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| The Story Of A Parish; An everyday story about parish folk | |
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| Topic Started: Thursday, 1. February 2007, 22:56 (4,314 Views) | |
| Rose of York | Thursday, 1. February 2007, 22:56 Post #1 |
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The Cast The Diocese of Cybershire Bishop Richard Johns Bishop's Secretary Father Martin The Parish of Saint Isidore Canon Anthony Cardew - Parish Priest Father Leon, originally from Poland - Assistant Priest George Williams - Chairman of the PCC Bernard Thwaite (Bern) - Parish Treasurer (Miss) Pauline Murphy - Parish Secretary Sister Monica - Parish Sister & Sacristan Therese O'Fee - Children's Liturgy Moira Finn and Frances Ward - two Parish Ladies Phil - widowed mother with 3 children under 5 Lucy Ward - engaged daughter of Frances and friend of Therese Mrs Kaczmareks, an elderly parishioner in the early stages of Alzheimers. Mr Kaczmareks Maeve Sevin and her sister Niamh |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Angus Toanimo | Thursday, 1. February 2007, 23:00 Post #2 |
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It was Sunday morning at St Isidore's parish church. Two parish ladies had opened the Church, as Father was running a little behind schedule. |
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| Rose of York | Thursday, 1. February 2007, 23:41 Post #3 |
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The two most senior Ladies of the Parish, Moira and Frances, stood in the porch, advising parishioners that "Father will be late". The porch filled up with people wanting to know what was going on. Paul and Rachel struggled to get in with little Sarah and Aaron, who was in his baby buggy. |
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| Emee | Friday, 2. February 2007, 00:08 Post #4 |
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Therese came rushing in to set up the Children's Liturgy in the side room. She had meant to arrive early at 10.30 as there was a lot to put out, however, it was a lovely sunny Sunday morning and she had lost all track of time walking her dog along the banks of the river by her house. She didn't see Aaron's buggy until it was too late: A2 card, HB pencils and pritt sticks went flying to all four corners of the porch as she tripped over the front wheels. Aaron giggled and pointed: "Fying lady...". |
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| Josephine | Friday, 2. February 2007, 00:45 Post #5 |
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Into the midst of all this came Phil with a baby in the carrycot, a toddler in a little seat on the carrycot and the four year old walking alongside. She was a bit out of breath after the push up the hill. She parked the carrycot by the front door, got the toddler down and took him and his four year old sister into the the "crying room". This room had a large glass window into the church and was connected to the speaker system so thaht mums and dads could hear Mass while their little ones played (or cried) but the congregation could not hear them. She returned quickly for the baby and balanced him on one hip while she put the hood up and zipped the cover back on in case of rain. Then she fished out, from the tray underneath, the bag with the baby's necessities and the bag with the books and toys for the others. As she subsided gratefully onto the hard wooden chair wondering if she had remembered her inhaler, it was fortunate for her peace of mind that she didn't hear a LOG comment "Odd, isn't it? All those children and you never see a husband." |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 2. February 2007, 01:41 Post #6 |
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Phil, who had three little children under five, had a reason for not having a husband. She had been widowed when her husband Jock was killed in Iraq. She was weary of being labelled a single mother. Phil's life was very difficult, she was on her own with the family, she was a forces child herself, and her parents were overseas. The parish SVP were the only support available to Phil. She was very grateful, without them she would have been very concerned if she had been taken ill and needed a good friend to help care for the children. One of the other Mums said "my baby's sleeping. Would you like me to help keep and eye on your children? I can see you're not feeling so good today, Phil." |
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| Josephine | Friday, 2. February 2007, 02:20 Post #7 |
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Meanwhile, Moira took Mrs. Kaczmarek's hand and chatted gently to her while Mr. Kaczmarek, like the true Polish gentleman he is, helped Therese pick up her bits and pieces. (Mrs. Kaczmarek, who is in the early stages of Altzheimer's, has a tendency to wander off.) Once a month there is Mass in Polish which they like to attend as Mrs. K. seems slightly less bewildered then but it is difficult in winter. The Mass is in the evening and Mr. Kaczmarek doesn't like to drive in the dark. The lights of the other cars are dazzling. The surgeon says his cataract is not ready to be operated on yet. As they go in to take their seats, two acolytes shoot past rummaging in pockets for their Guild of St. Stephen medallions as they go. "Who's M.C.ing? We mustn't be late for prayers." "Oops." |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 2. February 2007, 22:35 Post #8 |
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Time advanced. Ten minutes after the Mass should have started, there was no sign of the priest. George Williams, the indispensable man, walked up the steps to the microphone and announced that he would hold a Eucharistic Service. Parish Lady Frances stood and questioned George: "Are you sure that is permissible? If it is, how many consecrated hosts are there in the tabernacle? There are about five hundred people here. George, your proposal is not feasible". George replied "I am an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and the longest serving member of the Parish Consultative Committee". In the absence of the parish priest it falls to me to make important decisions. There were murmurs from the pews. ![]() This is George. Meanwhile, in the sacristy, Sister Monica the sacristan, was scolding the altar boys for quarrelling about who was to be MC. She told them "Boys, your visit to the Cathedral gave you big ideas. There is no Master of Ceremonies in this parish. Father takes charge of you in the sanctuary and I control you in the sacristy, so be done with it. Boys, you are in church. Jesus does not like you falling out with each other." |
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| tomais | Saturday, 3. February 2007, 17:56 Post #9 |
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The sixty five Polish new comers,from their body language and behind the hand comments, obviously hadn't a clue what was happening. |
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| Rose of York | Saturday, 3. February 2007, 23:16 Post #10 |
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The current situation: The parish priest, is nowhere to be seen. The two welcomers, Moira and Frances, are so busy imparting the news that Father will be late, that they are oblivious to the fact that the resultant gaggle of humanity in the porch is blocking entrance to the church. Paul and Rachel are trying to fight their way through the crowd, to get in with children Sarah and Aaron, Therese the childrens’ catechist has dropped all her gear on the floor, as she dashed in and tripped on Aaron’s buggy, young Phil, the army widow, has managed to get herself and baby organised, and is looking for her inhaler while she wonders if the people who should have given her a hand are sniff sniffing, pointing the accusing finger, calling her “another one with a child and no husband”. Moira is trying to give attention to Mrs. Kaczmarek's who has Alzheimer’s disease, while Mr. Kaczmarek helps Therese pick up her gear. The two youngest altar servers, Jacob and Daniel, are squabbling, each wanting to be a Master of Ceremonies, and the sacristan, Sister Monica, is trying to calm them down. George Williams the indispensable man of the parish, is trying to take control, by exercising what he considers to be his divine right to be boss, announcing he will hold a Eucharistic Service. 69 Poles are just standing at the back of the church, rooted to the spot, wondering if the place is a madhouse or a church. In walks the parish priest. |
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| Emee | Saturday, 3. February 2007, 23:46 Post #11 |
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![]() "S-s-sorry I'm late," Father Anthony Cardew arrived and apologised for being late - for the first time ever. "George, please put away your clipboard. It's Tridentine M-mass we'll be having today." And quietly to himself: "I think. I've never been too sure myself for the last 40 years." "Yes Father Cardew," George blushed furiously. "Well at least he calls me Father Cardew," the aged priest thought to himself, "And not Father Tony, or even worse, Tony, as Moira does. The liberties!!" |
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| Emee | Saturday, 3. February 2007, 23:59 Post #12 |
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The septugenarian sisters, Maeve Sevin and Niamh O'Rourke arrived. Niamh had been recently widowed and had come over to live with her unmarried sister in England. Though born and bred in Claremorris County Mayo their father had been French, and they had the rather quaint family expression regarding their long-suffering attitude to life: "It's the Sevin Way..." to the great confusion and slight annoyance of the Oldbury family who had moved into the area from North Bristol... |
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| Rose of York | Sunday, 4. February 2007, 00:14 Post #13 |
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Father Cardew prepared, calmly, for Holy Mass. His love of Holy Mother Church was the driving force of his ministry to his people. He would not tolerate any irreverence in the sanctuary. Liturgical standards at Saint Isidores were second to none. Indeed, the bishop had, on occasion, considered young curates to be in need of "refresher training" and guidance, and had sent them to serve with Father Cardew, to learn by example how Holy Mass should be offered, and progress to the point where they valued the unique role, in a parish, of the priest. Father Cardew was a man for "doing things by the book", no doubt he was still influenced by his former career as a professional soldier. Some thought (wrongly) that Father Cardew's occasional stutter was caused by alcohol. He did have a drink problem when he was young. Through prayer he had given up alcohol completely, but reputations are hard to shake off. The stammer only affected Father Cardew in situations that brought back memories of war service. On the Sunday in question he was late for Mass because he had been called out to an emergency that brought to the surface vivid memories of the day when he was awarded the Military Cross. |
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| Rose of York | Sunday, 4. February 2007, 13:19 Post #14 |
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The organist played the first bar of the opening hymn. The congregation fell silent and stood as the priest and servers emerged. |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Emee | Sunday, 4. February 2007, 17:22 Post #15 |
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George made a sound that sounded like a strangled gerbil, and then coughed loudly to cover his embarrassment. The Poles gasped. If Niamh's eyes had opened any further they might have popped out to hit the inside of her glasses. At the New Year Father Cardew had announced that at the first Sunday of every month, 11am Mass would, from now on, be Tridentine. This was the first. Therese had forgotten something> "And what do I do??" worried Therese. Was Children's Liturgy allowed on these Sundays...?? |
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3:45 PM Jul 11