Grassroots Liturgist

When I was a boy, my mother wouldn’t allowed me to play with the other children on our street on two days of the year.   I knew that these days were important – after all, they had names: Good Friday and Holy Saturday.   I suspect that this was a cultural hand-me-down from her Irish Catholic heritage.   So often, these cultural traditions are rooted in good theory but, after some time, they become an unquestioned expectation of social norms. As such, I never received an explanation other than, “It’s Good Friday/Holy Saturday,” which, to my young mind, seemed a weak justification for curtailing my play time.   I do wish that she had been able to offer a fuller explanation because now, in the greying years of my life, I believe that she was on to something. It comes down to our attitude to the liturgical manifestations of our Faith. One of the oft-repeated phrases to come out of Vatican II is that we, the laity, should have a full, active and conscious partic...

As I read through the Triduum feedback forms, one sentence made me pause and caused my spirits to rise. Ever since the end of lockdown, when I was asked to lead the music and aspects of the liturgy for the Paschal Triduum, I have been giving these forms to those involved in the planning and ‘delivery’ of the liturgies as well as some members of the congregation. The planning group met in mid-January, though my own planning had been going on at a gentler pace for 12 months.  At that meeting, we discussed new, improved procedures, established who was responsible for what, and then went our separate ways to fulfil our roles.  There was a further meeting between myself, the Parish Priest and the Deacon for some of the finer details.  Meanwhile, we all kept in touch via a chat room. Our numbers and singing are such that we cannot entirely dispense with instrumentation between the two Glorias of Maundy Thursday and the Easter Vigil.  So, although we don’t use the or...

This year I have returned to a Benedictine Monastery for the Easter Triduum.  It is a place that I have been coming to, on and off, for over thirty years and which holds a most special place in my heart. I have been greatly affected and informed in my liturgical sensibilities by this monastery, despite the fact that its liturgical "style" is very different from our Vigil Mass Group. I find myself reflecting on why it is I feel so at home here. What is it that I can take back to a parish situation. Firstly, liturgy is important to the Benedictines. It is not merely something that they must follow or abide by: it moulds their very life, it provides a structure to their life and forms them. It is not just an extension or addendum to their life; it is part of the fabric of who they are. So familiar are they with, for example, the Psalms in the Office, that they will naturally refer to them when making a point about their relationship with God. Liturgy is part of their very esse...