Over organised for decline

How good to awaken to another lovely sunny morning on St Swithun's Day with only a few wisps of cloud in a clear sky. Legend has it that Swithun warned his people not to move his body once he was buried in the place he chose. When eventually his body was moved to Winchester Cathedral, the region was subjected to forty days and nights of torrential rain. So if it rains on this day it is destined to rain for forty days and nights. It's a silly tale which I remember my mother telling me when I was a child. It doesn't figure in European folk-lore, but it's a bizarre coincidence that unusually heavy rain hit the Low Countries, Germany and Switzerland yesterday, causing over sixty deaths from flash flooding. The Rhine is higher than anyone can remember in living memory. It's the curse of climate change, not an odd saintly legacy.

I uploaded a link to my offering of Morning Prayer to the Parish WhatsApp group when I woke up, half an hour later than usual, as I'm now sleeping better than I have for several years. After breakfast, I walked to St John's to celebrate the Eucharist with six others, half the regular congregation is away at the moment. Then a quick visit to Tesco's to buy flowers for Clare and wine for me, before returning home to cook lunch for us.

A walk to Llandaff Weir in the afternoon past the Cathedral, the south side Norman door was open and as I stopped to take a photo, Fr Mark came from within to close it, so we stopped and chatted for a few minutes. It seems that a clergy quiet day had just finished, led by Archbishop Rowan. Fr Mark told me it was a new gathering of Ministry Area team members called the 'College of Vicars'. Apparently there's a separate 'College of Ministry Area Leaders', and another for those who are newly ordained and/or serving in curacies.  I'm not sure where non stipendiary clergy fit in the scheme, unless there's something in the pipeline I haven't heard about. I don't think there's going to be a College of retired clergy. Demands for ministry couldn't be met to the same extent as they are now without them.

I have to admit that my first reaction to this disclosure was 'divide and rule', and when I told Clare about this, that was her immediate reaction too. Clergy are being managed, obliged to be compliant to the Grand Plan, like it or not. Being entrusted with freedom and responsibility to pursue mission and ministry in their Parish setting is taking second place. I fail to see the point of it. I think the health of the church lies in its diversity, the mixing and interaction of clergy and laity in their different roles producing different creative sparks, and outcomes, rather than segregating them by type to manage them. I draw the analogy between the managed forest of conifers in straight lines (for efficiency and profit) and the mixture of broad-leaf deciduous woodland in ancient forests, far more biodiverse, productive (albeit in a different way) and good for the planet.

The Anglican churches in Britain are spiralling into bankruptcy as overall support drains away. It's not as if people are attaching themselves to other religious communities in significant numbers. Sport is bigger than religion in retaining loyalties, not to mention music and entertainment. Mass pilgrimages in Britain at least, are rare events yet huge crowds endure hardship at outdoor festivals to hear the performers they are devoted to. 

For all the skills, expertise and resources still available to churches, finding ways to speak to the perennial spiritual hunger longing and distress is as elusive as ever. We cannot control this situation. Coping with decline has to be done, but like dying and bereavement, it cannot be completely managed. It's painfully hard to let go of what the church has been to society for so many centuries, but there's no resurrection without death. There are many new lessons we need to learn in humbly facing the future 

Clare and I went to St Catherine's choir practice this evening. She sings already in the Fountain Choir, but thought it would be good to sing in the church choir also when opportunity arises with the promised lifting of restrictions. Now I'm feeling a lot better singing appeals to me. I feel I've regained the energy for it. Tonight was fun, it was also challenging, my sight reading is very rusty.

Surprise Sunday concert

The Chaplaincy held its AGM today, following a joint service for the St George's and Velez Malaga congregations with Doreen celebrating and me preaching. I was meant to have a confirmation class afterwards but one of the candidates was obliged to work and couldn't come, so I handed over my teaching notes which I give out at the end, and we'll have a catch-up Q&A session next week. Apart from putting everything away and helping to arrange the furniture for the meeting in church, there was no more for me to do. As a locum priest, I'm not obliged to attend such meetings as I have no part to play, so I was free to return to the apartment and cook lunch.

I went out for my late afternoon paseo around the port, and then into the Old Town where a spotted a modest poster advertising a series of concerts by a visiting Norwegian choir from Oslo in four different city centre churches, with them singing today at the Cathedral evening Mass. I'm not normally inclined to hear Mass in church other than the one I belong to, twice on the same weekend, but the thought of hearing a Missa Cantata appealed, so I went along.

The choir was a mixed adult group of two dozen, and sang from within the huge 16th century Quire in the middle of the vast vaulted building. I gathered from chatting to one of the basses afterwards that normally they sing in conventionally sized modern parish church, so this was a challenge of a different order. Their sound was soft, sweet and mellow and if they seemed to be a little on the quiet side, it's a consequence of the size of the nave in the middle of which which the Quire is located. No amplification, but beautifully clear, and quite a different sound to what might normally be regarded as a bright vigorous 'Cathedral choir' sound, in the UK or further south.

They opened with a Jubilate Deo, and curiously used the first half of 'Locus Iste' as a Gospel Acclamation. Sadly, they didn't sing a Mass setting, except the Agnus Dei during Communion, and as an Offertory, sang an English version of the Lord's Prayer. They finished off with something in Norwegian. It wasn't a Missa Cantata after all, but nevertheless an unusual occasion, and I'm glad I was there. The same priest presided as last night. I found I was a little better able to tune in to his preaching voice, though still not able to do more than get the gist of what he was saying. Much work on Spanish comprehension still to do.

In the south transept a trona had been planted bearing the statue of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria. It was beautifully decorated with flowers and lit candles, and afterwards many people visited and took photos. It wasn't set up for devotional purposes, however, just parked there. I believe that it had been brought in procession during the afternoon, as I don't recall having seen it there at last night's Mass. I understand that the diocese of Malaga and the city have Nuestra Señora de la Victoria as a patron saint as well as the Dos Martires, so this appearance might be the result of a procession earlier.

About a kilometre away from Nuestra Señora de la Victoria is the huge 17th century Minor Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, established in the 16th century, then rebuilt, on the sight where the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella camped during the siege of the city which resulted in its liberation from the Moors. Success was attributed to 'Our Lady of Victories'. Several of the key cofradias that maintain Semana Santa observations are based at this church.

Digital workaround

A Mass to celebrate with the children from Tredegarville and a lunchtime funeral at St German's today. There wasn't enough time in between them to return home, so I spent extra time in the Day Centre, as well as preparing for the funeral. 

As is often the case these days, we're asked by bereaved families if it's OK to have secular recorded music for the entry and exit from church, usually meaning some kind of pop music. We're happy to go along with that, even if there are often problems playing music from CDs incompatible with twenty five year old CD players installed as part of the church's sound system. Sometimes people bring their own devices, other times it's up to us to see what we can do with material provided. 

On this occasion, I was emailed three separate MP3 files to use. There was no way to attach a digital to the St German's PA system, but I figured out a work-around solution using wireless microphones and the Sony portable CD playing device I gave Clare for Christmas. As well as playing standard CDs this will also play other digital media CDs created on a computer from downloads. Reluctant to put this to the test for a first outing, given the physical problems of controlling it whilst officiating at the service, played the MP3 files from my Nexus Tablet - all visible to switch to on a single screen. A cable from the headphone jack to the line-in socket on the back of the portable CD player produced a good quality of sound, which could be distributed around the church by the PA system's amplifier and loudspeakers.

Setting the sound levels just right and distortion free was easy, with a little patient attention to detail, and best of all, I could keep the tablet close at hand without it attracting attention. All I had to ensure then was that batteries powering microphones and tablet were fully charged for the half hour of use in the service. I was particularly pleased with the rendering of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Pie Jesu', set at the right level to take advantage of St German's beautifully pure acoustic. With everything easily under my control, I was able to relax and give my my best, without feeling I was juggling bits and pieces.

We were treated to a shower of hail as we were leaving church, but the weather was quite different at Thornhill just four miles away when we arrived for the interment. It was cloudy, but sunny and bright, which made it possible for mourners to linger and chat in a relaxed way when it was all over. Later I had an appreciative text message from on behalf of the family the son of the deceased. Pleased to know it helped them. Sometimes, whatever effort you make, nothing seems to help alleviate the burden of loss for people at that time, but making the effort when people are suffering is what counts in the end.