Music Ministry Day at Smithstone House - 27 October 2001

On Saturday 27 October we held another event at Smithstone House. The morning was led by Noel Donnelly, who shared with us some of his own compositions and explained how they could be used during the liturgy.

In the afternoon we had a brainstorming session, chaired by Father Con Botter, about why people do and don't sing in church. We ended with music suggestions for children for Advent and Christmas, led by Christine and George Gardner from Darvel.

As usual, Smithstone House looked after us very well, and we wish to thank Father Botter and his helpers for their hospitality.

Music Ministry Day at St Teresa's Dumfries - 15 September 2001

We held a music ministry day led by Father Gerry Fitzpatrick at St Teresa's Church Hall in Dumfries on Saturday 15 September. This was the first event we have organised in the south of the diocese and we were pleased that over 20 people were able to attend, and delighted to finally meet people who had just been 'names' and 'voices over the telephone'.

We started the day with Morning Prayer, and looked at psalms, Gospel verses and other music for Advent and the Christmas season. We also considered the role of Mary in modern worship, learnt about the Jesse tree, and ended with Evening Prayer using music we had learned during the day.

We are very grateful to Father Gerry and his three cantors, Mary, Elspeth and Grace for leading the event, and to St Teresa's for letting us use their hall and providing us with tea and coffee and some excellent home baking! We look forward to visiting Dumfries again in the not too distant future.

Galloway Music Festival Mass - 12 August 2001

The Galloway Music Festival Mass was well attended and enjoyed by everyone present. We were glad that Bishop Taylor was able to join us as Principal Celebrant, and that Father Botter was able to concelebrate. The weather could best be described as '100% cloud cover' - there was just enough rain to bring out a few smiles but fortunately not enough to soak us! The music group consisted of keyboard, flute, violin, viola and six or more (we lost count!) guitars, and the result was a lively and enthusiastic sound. Overall there were slightly less people present than last year (about 60) which is not surprising considering the weather conditions!

Music Ministry Day at Smithstone House - 10 March 2001

The music ministry day held in March was attended by twenty seven people from various parishes around the Diocese. We started with a relaxation session led by Father Botter which was a lovely way of putting everyone at ease at the beginning of the day.

Our first workshop was on the Galloway Mass and was led by Raymond McCluskey of St Joseph 's Kilmarnock . Raymond was able to provide background information about James MacMillan and his music which was very interesting and informative and helped us to better appreciate and interpret the music of this Mass.

After lunch we divided into small groups and discussed the music in our parishes and how it is organised. We found that many of our experiences and problems are shared by other parishes, and were able to share and learn from each other's ideas.

The last workshop of the day had everyone joining in new music. The first part was hymns to well known Scottish melodies (led by Michael McCulloch and Lilian Devine), and we finished by learning some new choruses from Charismatic renewal (with Eleanor Glen Kelly). This was thoroughly enjoyed.

Our thanks are due to the workshop leaders and to Father Botter and his helpers for their hospitality.