Adoration

Music Workshops with Pawel Bebenek and Rosary Vigil

Music Workshops with Pawel Bebenek and Rosary Vigil

On 28th October 2017, the Rosary Shrine welcomed the Polish composer Mr Pawel Bebenek who works closely with the Dominican Liturgical Centre in Krakow, Poland. Together with Br Marcin Dyjak OP, they led some thirty singers, including our six Dominican novices and a Dominican Sister, in a day of liturgical music. Pawel brought together a group which had never sung together before, and within minutes they began to sing, and to make music. Pawel pointed out that making music means that one listens to the others, works with them, and enjoys producing melodious sounds. It was exhilarating to hear the group become a choir that made beautiful music for the Lord. One of the first pieces they sang during the workshop was Pawel’s setting of the famous words said to the Divine Mercy: “Jesus, I trust in you”. The video below is of this piece but sung in its original Polish.

Br Marcin also gave a couple of talks on the history of liturgical music, and about the development of the Dominican Liturgical Centre (DLC) and its distinctive style which combines Gregorian chant, Byzantine chant tones, harmonised chant, and new compositions written in the classical genre. The DLC style was much-acclaimed at WYD 2016 in Krakow, and again by the US Bishops at their meeting of tens of thousands of lay ministers in 2017 called ‘Convocation’. We were grateful to be able to bring the DLC’s music to the Rosary Shrine.

The singers who had attended the Workshop sang in the evening at a Rosary Vigil. The Blessed Sacrament was exposed on the Throne of the Rosary Shrine, and during the Holy Hour, confessions were heard and Scripture readings were read, interspersed with songs from the DLC repertoire. The second part of the Vigil consisted of a Eucharistic Procession around the church, and the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary were prayed. Between each Mystery the singers sang parts of the ‘Akathist hymn to the Theotokos’ which is a 7th-century Byzantine hymn in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Incarnation of the Lord at the Annunciation. The hymn was sung in English, and the first English translation of the hymn was made by Fr Vincent McNabb OP who had lived and worked in St Dominic’s. The final part of the Vigil consisted of Benediction, and afterwards the Dominican friars sang Dominican Compline in Latin.

On the following day, Pawel Bebenek conducted a smaller group of singers who contributed to the music at our 10am Sunday Mass. It was a beautiful, prayerful and “very moving” experience, as one person put it.

Below are some photos from the workshops and Rosary Vigil, a fitting culmination to the Month of the Holy Rosary. We expect to hear more from Pawel Bebenek and the DLC in coming years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Adoration

Daily Adoration

“I want to encourage everyone to visit – if possible, every day – especially amid life’s difficulties, the Blessed Sacrament of the infinite love of Christ and His mercy. He is reserved in our churches but often abandoned. Visit Him to speak filially with Him, to listen to Him in silence, and to peacefully entrust yourself to Him” – Pope Francis.

Beginning on 14th September 2017, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the main Altar of the church for adoration. This will be done every weekday after the 7:30 am daily Mass (i.e., from around 8 am) until 9:45 am, just before the 10am daily Mass.

This is in addition to the Holy Hours at 7 pm on Wednesday (during the Youth 2000 Prayer Group); 5 pm on Thursday, and 10:30am on Saturday.

The Lord says: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:23). So, let us go to him, present in the Blessed Sacrament, and let us receive his mercy, his strength, and his peace. May the Lord Jesus renew and refresh our parish and all who come to this Rosary Shrine.

Example Widget

This is an example widget to show how the Left sidebar looks by default. You can add custom widgets from the widgets screen in the admin. If custom widgets are added then this will be replaced by those widgets.

Latest Parish Newsletter

View Latest Newsletter  

Read more

Sponsor a Lamp

Lighting a Votive Lamp for Your Prayer Intentions Use the secure form below to sponsor one or more lamps in our church. A week-long lamp will burn for your intentions before the Altar of Our Lady of the Rosary, or

Read more