Rotas and helping out
There are almost unlimited ways in which you can help out and make this “our” parish. Any talent, or willingness that you can offer can be used – the existing volunteers will be delighted to welcome you so that more can be done and or they could take a break – the more there are , the greater the parish involvement.
In addition to the roles described on the following pages parishioners help in the following ways …
– enhancing the worship by Altar Serving
– Flower Arranging for the altar and other parts of the church
N.B. Massive thanks are due to every helper including those whom we have missed. Sorry! If you let the office know of our omission we will gladly correct the error.
Altar Serving
Young people who have made their first communion are welcomed as altar servers at either Clevedon or Yatton. Full support and training is provided to enable you to enjoy this service to God and the parish.
Please contact the Parish Office tel: 01275 873205 for more information.
Flower Arranging
On the week to week regular Masses our team of flower arranging help to present a fine display of decorations that contribute to making our church not only welcoming but also easy to pray in. Their true talent is shown on special occasions such as Christmas, Easter and also for weddings. Not only would they appreciate your donations, they would also appreciate your help. They will happily help you gain the necessary skills.
As above, please contact the Parish Office to offer your help. Thank you. tel: 01275 873205 for more information.
Examples of other helping volunteers are listed on the right
Room for your talent
In his “Welcome!” Fr Reg makes the point that in our parish there are people of many shapes and sizes – furthermore there are people of many different talents. However the parish also has a need for a vast array of skills and abilities.
Whether your talent is in Finance, Cleaning or IT you will be of great help. Readers and Coffee makers, Welcomers and Cash Counters and those with maintenance skills all are welcome to share the load of creating the type of ‘welcoming parish’ that Pope Francis urges us to be.
If you can spare a little time occasionally – someone in the parish will be delighted to receive your help.
Please give it a go – thanks
If you wish discuss how you might help please contact Fr Reg at the parish Office tel 01275 873205 or email here
Welcoming
Welcoming It is all too easy for parishioners and visitors to enter the church, hear Mass and leave without speaking to another human being – this may be their wish! So be it. However our Welcomers (aka Ushers) are there to provide a smile, a greeting and assistance if it is needed. If you have a question or a concern, please approach one of them.
Click here for the Welcoming/Ushers Rota
Special / Lay Minister
Special (Eucharistic) Ministers Lay members of the parish, officially known as “Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist” often assist in the distribution of Holy Communion, either during the Mass, or afterwards, by taking Holy Communion to housebound people. If you know anyone who would like to receive Holy Communion, but is unable to attend the church, please inform the Parish Office
To send an email here click here Tel no: 01275 873205
Click on the link for the Clevedon Eucharistic Ministers Rota
Yatton Special Ministers The special ministers at Yatton are … Judy Marshall Breeda Morton Carmel Wear
Liturgy Group
The Liturgy Group’s purpose is primarily to assist the Parish Priest in ensuring that the major Feasts of Christmas, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost are suitably prepared for. In addition the group assists with the planning for major Solemnities and special events [First Communion, Confirmation, Children’s Liturgy and the quarterly Masses f0r Children/Young people for example.
Themes for Advent and Lent are discussed with speakers being organised as appropriate, Orders of Service are produced in conjunction with the Parish Office and Newsletter items are arranged as appropriate e.g. Remembrance Sunday.
The principal participants are the Parish Priest and Deacons, the Music Director, the Parish MC and representatives from Yatton, the Children’s Liturgy Group and other relevant parish interest Groups whilst liaison with the organisers of the Ushers, Readers and Eucharistic Ministers is maintained as appropriate.
The current composition of the Group [June 2016], other than the Clergy and Deacons, is Cath Hanley, Berni Jordan, Paul Keenan, Tess Lawrence, Vicki McHugh and Carmel Wear.
The Liturgy Group meets three/four times a year with ad hoc meetings as necessary.
For further information, contact the Parish Office.
Children’s Liturgy
The reading of the Word of God during Sunday Mass is an important celebration in which Jesus is still talking to us and proclaiming the Good News.
Our Children’s Liturgy group consists of children of all ages (up to and including Year 6) who celebrate their our own Liturgy of the Word at the 10 am Mass in Clevedon.
In Greyfriars, our parish hall, we welcome the children and immediately involve them in celebrating and praising God through the use of music. With a selection of child friendly songs and music tracks, the children are encouraged to join in, using a selection of musical instruments, and often moving around the hall in time to the music.
We then concentrate of the reason for our praise, by the use of readings which have wordings more suited for the children. They are based on the reading for each particular Sunday.
We also try to include more familiar prayers such as the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, plus a short form Creed, which is especially for the children.
The group is run by volunteers and anyone interested in assisting would be very welcome. From September 2018 the Children’s Liturgy will be co-ordinated by Sarah Ivaldi – contact the Parish Office for any questions.
Many thanks to Bernie Jordan, Vicki McHugh and Tessa Lawrence for their years of commitment.
Click on the link to view or download the Children’s liturgy leaflet
Music/The Choir
The Choir By Jo Hickey
The Serious Bit
What is a Catholic choir and what is its purpose? Well, the members of a choir are ministers, together with all who have a role in the running of the parish. They are servants of God, the parish and the universal Church. Their ministry is to lead the congregation in song during a sung Mass on Sundays, Solemnities and on special occasions such as a wedding or funeral. As a ministry, membership of the choir is not a thing to be taken lightly.
Chapter VI of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which was solemnly promulgated by Pope Paul VI, says:
- The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy…
Therefore sacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites.
- Liturgical worship is given a more noble form when the divine offices are celebrated solemnly in song, with the assistance of sacred ministers and the active participation of the people.
- Religious singing by the people is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical services, the voices of the faithful may ring out according to the norms and requirements of the rubrics.
To put it simply, our job is to lead the congregation in song, and to ensure that what we sing corresponds to the Liturgy of the Word for that particular Sunday or Solemnity.
The Practical Bit
We meet together in the church at 7:30 on Thursday evenings and, after hugs and news, we open the Roman Missal and look at the readings for the following Sunday or Solemnity. The readings will usually jog our memories and suggest suitable hymns but there are indexes in the hymn books which give specific hymns and psalms for every Mass. We are, of course, bound by copyright and can only sing music that has been purchased by the parish office. By the time we introduce a new Mass setting, a lot of thought, practice and money has gone into it.
The Fun Bit
Choir practice is the place where the written music comes alive and harmonies are born so regular attendance is very important. Some of us can only read music a note at a time but Cath Hanley leads us with a velvet glove and we have discovered that we can create our own arrangements which blend, in turn, with the very capable voices of the congregation.
Making music together is a rather intimate thing and we have developed close bonds. We are good friends and trust one another. Very importantly; we have FUN! There is nothing dreary about the choir.
However, we don’t make enough “Joyful noise unto the Lord” and need more singers and musicians desperately. All you have to bring is a tuneful voice and/or an instrument and commitment.
Choir Prayer Before Mass
O Lord, please bless this music that it might glorify your name.
May the talent that you have bestowed on us be used only to serve you.
Let this music be a witness to your Majesty and love, and remind us that you are always watching, and listening, from your throne above.
May your presence and beauty be found in every note, and may the words that are sung reach the hearts of your people so they will draw closer to you.
May your Spirit guide us through every measure so that we might be the instruments of your peace, and proclaim your glory with glad voices. Amen.
If you are interested in joining the choir, or have other queries please contact Catherine Hanley on Tel: 01275 877748
or email here – or talk to us after Mass on Sunday.
Reading
Lay readers are an important demonstration that members of the congregation are more than passive attenders at a service. They are part of the service, part of the sacrament.
Click on the link to see the Reading Rota for Immaculate Conception, Clevedon – co-ordinator contact Parish Office tel: Tel: 01275 873205
Click on the link for the Reading Rota for Yatton
Cashier
The Mass collections are a vital element of the parish funding, so it is important that the monies are accurately counted and attributed. Additional volunteers are always being sought.
If you are willing to assist, please contact Tom at the Parish Office tel 01275 873205 or email here
Click here for Cashier Rota
Church cleaning
Cleaning the church is good housekeeping – but it is also a demonstration of respect for God’s house and respect for those visiting the church for private or communal worship.
For the Clevedon Church Cleaning Rota click here
For the Yatton Church Cleaning Rota click here
If you are willing to give some time to help keep the church clean and tidy, please contact the parish office by phone on tel: 01275 873205 or email here
Printing the Newsletter
The Parish Newsletter is not only enjoyed by many parishioners, it is also found to be very useful as a source of contacts and a reminder of the days and times of specific services. However there is is a volume of hard work behind its production – compiling, designing and finally printing. Again we offer our thanks to the various individuals and teams who give up their time to ensure that the Newsletter is compiled, printed and made available for distribution at both Clevedon and Yatton on Saturday/Sundays.
Click here for the Printing the Newsletter Rota
Coffee
We live in a world of constant hustle and bustle so it is very easy to forget that there is a welcome in Greyfriars after 10am Mass on Sundays. Sharing a cup of tea or coffee is a way for parishioners to get to know each other better.
Clearly it can be daunting to enter a buzzing room where every one else seem to know each other. But please give it a go – find one of the coffee helpers and introduce yourself adding “… and I don’t know anyone!”
We are trying to become more welcoming – so please drop in and give us a chance.
| Tea & Coffee Team | Date | Date | Date | Date |
| Clare Somerton, Maggie Norman, Joe Norman | 16 Dec | 13 Jan | 10 Feb | 10 Mar |
| Clara Alvarez, Jenny Henneberry | 23 Dec | 20 Jan | 17 Feb | 17 Mar |
| Ann Walsh, Annemarie Mitchell | 30 Dec | 27 Jan | 24 Feb | 24 Mar |
| Sabina Bobruk, Florence Stuart, Barbara Blackman | 6 Jan | 3 Feb | 3 Mar | 31 Mar |
Would the coffee team please hoover the carpet before leaving Greyfriars, so that it is left clean for people booking Greyfriars on Sunday afternoon.
Small Altar Linen Laundry
Laundry of the linen used at Mass in the Parish, is a weekly task.
Fortunately we have a team of eleven parishioners, not exclusively female, who undertake this Ministry.
The items laundered usually comprise Purificators, Finger (Lavabo) towels/napkins and Corporals. And from time to time a Priest’s amice and the servers’ white altar gloves. Starch is not a modern requirement.
A rota is issued every five months.
Click here for the current rota.
Contact: Ruth Hale, Sacristan via the Parish Office.
Historical Note
Dr Alastair MacLeod, a retired GP and a much respected doctor in Clevedon, was in charge of the laundering of the Small Altar Linen. When he started with this responsibility unknown. Suffice it to say that he was still producing handwritten SAL rotas in 2002, which were photocopied and distributed to a team of eight launderers including himself.
Dt MacLeod was awarded the Bene Merenti Medal on 6 October 2002. He was the last Apostolic Syndic to be appointed in this parish by the OFM in December 1953. The office was dispensed with before his death on 3 May 2006. The Parish History, written by Michael Huscroft and published in 2004, gives further details.