Saturday 30 August 2008

Didn't We Have A Lovely Time.....

Broughton Hall Chapel, the pictures are in the wrong order. Again. Sorry.

Benediction.

Broughton Hall.


With Fr Bryan Hackett, vicar of St Mary's Prestwich.

Sursum Corda.

Recessional.

Recessional.


We walked to the West door, everyone turned round and we sang the Angelus to the sunshine, the tourists and to the birds. Very Franciscan.

Before the Mass.

Introit.


At the altar.

Preaching.

The third annual Anglican Wander (why is there a new type face every post? What is going on?) went swimmingly. I arrived at Bolton Priory at about nine o'clock in the morning and set up for the High Mass with a goody bag of bells and smells, literally. People started coming. I fiddled about some more. The Duke of Devonshire toddled past with a bunch of friends. People kept coming. The coaches arrived. People kept coming, and coming and coming, from all over, friends and comrades from all over the area and by the time we started the first hymn, the ancient Church was doing a pretty good approximation of being full. A hundred and twenty people received Holy Communion and another sixty were in attendance. The organ, kindly played by Fr Peter McEvitt, who should have been elsewhere and earns my reasonably long lived gratitude (don't you hate it when people swear undying gratitude to you) sang and the hymns were sung with gusto.

We wandered back through the fine grounds on to Skipton for lunch and a look around and then went on to Broughton Hall, the country house of new Anglican Wanderer, Henry Tempest and his family, who were on hand to greet us and extend massive hospitality, quite above and beyond the calls of duty. Father Parfiit, their chaplain, gave us Benediction in their Chapel, which was full to overflowing, quite literally. We said the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, sand lovely hymns and then we had the privilege of free rein in the gardens, where we sat, wandered and chatted for a good long time. I was very, very touched by the many people who said how much they enjoyed the chance to meet each other and exchange gossip(!) and kind words. It was a day in paradise for us, walking in some of the most beautiful landscape in the country, on private roads and quiet lanes, with services in idyllic buildings and good friends. Thank you, everyone, for coming and making it such a success. Now to get ready for the morning's High Mass!