Installed
Categories: uncategorized
Date: 29 April 2007 17:03:55
Well, it's happened. The vicar and churchwardens were busy with screwdrivers and hammers to ensure that I was installed correctly. The little liturgical bit to formally welcome me was to be part of the Sunday Morning Mass. We had a discussion beforehand about exactly where in the service this would happen. Theologically, the most suitable place would be at the start of the Liturgy of the Word although, practically it seemed to make more sense to have it just before the Peace which is what we decided on.
At the start of the service, we processed in to the hymn "The Strife is O'er, the Battle Done" which I thought was quite appropriate. In fact the music throughout was fantastic. The offertory hymn was "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus" which has to go down as one of my favourites and at the end we sang that wonderful bit of Victorian schmaltz "Jerusalem the Golden" followed by (as is appropriate for Eastertide) The Regina Caeli. The choir sang the Schubert Mass in G.
The welcome was really nice. The Vicar presented me to the congregation, I read out the "Duties of a Reader" from the back of my licence, the churchwardens formally welcomed me, the vicar gave me a blessing and I then led the congregation in a prayer. At the end of the welcoming bit, the Vicar totally embarrassed Tina by asking her to come out to the front as well.
Today was also the day for our Annual Parochial Meeting. It was all done and dusted in just under an hour. I don't think I've ever attended an APM that was over so quickly.
Anyway, here's a pic of me and the Vicar taken after the service.
I'd been hoping to get some more photos with the churchwardens as well, but this was the time the batteries on the camera decided to die. Oh well...