A 'behind the scenes' look
at the Hyde Park prayer vigil
aka 'Liturgical Entertainment'
by Fr. RAY BLAKE, Parish Priest
St Mary Magdalen, Brighton, UK
August 18, 2010
NB: In July, Fr. Blake, who is one of the most active blogger priests, spearheaded an Open Letter welcoming the Holy Father from the priests of England and Wales.
One of the people who are singing at the Prayer Vigil ay Hyde Park sent me this email about the programme for what was originally entitled the
Liturgical Entertainment. I am sure somewhere there is the Holy Rosary, and at three o'clock, everything will stop for the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and somewhere, nuns will appear to sing Sext and None, Vesper will of course be part of the Liturgy when the Holy Father appears.
What surprises me is that for a Pope who has said so much about chant and the more noble music of our Christian heritage there is so little of it...
[Well, thankfully, he will not be around for Parts 1-5!]
Here is the email:
Thank you for taking up the invitation to sing at the Papal Vigil in Hyde Park.
I am delighted to say that the choir will consist of 160 singers from nearly all the dioceses in England and Wales. Together with 50 singers and 50 musicians from the New English Orchestra, you will provide the majority of the accompaniment to the Vigil. You will also be on stage (under cover should it rain) and in close proximity to the Holy Father. It should be an experience to cherish for many years.
The programme for the afternoon is as follows:
12.00/12.30 tbc Doors open to the public
12.30- 14.00 Information slides on big screens
14.00- 16.00 Part One
Various acts by different music and drama groups from across the country
16.00-17.00 Part Two
Procession of diocesan youth, parish representatives and representatives from Catholic charities and organisations.
17.00-17.50 Part Three
A presentation on the Heart of the Church
17.50- 18.15 Part Four
Build up to the arrival of the Holy Father
18.15-19.45 Part Five
Vigil Liturgy with the Holy Father
19.45-20.15 Part Six
A “Soft Close” with musical accompaniment.
The full choir will sing to accompany the procession in Part Two, the build up to the arrival of the Holy Father (Part Four) and the liturgy (Part Five). To avoid having to be seated on stage from 14.00 – 20.15, you will take your place on stage at 15.40 and have a comfort break back stage between 17.00 and 17.40.
The music which you are being asked to sing is:
Part Two:
Save us Lord our God (Rutter): 4-part refrain (not including the descant). Verses sung by the NEO.
Christ be Our Light (Farrell): All verses and chorus in unison.
Out of Darkness (Walker): 4-part harmony, verses and chorus (not including the descant; 1st chorus is in unison).
One Bread, One Body (Foley): Chorus only in unison.
Shine Jesus Shine (Kendrick): All verses and chorus in unison.
Part Four: Halleluiah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Prout Edition.
Part Five:
Opening Hymn: Christ be beside me
Psalm response
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia Beati (Walker). Refrain in unison
Lord Jesus Christ your light shines within us (Taizé):
4-part harmony
Adoramus Te (Taizé): 4-part harmony
Lead Kindly Light
Tantum Ergo
Tell Out My Soul (Dudley-Smith): Unison
Rehearsals
Thursday: Please be at Hyde Park for 2 pm. Entry to the site (see attached map) is on South Carriage Drive, close to Hyde Park Corner. The rehearsal will begin on stage at 3 pm and finish by 6 pm.
Friday: Please be at Hyde Park for midday for a full rehearsal which will hopefully finish by 6.30 pm. Please be prepared for periods of inactivity while other groups are rehearsing. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available (free of charge) through the course of the afternoon.
Saturday: Please be at Hyde Park for 9 am. There will be a morning rehearsal, time tbc. You will be free to relax in the performers back stage changing room between 12.00 and 15.40 but won’t be possible to leave the site.
The Vigil will end at 8 pm and we estimate that you will be able to leave by 8.30 pm.
Dress
The following dress code applies only to Saturday. Dress is informal for the rehearsals on Thursday and Friday. We ask that for Saturday afternoon you wear black trousers or skirt and a shirt (and jumper) of a single plain colour (bearing in mind that the temperature may require you to wear more than one layer). In other words: no garments with stripes or printed patterns. Please also avoid wearing white which is apparently sensitive to the cameras.
Accreditation
Please bring photo ID. You will be issued with a security pass on Thursday which will be valid for the 3 days.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
I look forward to seeing you on Thursday 16th.
With kind regards,
Rev. Andrew Headon BSc STL MBA
Hyde Park Vigil Co-ordinator
UK government opens
webpage on the Pope's visit
The official papal visit site is late today with its Monday posting of the weekly audio update, but meanwhile, the UK government has opened a Papal Visit web page on its Cabinet Office site, with all the necessary links even to the local governments hosting the Pope:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/papal-visit.aspx
'Draconian' security for
Pope's visit to Birmingham
Aug. 22, 2010
Security plans for the Pope's visit to the Midlands have been described as "draconian" by a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
The Pope will use Cofton Park in the city on 19 September for the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, who was buried in nearby Rednal until his remains were transferred to the Birmingham Oratory last November..
The spokesman, Peter Jennings, said he had "never seen security like this".
The Cabinet Office said "a very good job is being done" in Birmingham towards organising the event.
Mr Jennings said: "I think the security's draconian. But I can't question the authorities on security. They're in charge. The government is in charge of the security and they have to make the decisions."
In a statement, the Cabinet Office said: "A very good job is being done in Birmingham towards organising the event with dozens of organisations involved.
"The government is working with local authorities and the police and has to balance security whilst working with the Church to secure a good experience for pilgrims."
The Pope is visiting the UK between 16 and 19 September in what will be the first papal visit to the UK since that of John Paul II in 1982.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 24/08/2010 04:07]