best picks for the First Sunday Advent

[alan29]

I also have resigned in the past. But for the opposite reason to Oops. Mine was a case of nobody being prepared to take responsibility for the odd Sunday so that I could take a weekend off to visit my children who all live in different parts of the country.
I'm afraid I got so rattled that I just walked, having given the PP one weeks notice. stayed away for ten years. Now I just go and join in as the pianist, and am much, much happier.

[oopsorganist]

Thankyou for those few kind posts. It is much appreciated.

I am sorry for taking the thread off topic and look forward to information about parish formation.

[JW]

Oops, I resigned last Easter from directing music in the parish - I advertised it as a sabbatical but I don't think I'll go back, especially as the PP said in his sermon on the talents a few Sundays back that people are leaving the parish because we no longer have a decent organist or choir. I wondered why people are disillusioned with our parish and am very intrigued to learn that it's my fault. PP does say that this is a misinterpretation of his sermon - he wants people in the congregation to come forward to fill the void.

I went because there was so much complaining about the choice of music, both within and without the choir. Some of the old musicians are still involved for the main Mass. I seemed to do more and more running around for people (including cantoring the psalm more than once at the last minute unaccompanied when a cantor didn't turn up and didn't let me know). No carol service in our church this year either. But the Clapping Gloria is making a comeback and singing the psalm is now a rare event.

I've received requests to help out from other churches but like others in the parish I'm loathe to leave a parish which has been my spiritual home for nearly 40 years. It might come to that though.

I now just play for Weddings & Funerals, plus the Saturday night vigil if I'm there - the PP chooses the hymns. Am not posting our parishes choices in Advent on here to spare possible embarrassment.

Look on the bright side - you don't have to be at a certain place at a certain time on a Sunday!

[oopsorganist]

Just so, just so.

It is broke and I can't fix it. I was watching someone (can get piccies on line, hooray) reward the catholic teachers with a little bookie and feeling, like, hey, I am a catholic teacher, where is my bookie, but then, hey, I probably read that already and know how it ends... so how is that justice for those of us who are outside of ( I imagine) the comfortable zone of the Catholic School? Are we just invisible?

Are we not all valuable in our go forth and do whatever mode? From the cleaning lady to the Lord of industry? Why are there not bookies for all?

Off topic but best buried here.

[VML]

This morning we had:

Prepare ye the way of the Lord (Schwartz- Godspell)
Just the two lines repeated x4.
In family discussion later, our son told us this was used at a World Youth Day Mass in Toronto, so not as off the wall as I thought.

The Psalm Response was improvised, sung to 12 string guitar at lectern. Verses spoken by same musician.
Eucharistic Acclamation was spoken, when the assembly have the chant in front of them in the Farnworth Mass booklets.
I have stuck to these EAs this year, (I do alternate weeks), to reinforce them with the parish.

I was not involved this morning. It saddens me that short cuts are happening, PP has stopped singing Dialogue and Doxology
We had kept sung psalms going since the 80s. Also, I think if a psalmist is not going to sing the verses, then the verses belong to the reader.
If I say anything, I am told I am the only person who would notice.

(I have posted some of this on another thread, but some of the issues follow here.)