Barney Life No. 36

After weeks of preparation, today (Saturday, June 25th) has been First Holy Communion Day for fourteen of our children. Our preparation for the Sacraments of Confession and Communion began on the first Saturday of Lent and continued each Saturday, except at Easter, until today.   The children came to church for nine o'clock and were given half an hour's instruction by my catechist, Mrs Goldberg, and myself.  Their parents have been wonderfully supportive, bringing the children along on time each day.
This morning the church was crowded with families and friends of the children for the Mass which began at 10 am; the Mass was a Votive Mass of Corpus Christi, with the readings from Cycle C.  Before Mass the children processed into church to take their places in the front benches, the girls dressed like little brides and the boys like  pageboys. During the very short sermon, I told them that they were taking a big step forward in the best faith in the whole world, and asked them to be very quiet and still after they had received Holy Communion to tell Jesus that they loved Him and thanked Him.  They all took part in the Offertory Procession, and at the moment of Holy Communion they all received the Body of Christ with the utmost reverence. At the end of Mass, certificates were presented and photographs taken.

Outside, on the lawn and under the tent, a great feast had been prepared for our children, and tea and chat was the order of the day for the adults.  Everyone agreed that it had been a wonderful occasion - even the weather, which had been very drear up to this point, dried up and cheered up!
And there is more to come tomorrow! Here are a few photos of the event.

The Gathering

Coming into Church

After Mass - photo getting organised

This is us!

Us again!

Small group

There can never be too many photos!

The Communion breakfast

And from the other end!

The sun is a bit bright!

The Bun Fight

All swinging together

Barney Life No. 35

Friday evening, June10th
I have a choice: the television; an invitation to the Bowes Museum for a preview, as a Friend of the Museum, of a new prestigious exhibition about Vivienne Westwood Shoes 1973-2011; or an invitation to Barnard Castle School Choral Society's Summer Concert.
The TV is ordinary; I am not into shoes (except the pair on my feet).  So I choose the third option.

The School is a fine building and has a good reputation, with a student body including many from the Far East (the Prep School is next door).  The School, besides producing clever people, is known for its prowess on the rugby field, and for producing fine choirs and musicians.  The student choir is best known for its Christmas  Carol Concert in the Bowes Museum each December.  But the School also hosts an adult choir made up of men and women from the locality, with the conductor and organist being teachers at the School.
Friday's Concert was held in the College Chapel.

The choir was formed about fifteen years ago, and has a strong reputation in the county and beyond. One of the highlights of this year's performances was Bach's St Matthew's Passion in Durham Cathedral in March.

On Friday evening, there was music by Franz Joseph Haydn, John Rutter, John Ireland, Edward Elgar, and finished with music by Charles Hubert Parry.  Rebecca Lowe, soprano, sang Let the Bright Seraphim by George Frederick Handel, and Matthew Atherton played an organ solo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  The conductor was Mark Mawhinney.

Barney Life No. 34

The May Procession took place at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.  During the morning there had been heavy showers of rain every hour or so, and the prospects at first did not look good for an outdoor procession. But by mid-afternoon the sun shone and stayed shining in a clear blue sky.  Between forty and fifty people attended, many coming a considerable distance to be present.  The procession made its way around the church and presbytery, singing lustily hymns to Our Lady, until we came to rest beside the statue of Our Lady of Barnard Castle.  Here we stopped to say the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, before returning to the church, where the statue of Our Lady was crowned and Benediction was celebrated.  Afterwards refreshments were served on the lawn and the chat went on for a long time. A truly lovely day!

Barney Life No 34

All is almost ready for Our May Procession in honour of Our Lady on Sunday, May 22nd, at 4 pm.  Starting from the High Altar, the procession makes its way around the outside of the Church and the back of the house, until we can approach the statue of Our Lady of Barnard Castle; here we have the Rosary, and then it is back into Church for the Crowning of the Statue, and Benediction.  Afterwards, tea and biscuits will be served in the garden under the Tent and no doubt the children will play on the Gazebo swing.  If you are able, why not come along.

Barney Life No. 33

The River Tees flowing past the Desmesnes at Barnard Castle.  The water is at its lowest after several weeks of dry, hot, weather.  If the heavy rain, forecast for the next 24/48 hours, actually arrives, the river could be several feet higher by Monday morning.
I am told that, in the days before the dams at the head of the dale were built, surges of run-off rainwater upto 5 feet high could race down the river and sweep any unwary fishermen off their feet!

Catholic Bishop of Toowoomba William Morris sacked by Pope (taken from What's On Sanya)

THE Catholic Bishop of Toowoomba, Australia, William Morris, has been effectively sacked by Pope Benedict XVI over doctrinal disobedience for his support for ordaining women priests and other liberal reform. 

Bishop Morris, 67, complained in a letter to his followers, read at weekend masses, that he was leaving unwillingly and claimed he had been denied natural justice. 

He said he had taken early retirement because "it has been determined by Pope Benedict that the diocese would be better served by the leadership of a new bishop", The Australian reported. 

In his letter, Bishop Morris said the Vatican's decision was sparked by complaints to Rome about an Advent letter he wrote in 2006. In that letter, he argued that with an ageing clergy the church should be open to all eventualities, including ordaining women, ordaining married men, welcoming back former priests and recognising the validity of Anglican, Lutheran and Uniting Church orders.

It is believed the Vatican had also recieved complaints about the material included in sex education programs in diocesan Catholic schools. 

The style of Bishop Morris's departure is unprecedented in that he has made his disagreements with the Vatican so public. In previous years, bishops who fell from favour have usually resigned on the grounds of ill health, or no reason has been given for their departure. 

Priests called a meeting at St Patrick's Cathedral to consider what action can be taken, including the possibility of a mass resignation of clergy. But one senior priest who has followed the bishop's controversial career said Bishop Morris had brought about his own demise because "you can't keep telling Rome to get stuffed".

My comment - It will be fascinating to see if His Holiness takes action against other dissident bishops around the world!

Ushaw

Weather frosty in the mornings but warm sunshine throughout the day - not bad for the north-east of England!
We are still waiting for an answer from the trustees of Ushaw College to the proposal sent to them about the future of the college.  Of course, there may have been more than one proposal and they may be finding it difficult to decide what to do. But time is pressing - the end of the academic year is fast approaching and the trustees must decide something soon.  I understand that doing nothing and simply closing the college will cost thousands of pounds a month in security.  Maybe, during this week's annual Low Week meeting of the bishops of England and Wales, the bishops of the Northern Province of England who are trustees will find the time to discuss Ushaw and come to some decision.