BREAKING BREAD

SSG Summer School

New Hall, Chelmsford, Essex

July 26 –30

This was to be my tenth Summer School and my third visit to New Hall.  It was also a very special year for the association being the 75th Anniversary of its foundation. Eighty five members gathered  for the summer school. We had already had a weekend at Ampleforth in April, ‘revisiting our roots’. The aim of the association is to promote good liturgy and music in parishes.

 The theme for the week was based on the Emmaus story, moving from sorrow through confusion and despair to hope and joy. Our keynote speakers  were Father Alan Morris who set the scene in the introductory lecture. Next day Alan Smith (our Chairman)  gave us an audio Visual presentation on the “SSG Story”. Abbott Alan Rees spoke on “The Word”. Then  Father Aidan Rossiter spoke on Sacrament, and lastly Andy Raine on Mission. I could not begin to write about the content of these lectures in the space available here. Each was outstanding in a different way.

 We were all able to attend two workshops. I was fortunate to get a place in the Schola which was led by Paul Inwood. This really stretched me! I found myself sight reading and singing way above my usual standard! My second workshop was “A choir’s Journey of Faith and was led by Christopher Walker. These sessions were great fun, as we kept breaking off to learn and sing new songs. Christopher is very sincere and an inspiring teacher, but at the same time he is great fun and we laughed a great deal!

 He impressed on us that only three things matter in choir singing  - Rhythm, Rhythm, Rhythm! By the end of the week he only had to say ‘there are only’ and we would chant the answer back in unison!

 The Liturgies were as usual superb. This year Peter Jones and Paul

Inwood  were in charge and a tremendous amount of planning and thought had gone into  their  preparation. Our first Liturgy was entitled ‘We remember our Journey on the Road.’ We started in the hall and processed   out into the grounds for a ‘Palm Sunday Procession’—the noise of the singing and the drums was indescribable. The mood changed as we came into the chapel to find a display of all the symbols of the Passion. Our readings and music led us through the Crucifixion and Death.

 Next day we assembled in Silence and the theme was “He explained that the Scriptures were about himself.” Then on Thursday we celebrated Eucharist  “They recognised Him in the breaking of Bread.” Our concluding Liturgy  took the theme of Mission—a sending back into the real world.

 It wasn’t all hard work! We had the use of an Olympic  sized swimming pool—if one got up early! There was the usual “Oflit” inspection a humourous quiz when selected teams were examined on their knowledge of obscure liturgical facts, and of course there was the concert when the talented  among the group entertained the rest of us. Lastly there was the celebratory  dinner when we had the speeches and the Chairman cut the 75th Anniversary cake.