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718: St Michael and All Angels, Paulsgrove, Porstmouth, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mystery Worshipper: Liber Usualis. The church: St Michael and All Angels, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, England. Denomination: Church of England. The building: A modern brick building with bell tower. Inside is a by-the-book ordered church with tasteful modern Catholic touches throughout. The neighbourhood: The area is 10 minutes outside the city of Portsmouth and is a normal suburb of a fairly major city. The cast: Fr Gary Waddington SSC was the principal celebrant. Fr Philip Barnes SSC was the concelebrant and preacher. |
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What was the name of the service? The Parish Mass (Advent IV). How full was the building? There were about 60 people in church. Did anyone welcome you personally? The head server welcomed me and showed me around before the service. Was your pew comfortable? Perfectly acceptable pews, and nicely spaced so you can kneel. Such a rarity these days! How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere? There was a sign asking people to talk to God before mass and each other afterwards. The congregation seemed to heed to this in the main. What were the exact opening words of the service? "In the name of the Father..." What books did the congregation use during the service? A very well presented service booklet which was produced in-house, and the New English Hymnal. What musical instruments were played? An electronic organ. Did anything distract you? The only distraction was a pleasant one – sunlight pouring in through the windows and causing a lovely effect with the incense as our prayers rose up to God. Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what? Modern Catholic liturgy at its very best. Good hymns, nice mass setting and all very fitting to the occasion and the location. Exactly how long was the sermon? The homily lasted 14 minutes. On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher? 8 Fr Philip Barnes is the Shrine Priest at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. The message was true and clear and presented in a friendly manner. In a nutshell, what was the sermon about? Fr Barnes spoke to us about the continuing wait for the incarnation and the relation between Our Lady and God and how we can relate it to our relation with Our Lord. Which part of the service was like being in heaven? The procession arriving at the image of Our Lady right at the end of the recessional hymn just in time for a glorious sung rendition of the Angelus domini. And which part was like being in... er... the other place? Hmm... if I must say something, then it would have to be the painting of St Michael behind the high altar (see picture above). What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost? I was offered coffee and introduced to the Vicar (Fr Waddington) and the preacher. I was informed of the Christmas services and told that I was "always welcome". They were a very friendly bunch! How would you describe the after-service coffee? Instant in a cup. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain about either. It was Advent, after all. How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)? 10 this church has friendly people, good liturgy and a tasteful building. Can it really be Church of England? Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian? Absolutely. What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time? The sung Angelus, which was very fine. |
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