St Elizabeth Hall Opened in Salisbury
06 November 2008
A big occasion for parishioners is Salisbury as Caroline Williams reports for cliftondiocese.com.
Having invited Bishop Declan to officially open and bless our newly restored St Elizabeth’s Hall, the decision to begin the evening with a celebration of Mass in St Osmund’s Church was the first step in the planning of what unfolded to be a spirit-filled and blessed occasion.
We had initially invited Bishop Declan to come on 3 October but he was not available until 31 October - this seemingly clashed with another event that the Pastoral Council were working on in conjunction with our primary school - a ‘Night of Light’ event to offer a fun and altogether ‘holier’ alternative to the usual Hallowe’en celebrations with their pagan overtones. But we decided to step out in faith and attempt to combine them all - little did we know how blessed that joining of school and parish events would be!
The liturgy booklet for the Mass in St Osmund’s Church with Bishop Declan bore the title ‘Light for the World, Salt for the Earth’ - the readings and music for the evening had been carefully chosen by the City Liturgy Committee (a joint committee of laity and clergy from the three Salisbury parishes and two outlying chapels) to focus the minds of all present on the duty and right, bestowed by our baptism to pray and live together as a beacon of light and of hope for our community.
Concelebrating with Bishop Declan were St Osmund’s Parish Priest and Dean of Salisbury Canon Michael Fitzpatrick, Canon Liam O’Driscoll of St John the Baptist, Trowbridge, Father Bernard Massey from St Peter’s, Gloucester and Father Andrew Goodman from St Gregory the Great and the English Martyrs, Salisbury. The music was wonderfully led by the recently formed St Osmund’s Children’s Choir and the crystal clear voices of these young singers - some just seven - rang out clearly with harmonies and descants over the top of a 200 strong congregation. Daisy & Noah (both aged 10) - sounded like angels as they led the congregation in the Psalm. The Mayor of Salisbury, Iris Evans commented that she found the liturgy prayerful and very moving and so it was. The Mass concluded with a candlelit procession that stretched the length of Exeter Street - a remarkable and clearly visible sign of Christian witness in our city.
Next stop - St Osmund’s School for the ‘Night of Light’. As the procession approached St Osmund’s School it was guided by a profusion of candlelight and sparkle and Bishop Declan beamed warmly at the assembled children specially dressed as Saints. They had spent the evening decorating the school grounds with light, enjoying a barbeque and joining a torch-lit treasure hunt. When the procession was in sight they all gathered together in the stage area and sang a hearty rendition of ‘This Little Light of Mine’ to the obvious joy of everyone gathered. Bishop Declan chatted with them and then gave them his blessing before moving on to St Elizabeth’s Hall. As the procession moved away, out came the sparklers ‘Bye Bishop Declan’ they called out!
Caroline Williams
A big occasion for parishioners is Salisbury as Caroline Williams reports for cliftondiocese.com.
Having invited Bishop Declan to officially open and bless our newly restored St Elizabeth’s Hall, the decision to begin the evening with a celebration of Mass in St Osmund’s Church was the first step in the planning of what unfolded to be a spirit-filled and blessed occasion.
We had initially invited Bishop Declan to come on 3 October but he was not available until 31 October - this seemingly clashed with another event that the Pastoral Council were working on in conjunction with our primary school - a ‘Night of Light’ event to offer a fun and altogether ‘holier’ alternative to the usual Hallowe’en celebrations with their pagan overtones. But we decided to step out in faith and attempt to combine them all - little did we know how blessed that joining of school and parish events would be!
The liturgy booklet for the Mass in St Osmund’s Church with Bishop Declan bore the title ‘Light for the World, Salt for the Earth’ - the readings and music for the evening had been carefully chosen by the City Liturgy Committee (a joint committee of laity and clergy from the three Salisbury parishes and two outlying chapels) to focus the minds of all present on the duty and right, bestowed by our baptism to pray and live together as a beacon of light and of hope for our community.
Concelebrating with Bishop Declan were St Osmund’s Parish Priest and Dean of Salisbury Canon Michael Fitzpatrick, Canon Liam O’Driscoll of St John the Baptist, Trowbridge, Father Bernard Massey from St Peter’s, Gloucester and Father Andrew Goodman from St Gregory the Great and the English Martyrs, Salisbury. The music was wonderfully led by the recently formed St Osmund’s Children’s Choir and the crystal clear voices of these young singers - some just seven - rang out clearly with harmonies and descants over the top of a 200 strong congregation. Daisy & Noah (both aged 10) - sounded like angels as they led the congregation in the Psalm. The Mayor of Salisbury, Iris Evans commented that she found the liturgy prayerful and very moving and so it was. The Mass concluded with a candlelit procession that stretched the length of Exeter Street - a remarkable and clearly visible sign of Christian witness in our city.
Next stop - St Osmund’s School for the ‘Night of Light’. As the procession approached St Osmund’s School it was guided by a profusion of candlelight and sparkle and Bishop Declan beamed warmly at the assembled children specially dressed as Saints. They had spent the evening decorating the school grounds with light, enjoying a barbeque and joining a torch-lit treasure hunt. When the procession was in sight they all gathered together in the stage area and sang a hearty rendition of ‘This Little Light of Mine’ to the obvious joy of everyone gathered. Bishop Declan chatted with them and then gave them his blessing before moving on to St Elizabeth’s Hall. As the procession moved away, out came the sparklers ‘Bye Bishop Declan’ they called out!
Caroline Williams
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