Newsletter – 10 March 2024
PARISH NEWS
Music matters
It has been my great privilege to be the Parish Co-Ordinator for some time now.
I love the old proverb – “One who sings, prays twice”. Music and singing are an essential part of our Liturgy here at Christ the King. We try to include a variety of styles at the 11am Mass each week. Sometimes the hymns are more traditional, accompanied by the organ. Other weeks include songs we have been singing for the last 50 years and also some more contemporary music. It gives me great joy when after Communion, we sing a moving, reflective hymn. For me, there is a real sense of prayer, togetherness and community in the Church at that moment.
We are very blessed with many gifted and talented musicians and singers in our Parish. Did you know that most of the parts of the Mass that we sing were written by Parishioners?
However, we are always looking for people to join any of our Groups. In our busy worlds, we try to keep the commitment to the minimum and usually set up and rehearse in the Church for one hour before Mass starts. If you are an enthusiastic singer but do not have time to make a regular commitment, please let me know, because you can be part of our occasional “Pop-Up Choir”.
At the moment, the music is arranged on a monthly basis as follows:
1st Sunday 11am Organ - Occasional Pop-Up Choir Caroline Haines
1st Sunday 5.30pm Sunday Evening Mass Caterina Schifano
2nd Sunday 11am Group Jeannette Ballantyne
3rd Sunday 11am Family Mass (Young musicians and singers) Caroline Haines
4th Sunday 11am Group Jeannette Ballantyne
At Easter, as usual, Music will be a big part of our Services, as detailed overleaf.
If you are interested in joining one of the Groups each month, or just for Easter, please give your details to the relevant Co-Ordinator, or to Suzanne in the Parish Office and she will pass your information to us.
If you do not want to join one of our groups then you still have an important role to play. The music is there to lead the Congregation and is not a performance. It should help you to achieve a fuller, active and conscious participation in the Service. As music leaders, we find most joy in hearing an involved and participating Congregation.
I’d like to end with a prayer that I heard on Songs of Praise recently:
Heavenly Father
Thank you for the gift of music and the power of song;
For the way words and melody can express the wonderful mysteries of our faith.
Bring us all together and send our spirits soaring.
Let us join together to send our spirits soaring as we sing our way through Lent and
Holy Week to Easter.
Caroline Haines
Parish Music Co-Ordinator
Focus of the Week
ROCK THE MUSICAL
Sunday 24 March at 7.30pm
No tickets required, donations welcome towards pastoral activities of the parish.