The beauty of the abbey church, wonderful music, and the ancient texts of the Bible bring the hope of Christmas to all.

Four simple elements combine to make Taizé prayer:

Psalms / Chants

Jesus prayed these age-old prayers of his people. Christians have always found a wellspring of life in them. The psalms place us in the great communion of all believers. Our joys and sorrows, our trust in God, our thirst and even our anguish find expression in the psalms.

Readings

Reading Scripture is a way of going to “the inexhaustible wellspring by which God gives himself to thirsting human beings” (Origen, 3rd century). The Bible is a “letter from God to creatures” that enables them “to discover God’s heart in God’s words” (Gregory the Great, 6th century).

Silence

When we try to express communion with God in words, our minds quickly come up short. But, in the depths of our being, through the Holy Spirit, Christ is praying far more than we imagine.

Although God never stops trying to communicate with us, this is never in order to impose. The voice of God is often heard only in a whisper, in a breath of silence. Remaining in silence in God’s presence, open to the Holy Spirit, is already prayer.

The road to contemplation is not one of achieving inner silence at all costs by following some technique that creates a kind of emptiness within. If, instead, with a childlike trust we let Christ pray silently within us, then one day we shall discover that the depths of our being are inhabited by a Presence.

Prayers of intercession

A prayer composed of short petitions or acclamations, sustained by humming, with each petition followed by a response sung by all, can form a kind of “pillar of fire” at the heart of the prayer. Praying for others widens our prayer to the dimensions of the entire human family; we entrust to God the joys and the hopes, the sorrows and the sufferings of all people, particularly those who are forgotten. A prayer of praise enables us to celebrate all that God is for us.

Sarah Roberts and Annie Robertson, two of the local team of worship enablers, invite you to join them for an uplifting service.

Drawing on the ancient rhythms of Celtic prayer from Northumberland there will be times of praise, prayer, silence and music.

This year, you are invited to remember loved ones, whether they died recently or many years ago, by tying a ribbon or piece of cloth with their name on in one of the churchyards, and to join the local community of remembering at one of the annual services.  

You might also wish to tie a ribbon for those unknown to you who have died in the pandemic, from the result of climate change, in Afghanistan, or with peace-keeping forces. Remembering can be a form of lament, of protest or of anger, too.

Collect a length of colourful ribbon from a church, or use your own colourful ribbon or piece of cloth c.a. 2.5cm/1” wide, and c.a. 60 - 90 cms / 2’-3’ long.

Write the name(s) of the person/people you wish to remember, then either tie the ribbon/cloth in place - this may be on a tree in the churchyard or similar - or leave them to be tied for you. At each church, the place for tying ribbons will be clearly marked.

The ribbons will be left in place until Advent Sunday (28th Nov.)

REMEMBERING WITH RIBBONS:  a gentle service of music, poetry, and silence

Sunday 31st October 4pm, St Michael’s, Ewyas Harold

 or Tuesday 2nd November, 7pm at Dore Abbey

At each service, the names of those to be remembered will be read. If you wish to remember someone by name, please let us know by phone:

St Michael’s on 31st Oct - tel. Ruth Wrigglesworth 01981 242068

Dore Abbey on 2nd Nov - tel. Hazel Prowse 01432 344096

Choral Evensong: St Michael and All Angels.

Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the three named biblical angels, depicted as the beloved messengers of God. Michael, which means ‘who is like God?’

A basilica near Rome was dedicated in the fifth century in honour of Michael on 30 September, beginning with celebrations on the eve of that day, and 29 September is now kept in honour of Michael throughout the western Church.

Hymns (AMNS)

163 Angel-voices ever singing

532 Ye watchers and ye holy ones

13 Abide with me - (Archangel Michael is regarded as the protector of those at the hour of death)

The Abbey, in common with all Cistercian foundations, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The earliest feasts relating to Mary grew from the cycle of feast days that celebrated the birth of Jesus. To these were added celebrations of Mary’s life - her conception, birth, presentation in the Temple in Jerusalem, and her death.

September 8th celebrates Mary’s birth, known from the 6th century as Marymas and recorded in a hymn of that era. It falls nine months after the feast celebrating her conception.

In France, Marymas is known as Our Lady of the Grape Harvest and the best bunches of grapes are taken to churches to be blessed. Not unlike our celebration of Lammas - loaf mass - on 1st August when the first bread from the first harvest of barley was blessed.

with Archdeacon Derek Chedzey

and the Rev. Angie Kateley

Outdoors if the weather is fine. In the Abbey if wet.

An Outdore celebration of the first loaf of bread made from the first wheat of the first harvest.

Lammas is an ancient Christian festival - the word comes from the Old English words for loaf and mass - recalling all the blessings of life.

Come from 0845 for a 0900 start (more or less, we know how tricky it can be to arrive on time). Bring a picnic breakfast, a rug or chairs. If it’s drizzling we’ll be under one of the glorious beech trees. If it’s raining, there’s lots of room in the Abbey.

The young and young at heart - and everyone else - is welcome.

Outdoors if the weather is fine. In the Abbey if wet.