Censing the Altar. 
Father Lee in the final half hour of his sermon.
Final Blessings.
Felicity and the Sacred Heart make their presences felt. 
Fr's Kenyon and Hackett, watched by the relics of the Doctors of the Church, indulge in a spare rib munching contest. 
Lunch. 
Elizabeth and Dominic Kenyon wandering up the stairs in my house.
The Regina Caeli is sung after Mass. Under the new guidelines we can celebrate Ascension Day on the Thursday or the Sunday. As our neighbouring Anglo Catholic Church the Ascension Lower Broughton kept their Patronal Festival on the Thursday we kept Ascension Day on the Sunday so as not to clash. We were happy to welcome Father Lee to Deacon the Mass and preach and, of course, there was the customary bunfight afterwards at home, joined by Fr Croft and Fr Bryan Hackett, Parish Priest of St Mary's Prestwich of whom we are all very keen. The rain came down especially hard as I was barbecuing the spare ribs and gammon, as you might expect. Father Norman tells me that Biddulph Grange gardens are in Staffordshire, not Cheshire as I wrote below, although it seemed more Cheshire to me. Who lets the facts get in the way anyway?
We were very happy to have a flounce of Canons this morning, as Canon Paul Denby, the previous sub Dean of the Cathedral and the present Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant sat in choir and Canon Peter McEvitt, fresh back from New Zealand, seemingly intact, played the organ for us. It is unsure at the time or writing if the organ will still work tomorrow, but it sounded excellent today.
Advance notice is given of the Society Of Mary and St Hilda's May Devotions held here, at St Hilda's at 6PM on Trinity Sunday, two weeks from today. The procession, litany, sermon and Benediction is one of the liturgical high points of the year and will be followed by a buffet and drinks. Everyone is welcome, as you might expect.
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