Term Card, Hilary Term 2010

We have a busy and exciting line up of Masses this term.

First Week
Thursday 21st Jan, 7pm, Feast of St Agnes
St Anthony of Padua, Headley Way, Headington

Third Week
Tuesday 2nd Feb, 6pm,
Candlemas: SS Gregory & Augustine, Woodstock Road.

Fourth Week
Saturday 13th Feb, 11.30am,
Votive Mass of the Martyrs of England and Wales
Our Lady of Light, Long Crendon.

Fifth Week
Wednesday 17th Feb, 6pm
Ash Wednesday, SS Gregory & Augustine's.

Sixth Week
Saturday 27th Feb, 11.45am
LMS Pilgrimage (Ember Saturday of Lent)
Shrine of Our Lady of Caversham.

Eighth Week
Monday 8th March, 7.15pm
Newman Society Termly Mass (Feria of Lent)
Oxford Oratory

Friday 12
12th March, 6pm
Feast of St Gregory, patronal feast for SS Gregory & Augustine.

End of Term Masses

The end of term has been exceptionally busy and I have been behind posting up photographs. What is worse is that the camcorder used to capture the singing has stopped working - with an inaccessable video on its hard disk.

Requiem, with the blessing of the catafalque, at the chapel of Milton Manor. More photos here.

We have had a very successful last few weeks, singing at a Requiem at Milton Manor, and then the First Friday of December at SS Gregory & Augustine. Since the end of term a group composed of schola members, plus a member of the St Gregory parish choir, sang at a special Mass at SS Gregory & Augustine to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the ordination of Fr John Saward.
Fr Saward has been a great supporter of the schola over the years and it was a privilege to sing at this Mass of thanksgiving. It was followed by a party with the parishioners in the parish hall.

Our termly dinner - or lunch - took place after the Milton Manor Mass, when we went to Didcot for an excellent meal in the new branch of Cibo there, with Fr Simon Leworthy, the celebrant of the Mass, and the serving team.

Next term's term card is shaping up nicely and will be posted up soon. This term has represented a great step forward for the schola, with the addition of polyphony and important input from Philip Duffy's day of training. We have never sounded better.

Plainsong and Medieval Music Society conference

We have been notified of the 2010 conference of The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society to be held in The Old Library, Pembroke College, Cambridge on Saturday 13 March. The conference will feature presentations of research by current graduate students, followed by a roundtable on careers in Medieval Music.

They are calling for abstracts. Full details on their website.

Chant Course with Nick Gale

Booking is now open for a three-day chant course (9th to 11th April 2010) with Nick Gale, the Director of Music at St George's Cathedral in Southwark. Active members of the Schola Abelis can attend the course for free by special arrangement, but the course is open to all. For more details see here.