Ruth Harley

My favourite ever toddler addition to the dismissal is "Biscuit time!" (followed by a swift dash towards the biscuit tin)

At the end of this morning's mass:
Me: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Congregation: In the name of Christ. Amen.
Toddler: All done!

When it comes to liturgical formation, start 'em young, I say!

#CofEpeeps #Narthex ✝️🕯⚓️

It took a while of them doing this consistently, clearly and explicitly before I believed they really meant it (because of, um, also past experience). But they do, and it's wonderful.

My parish is truly excellent at this. From the outset they made it explicitly clear they wanted a priest who has good boundaries around time off (due to, um, past experience, shall we say). And when I have held those boundaries they respond with "right, good" rather than "but can't you just to X".

My favourite is Shutte's "Rivers of Glory" sung unaccompanied any time I am asperging people (which includes every Sunday during Eastertide). Somehow it just really suits this congregation. Probably my most persistent liturgical earworm since arriving here!

Tbh I think our current repertoire of 3 (People's Mass for ordinary time, Gathering Mass for Christmas/Easter, Santo Mass for Advent/Lent) has got us covered in terms of mass settings for now. Plus various bits of Dan Schutte have made their way into other bits of the liturgy and really work for us.

Well, that would depend which liturgical season we are in!

That's a very fair point. Although, when I say 'together'... not necessarily all in the same key or at quite the same speed or anything. Heartfelt and worshipful, yes. Technically... um... ropey, I think would be fair. But I love it so, so much.

I will give it some thought.

I realise this is a fairly niche liturgical music situation! (They do not realise it is in any way unusual. To the extent that they didn't tell me before I presided there for the first time that they sing a mass setting. They just... did it. Because *obviously* that's what they do.)

I will be very interested in any liturgical bits and bobs which would work for a congregation of about 20 with no musicians and who don't read music, but are accustomed to singing an unaccompanied mass setting together each week and confidently tackle the litany of saints etc.

Oh, this is lovely! I can definitely see us adding it to our repertoire at my church which does a lot of unaccompanied congregational liturgical singing. Thanks for sharing.

It's a system designed by people who all know accountants, lawyers, doctors etc socially, for people who... don't.

My churchwarden was very unhappy that he wasn't allowed to do it for people during the long vacancy before I arrived. And he's right to be, tbh. He's every bit as reliable and trustworthy as I am... but retired car mechanic isn't on 'the list'.

Indeed. It's something I get asked to do a lot in the parish because I'm the most approachable 'professional' (no cost, no appointment booking system, walking distance from parishioners' homes).

On a wooden table top: a cup of tea, and assortment of packets of seeds, a guide to the Northumberland Coast Path, and a secondhand copy of Mary Daly's "Wickedary".

I have the makings of a truly excellent day off. #TinyJoys (Plus, not pictured, purring cat on lap.)

In fairness, numbers 11-19 (odd) were all down the alley. And also numbers 42-56 (even). As I say, there's no logic to it! I have heard of the practice of leaving out 13, but never lived anywhere it actually happened.

Probably my least favourite thing about ministry on a housing estate is ridiculous non-sequential numbering of the houses. Today I was going along the road looking for number 13: 3, 5, 7, 9, um... 184. Huh?!? Number 13 turned out to be round the back, down an alley off a completely different road.

Wonderful news! I'm so pleased for you, and for the church.

Yes, one is plenty.

#TinyJoys Sitting next to my 8 year old niece at the Planetarium involved a brilliant combination of awestruck wonder and extremely deep questions. Lots of "woah... this is so epic" but also "how did gravity come about in the first place?"

Failed to actually eat any because I was so engrossed in leading the pancake-themed games at our church pancake party (occupational hazard!). But apparently they were excellent.

A baking tray full of palm crosses.

The same baking tray, now containing a heap of ash.

Last year's palm crosses have become this year's ashes.

Ash Wenesday 18th February,
Holy Eucharist with Ashes:
9.30am at St Wilfrid's Newbiggin Hall.
7pm at St Peter's Cowgate.
Everyone welcome.

"Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return.
Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ."

I regularly wear clergy shirts which belonged to my TI when she was a curate. She was ordained 23 years before I was. Also still have a skirt which I wore a lot as a teenager, which I inherited from my Mum who wore it a lot when she was a teenager (my Granny made it for her).

I can't quite remember what exactly it does, but what it ties itself in knots to avoid is "thou on earth both priest and victim in the eucharistic feast".

It's a very distinctive smell! And a handy teaching moment: 'what a dead rat smells like' is a useful piece of knowledge for parish ministry, in my experience (along the even more unpleasant 'what a dead rat stuck on a hot pipe smells like').

Oh, I am also cross about this. I wanted it for the offertory at my first mass, but was in a church with Mission Praise, and I couldn't bring myself to use the mangled version so had to choose something else. Still quite cross about that incident, specifically, tbh.

A box of scratch art notes and a copy of Mary Daly's "Outercourse" on a dark green desk.

A bit of Mary Daly, a bit of scratch art... Nobody could say that the resources I draw on for preaching are not eclectic! Looking forward to bringing these two together tomorrow to help us reflect on the Transfiguration.

(If anyone wants to hazard a guess at the link between the two, feel free!)

Oh, and Bananagrams - good entry-level option for those who are not sure about board games but like words (just guessing there may be some in that category among the group you are catering for...)

Do you have Snake Oil? My current favourite for a group. Also: Articulate, Taboo, Balderdash. (I do like a silly word game!)