One should never underestimate what young people are capable of doing- even with a little adult help!”

‘KingFishers’ attracts up to a dozen of the church’s young people to its varied activities after Mass on the third Sunday of each month.  Their ‘Easter garden’ is expected to remain in place before the church’s altar to inspire visitors during the Easter season.

Into Gloucestershire and parishioner Andrew Gibbons captured striking images of the Easter Vigil fire at his parish of St Joseph in Stonehouse.  Andrew told cliftondiocese.com that parishioners have marked Easter in this way for the past 15 years, and as you can see in the picture gallery on the right, the Stonehouse fire burned bright.  

From the Cathedral we have some music for you.  In the multimedia panel on the right you can listen to and download ‘When I Survey’.  This wonderful singing is taken from the Cathedral’s Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday which was celebrated by Bishop Declan.  It is arranged by Chris Walker and Clifton Diocese Director of Music Richard Jeffrey-Gray.

In case, you've missed it we also inlcude Bishop Declan reading his Easter message in the multimedia panel on the right and there's details of how the Holy Father marked Easter in our report from Easter Sunday. 

Looking back we brought you pictures of Palm Sunday from Gloucester,  Salisbury and other places around our diocese.  Audio and pictures from the Chrism Mass were published last week.  We received so many pcitures we have two further galleries including one sent in by Pamela Perry, a Salisbury parishioner.

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