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• Oh! To be a blessed bulldog
• Goosebumps and wet eyes on Palm Sunday
• Holy Oils for the sacraments
Oh! To be a blessed bulldog
It was a case of “pets bring your owners” to the Village Green in Redhouse on Sunday 29 April, reports Bev Shepherd.
They came in all shapes, sizes, breeds, species - young, old, watch,
lap, yappers, whoofers, whiners - pets that is, not owners, although
maybe some of them too, to join in the special Animal Service and be
blessed by the rector of Zwartkops River Valley Parish, Sharon Nell.
One family brought their five dogs but fortunately thought it best to
leave their 11 cats at home.
After a slightly chaotic start the Peace of Christ reigned and
the
Eucharist and Blessing of Pets and Owners went off smoothly with Sharon
and lay minister Thandi Stokwe competently handling the
whole situation, including unwelcome slobber! Both were enormously
relieved
that no rats or snakes had been presented!
The obvious hymn for the day was ‘All things Bright and
Beautiful’ and this was sung with great gusto amid a cats’
chorus of whining and baying. As the sounds echoed across the quiet
waters of the river hearts were filled with thankfulness for their
faithful pets as well as prayers for those which are abused.
Pic: Beautiful
baby - The rector of Zwartkops River Valley Parish chats to a bulldog
who had brought his owner, Sarie Gouws, to the Pet Service.
Goosebumps and wet eyes on Palm Sunday
The editor attended the Palm
Sunday service at St David’s in Bushmans River Mouth and,
together with many others in the congregation, had goosebumps and wet
eyes by the end of the combined choirs’ rendition of
“Procession of Palms.”
Peter Bowen gives his take on the growth of the church in the area and
what led to the Palm Sunday rendition of this very difficult choral
piece.
The village church has come of age!
Peter Bowen recalls the 1960’s when he and other diocesan clergy
would descend upon the ‘Clergy Cottage’ at Bushmans River
Mouth, there to enjoy an affordable holiday with their families. St
David’s Church was where they would worship on Sundays when the
rector of the parish would drive down from Alexandria (he having
additional oversight of Kinkelbos and Paterson in those days). Peter
recalled that the then rector, Bill Skipper, (now retired to Port
Alfred) would preach a perfectly acceptable sermon - till the half way
mark, when he appeared to be lifting large chunks from some heavy
theological tome that was way above the heads of most people. Peter
tackled his friend about this, over the proverbial post-service cup of
tea. “Peter,” Bill explained, “you have no idea what
it is like preaching in this place. Fortnight after endless fortnight
you drive down from Alexandria and find yourself preaching to three old
ladies and a black cat! In the end you prepare your sermon for
three old ladies and the black cat - and guess what happens! Next time
you pitch up at St David’s you are likely to find Michael and
Carol Cassidy in the front row, Bishop Bill Burnett and family in the
second row, Dean Kenneth Oram in the third, Professor Peter Hinchliffe
and/or Professor Godfrey Ashby further back still ... it’s just
not funny”!
The congregation grew
Well those days are past history. The usual congregation of three old
ladies grew gradually until it was thought wise to move the parish
rectory from Alexandria to Bushmans River. In the early nineteen
nineties there averaged just below fifty in St David’s on a
Sunday morning. Music was provided by what Peter Bowen referred to as
‘The Asthma Box’ powered by “an organism whose legs
were long enough to reach the pedals and whose lungs were strong enough
not to run out of steam before the last verse was reached”. In
great triumph it was announced that the ‘asthma box’ was to
be replaced by a new fangled device called an ‘electronic
organ’ and the good Lord was thanked for the local
community’s tremendous support of the endless cake sales which
enable rural parishes to keep up with their city siblings. Then came
the really big change. A generous anonymous donor got wind of what St
Paul’s, Port Alfred, was up to, just across the diocesan
boundary, and St David’s folk arrived one Sunday to see a new
Allen Organ installed! Readers need to know that the Allen is, to
the old electronic organ, what today’s BMW is to the old Model T
Ford! Fortunately the parish was blessed by a few folk who were dab
hands on the keyboard.
Sadly, with the exception of occasional visits when Charles Jantjies
came out from Port Elizabeth, the pedal board was hardly ever used. A
dozen locals who enjoyed singing would gather for a single practice
once a month, and annually for years would join with singers from other
local denominations where for two months, under ear and baton of St
David’s Joan Bennett, they would prepare for a carol service in
the Kenton Methodist church. Unfortunately, Joan Bennett was forced by
her years to call it a day, and any thought of more advanced choral
presentations was shelved.
… and grew
By now the Sunday congre-gation at St David’s was growing to a
hundred - plus! New faces were in abundance, and new voices were
audible above the drone of the faithful plodders. A man in the pews was
recognized as former headmaster of the Drakensberg Boys Choir School;
three retired clergy in the back row had all done stints at choir
schools of the RSCM, two other men featured in Kenton’s close
harmony barber-shop sextet. Some ladies with magnificent voices claimed
that they were over the hill - 'has-beens'. Another lady with a lovely
voice claimed not to be a 'has been' - “in fact you could call me
a ‘never was’’’, she said, “but I just
love making a pleasant noise unto the Lord”
One thing led to another, and the little chapelry discovered that from
the Sunday pews, a twenty-five person choir could be assembled with
about half a dozen voices in each line of the soprano/alto/tenor and
bass range.
Organist – cum - chapel warden cum - parish warden Robyn Paterson
gave up her organ bench to strengthen the alto line, and was replaced
by the new Methodist organist from Kenton. Pam Gush was permanently
here from Gauteng and could handle the pedal board as well as most
organists are able to handle the keyboard. She was very willing to lend
her talents for the many practices which were needed before
“Procession of Palms” by Malcolm Wilkinson, could be sung
on Palm Sunday morning. The choir staggered out after their first
practice. The seven sheets of music contained more changes of pace and
of key, than most could remember having sung in their lives before. By
common consent, and though well into middle age, youngest chorister and
retired clergy wife, Joan Davis, was given the baton and asked to take
over direction of the choir. Her patience was inexhaustible and was
exceeded only by her infectious exuberance.
Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday morning the choir was aware that only once during
preceding practices had the whole piece been sung totally without
fault. Dry throats were being surreptitiously moistened with
‘slugs of Port’, and the choir stood up for their
‘piece de resistance’. Perhaps it was the realization that
iindaba editor, Frankie Simpson, had unexpectedly arrived in church
that morning, but the presentation went off to perfection. The stunned
silence which greeted the finale was suddenly broken - “and all
the ranks of Tuscany could scarce forbear to cheer.”
VIVA VILLAGE CHURCH CHOIRS - VIVA!
Holy Oils for the sacraments
During Holy Week each year, the
Bishop con-celebrates (usually in the Cathedral Church) the Mass of the
Oils with all the priests, assisted by the deacons, of his Diocese.
Ideally this Mass is celebrated on the morning
of Holy Thursday, the day of the Last Supper when Jesus instituted the
great sacrament of the Eucharist. In our Diocese we
celebrate the Mass of the Oils on Corpus Christi Day (7 June
2007). In the course of the celebration, all the priests and deacons
and Bishop make a renewal of their commitment to their priestly,
diaconal and episcopal service of God's people.
The Bishop then blesses and gives to them the Oils which they will use
in the celebration of the Sacraments. From ancient times besides its
culinary use, olive oil has been used as an aid to bring life and
health and vitality to the human body. People would anoint
themselves to indicate a sense of health and wellbeing. Athletes
anointed themselves as a pre-paration for their various athletic
competitions. In the Old Testament oil was used as a sign of
consecration of God's blessing on a person or object, which was to be
set aside for sacred use. We see this especially when the prophet
Samuel anointed Saul and David with oil as a sign of God's choice of
them as King of Israel. In the Gospel, after his experience of baptism
by John, Jesus announces, "The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me". He is now the anointed One, the
Messiah.
In some traditions, the Holy Oil of Chrism is used at baptism as a sign
of sharing in Christ's anointing and consecration to his service. The
same oil is used by the Bishop at confirmation "to confirm and
strengthen with the Holy Spirit", those to be confirmed. Our baptismal
consecration is confirmed. In the ordination service the priests' palms
are anointed with Chrism "to offer sacrifices of praise and
thanks-giving".
The Oil for the Sick is used to anoint the sick, to remind us that Christ's healing power continues in his church.
It is useful to know that especially in Roman Catholic tradition there
is a third oil blessed at the service, known as the Oil of Catechumens
which is used in the rite of baptism of adults with a prayer of
exorcism. This is a prayer offered, and a sign that the
person preparing for baptism is being set aside for God.- Shane Fraser
RSCM Summer School
2 - 9 January 2008
Port Elizabeth
Contact Jenny Yates
041 373 3311
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Editor: Frankie Simpson
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