Welcome to world wide President of the Mothers Union – September 4th

On Wednesday, September 4th St Mary’s Priory Church will play host to the leader of the 4 Millions Members of the Anglican Church’s Mothers Union at a service to Install the new President of the Mothers Union for Monmouthshire.

Canon Mark Soady vicar said,

” I am very much looking forward to welcoming to the Priory the first non British person to be the World Wide President of the Mothers Union. She will be the third World wide President to honour the Priory with a visit”

MU World Wide President; Sheran Harper

Mrs Sheran Harper, from Guyana will attend the service on Wednesday morning before being entertained to lunch in Abergavenny. The last world wide President admitted Fr. Mark as an MU member during her visit a few years ago.

Presiding over the service will be The Most Revd John Davies, Archbishop of Wales, making his second visit tot he Priory in under a month.

The new President of MU in the Diocese of Monmouth being installed at the service is   Pat Jarrett from Llanddewi Rhyderch.

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Music List for Liturgical Festival of Music

Monday 26th August (Pre-reformation) 

St Mary’s Priory Choir 

6.00 pm Choral Vespers (Treble voices) 

Magnificat: Plainsong 

Anthem: O Lux Beata Trinitas – Fayrfax 

7.30 pm Choral Compline (Men’s voices) 

Anthem:: O Quam Pulchra Es—Dunstable 

Tuesday 27th August (16th Century) 

12.15 pm Lunchtime Recital – Pippa Goss (Soprano) 

5.30 pm Choral Evensong – Thomas Hardye Chapel Choir Alumni 

Introit: O come ye servants—Tye Responses: Morley 

Psalm: 74 Canticles: Short Service – Farrant Anthem: Ave verum corpus—Byrd 

Wednesday 28th August (17th Century) 

12.15 pm Lunchtime Recital 

Simon Pratt (Baritone) 

5.30 pm Choral Evensong – PGS Choir, Cardiff 

Introit: Thou knowest Lord—Purcell Responses: Tomkins Psalm: 119 vv.89-104 Canticles: Purcell in G minor Anthem: Man that is born of woman—Purcell 

Thursday 29th August (18th Century) 

12.15 pm Lunchtime Recital 

Emma Gibbins (Organ) 

5.30 pm Choral Evensong – St Mary’s Priory Choir 

Introit: Teach me, O Lord—Attwood Responses: Ebdon Psalm: 78 vv.40-55 

Canticles: Arnold in A Anthem: Ave Maria—Haydn 

Friday 30th August (19th Century) 

12.15 pm Lunchtime Recital William Reynolds (Organ) 

5.30 pm Choral Evensong – Festival Trebles’ Choir 

Responses: Goss Psalm: 69 vv.14-23 Canticles: Macpherson in D Anthem: Thou art fairer than the children of men—Barnby 

Saturday 31st August (20th Century) 

1.15 pm Lunchtime Recital 

Kathy Batchelor (Flute) 

5.30 pm Choral Evensong – Academia Musica 

Introit: Jesu, the very thought—Bairstow Responses: Rose Psalms: 81, 84 Canticles: Stanford in C Anthem: Greater Love—Ireland 

Sunday 1st September (21st Century) 

6.00 pm Choral Evensong – Ethelbert Consort 

Introit: He made the stars above—MacDonald 

Responses: McDowall Psalm: 119 vv.161-176 

Canticles: Truro Service—Stopford Anthem: Now that the daylight dies away – Tim Pratt 

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Programme for Festival of Liturgical Music

August 26 (Pre-Reformation):

St Mary’s Priory Choir sing Choral Vespers at 6pm (Treble voices)

St Marys Priory Choir sing Choral Compline at 7.30pm (Men’s voices)

August 27 (16th Century):

12.15pm Pippa Goss (Soprano)

5.30pm Evensong with the Thomas Hardye Chapel Choir Alumni

August 28 (17th Century):

12.15pm Simon Pratt (Baritone)

5.30pm Evensong with PGS Choir, Cardiff

August 29 (18th Century):

12.15pm Emma Gibbins (Organ)

5.30pm Evensong with St Mary’s Priory Choir

August 30 (19th Century):

12.15pm William Reynolds (Organ)

5.30pm with the Festival Trebles Choir

August 31 (20th Century):

12.15pm Kathy Batchelor (Flute)

5.30pm with Academia Musica

Sunday, September 1 (21st Century):

5.30pm with Ethelbert Consort

Festival Trebles Choir at the Festival Last Year

Entrance to all recitals and services is free

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Br Stuart OSB’s Sermon at our Admission Service

Br Stuart’s Sermon here last Sunday

Holywell Community

Rt Revd Br Stuart OSB, former Abbot of Mucknell, preaching at our Admission Service reminded us of the importance of seeing each other as gifts to us from God *especially* when we infuriate one another. That’s when God-the-potter is at work on us!

His address in full:

First of all, I bring greetings from our Br Adrian – formerly YOUR Br Adrian. He is a much-valued gift from your community to ours!

Secondly, greetings from the rest of my community on your Patronal Festival.

When my old archdeacon was invited to preach at a Patronal Festival he always began by telling the congregation that the reason we keep such festivals is to remind ourselves that the tenor and quality of the life of a church community should reflect that of its patron saint.

So: St Mary:- her vocation was to give Jesus to the world, and that is a vocation…

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Admission of New Lay Members of the Holywell Community

Good to host this service on our Patronal Festival

Holywell Community

As we enter our fifth year the Archbishop of Wales this afternoon admitted three Lay Members of the Holywell Community. We welcomed back Brs Josh & Seb and welcomed Br Nicolas. Also present was Nathaniel who will join us as Concentor in the New Year.

During the service the Prior read a portion of the Rule of St Benedict, before the Lay members were presented with a copy of the Rule.

“First of all, every time you begin a good work you should pray to Him with total commitment to bring it to perfection, so that He who has already been kind enough to count us as His sons will never be disappointed by our doing wrong.”

The Archbishop blessed and then presented Pectoral crosses to each Lay Member, while Nathaniel acted as Sub Deacon and Book bearer.

Thanks to our Associate Michael Woodward for the photographs

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Details of Admission Service – August 11th at 3.30pm

Next Sunday there are only two services in the Incumbency , both here:
8am Holy Eucharist & 3.30pm the service detailed below

Holywell Community

The Holywell Community year starts on Sunday August 11th. Having said the offices of Lauds and Sext privately, the year formally starts with a Sung Eucharist at 3.30pm at which the Archbishop of Wales will be the Celebrant.

Prior to making their promises before the Archbishop members of the Community will hear a portion of the Rule read to them by the Prior.

The Communion Motet will be Trust in the Lord words from the Book of Proverbs set to music by Tim Pratt, Director of Music at the Priory, for our Prior’s Collation Service here on Epiphany 2012.

A good friend of the Community the First Abbot of Mucknell, Rt Revd Br Stuart OSB will be the preacher.

Among the guests expected at this service are families of the Community Members, the Archdeacon of Monmouth, other Diocesan clergy and Sisters from the Ty Mawr Convent.

It is customary for…

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Singing Week – Day 6

The St Mary's Choir Blog

Sundays are always busy for choirs, but doubly so when you’re away from home.  This morning started quietly, very quietly as waking up was not something the trebles wanted to do.  We were due at the Song School at 9.30 am, and they made it……just!  However, wide-awake would not describe their state upon arrival.

Despite this, we warmed up the voices, learnt the new hymn tune, and were slightly ahead of schedule getting into the cathedral.  Here we had quite a lot to rehearse, with four movements of the Mozart mass and two anthems to prepare.   Even at this early hour of the morning there were plenty of tourists in the cathedral, but we managed to get the Mozart sections ready with the organ, and then went to the Lady Chapel to rehearse the communion motet.

Here we found a space with a wonderful acoustic that made singing easy; and…

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Singing Week – Day 5

The St Mary's Choir Blog

So, on Saturday there are no sung services at St Patrick’s Cathedral during the summer, which means we got a day off. Well, nearly!  We allowed the choristers a well-earned lie-in this morning and they didn’t have to get to the song school until 10.15 am.  We needed a rehearsal as there will be two services tomorrow, and precious little time in the morning, so time spent today should make tomorrow less frenetic.

However, overnight Rebecca had lost her voice (or at least quite a lot of it); we had everyone check their pockets, but couldn’t find it.  This is potentially a bit worrying as she has a solo tomorrow…..  Anyway, the show must go on, so we set to rehearsing with Rebecca doing a fine job at miming.  With the music of two services to practice it meant we weren’t finished until after 12.00.  Here’s a shot of Simon…

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Singing Week – Day 4

The St Mary's Choir Blog

Another bright, sunny morning and were our trebles up bright and early looking happy and ready for anything?  Er, no….actually I don’t think they noticed the weather at all, because they were “tired”.  Can’t say I was surprised as they had been somewhat resistant to settling down last night, and apparently any connection between staying up late and feeling tired was news to them!  Nevertheless they managed to get to the cathedral song school by 9.00, but were definitely in a grumpy mood.

Most of today’s music was distinctly easier than yesterday’s and had an Irish flavour.  But first we had to practice a different set of responses by Philip Moore which, although “clashy”, are always sung with gusto.  The psalm once again was only 9 verses long although with a more challenging chant; and then we got onto rehearsing the evening canticles.  Today’s set are by the eighteenth century…

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Singing Week – Day 3

The St Mary's Choir Blog

This morning we woke up to blue skies – a most welcome change.  Once again we met at the cathedral song school to rehearse what we always knew would be our most challenging music of the week.  Having fairly quickly dealt with the psalm and responses, we then set to refining the anthem – “Faire is the heaven”.  This piece lasts for a good eight minutes and is for double unaccompanied choir (so no help from the organ); it is also pretty complicated stuff and demands full concentration!  We worked on it for a good forty minutes and got to the point where things were more or less as they needed to be, and decided to quit whilst we were ahead.  There’s always the final rehearsal before evensong to iron out the finishing touches to it.

We then had a quick break whilst waiting to Robert to finish his morning…

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