An organ recital in progress: part 116

Dear SMM Community,

The next part of my online organ recital is here, and I hope that you enjoy it. I offer up these musical meditations as part of our parish efforts to find ways to keep you connected at this time. Recorded on my house organ, the instrument is a musical facsimile of the great 'Father' Willis organ at Salisbury Cathedral.

Today, I present Francis Jackson's Prelude on ‘East Acklam’.  

Francis Jackson (1917-2022) came to fame through his long and highly respected tenure as the organist of York Minster. A protégé of Edward Bairstow, in time he rivalled the illustrious musical career of his predecessor. Jackson’s  Prelude on ‘East Acklam’ is a setting of his own hymn tune (commonly sung to the text  For the fruits of all creation), named after the village northeast of York, where he lived. He wrote the hymn tune in 1957 as a replacement for  Ar hyd y nos, which he had tired of playing. Jackson passed away this week on Monday 10 January at the age of 104.

With best wishes,
Andrew Adair
Director of Music

Baptism of the Lord - 9 January 2022

We celebrate the Baptism of the Lord with a Procession & Online Mass.

You can find the video HERE. (Link to come)

You can find the leaflet HERE.

Epiphany - 6 January 2022

We celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord with an online mass.

You can find the service HERE. (Link to come.)

You can find the leaflet HERE.

It is our custom every year to bless chalk with which you can mark the door of your house. Here’s how it works!

The Blessing of Chalk

Since the Middle Ages there has been a tradition that on the feast of the Epiphany blessed chalk is used to mark the entrance of homes with the initials of the Magi and the numerals of the new year, connected with crosses:

20 + C + M + B + 22

The initials remind us of the legendary names of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. This can also stand for the Latin motto: Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless this house.” In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites marked their doors with blood so that the Lord would pass over their homes; but in this ritual, we mark our doors with chalk as a sign that we have invited God’s presence and blessing into our homes.

It is traditional to write the inscription on the lintel, above the door, but it can be written anywhere near the entrance.

As you are writing, you may wish to pray one of more of the following prayers:

May all who come to our home this year rejoice to find Christ living among us; and may we seek and serve, in everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is Lord, forever and ever. Amen.

Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only-begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our concern for others may reflect your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord our God, bless this household. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness, and the keeping of your law. We give thanks to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Our Parish Profile

On behalf of the Parish Leadership Team and the Parish Panel, we wish you a Happy New Year. With hope, 2022 will start to ease many of the stresses that we have all felt during the past year.

The Parish Panel has been able to meet all of its scheduled milestones and are pleased to let you know that just prior to Christmas, first interviews were held with two candidates who were provided to us by the Bishop. Second interviews are scheduled for this coming Saturday.

As part of the Panel's information-gathering process, we administered a survey, held a series of focus groups, and received input from the leaders of all the various groups in the parish. That culminated in a comprehensive Parish Profile, which we are sharing with you today. You can read it HERE. We believe it represents an honest reflection of where we currently stand as a parish and where, with hope, we're heading as a faith community.

Rob Castle, Rector's Warden

Heather McGregor, People's Warden

An organ recital in progress: part 115

Dear SMM Community,

The next part of my online organ recital is here, and I hope that you enjoy it. I offer up these musical meditations as part of our parish efforts to find ways to keep you connected at this time. Recorded on my house organ, the instrument is a musical facsimile of the great 'Father' Willis organ at Salisbury Cathedral.

Today, I present Sverre Eftestøl's Seven allegorical pictures based upon the Norwegian folktune 'Kling no, klokka'.  

The  Seven allegorical pictures based upon the Norwegian folktune 'Kling no, klokka' by Sverre Eftestøl (born 1952) are dedicated to the concert organist Christopher Herrick. Eftestøl studied piano and organ in Kristiansand and Oslo, and composition with George Crumb and Mauricio Kagel in Salzburg. The Norwegian folk tune  Kling no, klokka (Sound the bell) comes from the Oppdal region, though a variant of the tune can be traced back to Halle from 1705 or 1708.

With best wishes,
Andrew Adair
Director of Music

Poetry at SMM

Following on our Advent Prayer Calendar, we are beginning a new series of poems and meditations for 2022. Once a week, we will be offering seasonal poems and meditations for your enjoyment and inspiration, each read by a member of our parish. Our first poem in the winter season, for New Year's Eve, is Alfred, Lord Tennyson's, "Ring Out, Wild Bells".

You can watch the complete series HERE.