On Sunday 11th June, an inaugural Mass was held at St Peter's School Hall to celebrate the new
Catholic Parish of Guildford. The Parish encompasses the four former Parishes of
St Edward's, St Joseph's, St Mary's and St Pius X. Instead of holding morning Masses at all four Churches, the Bishop decided that
there would be only one Mass, which would be an open-air Mass for
everyone. As it turned out, it was not open air at all because it rained the proverbial 'Cats and Dogs'! So, the 800 people who attended assembled in St Peter's School Hall which, fortunately,
had the capacity to accommodate them all.
Bro. Claude was the scheduled first reader but the person who normally takes him to Mass for some reason, Bro Claude said, didn't show up! Not to be thwarted, he dashed off on foot covering a distance of almost one mile from his flat to the school and, thankfully, arrived in the nick of time. Then, the thoroughly drenched Bro. Claude was whisked unceremoniously through the wrong door past the Bishop and his entourage and with just three seconds to spare, took his place just as the Bishop was reading the collect.
However, there were further complications. It was the 11th Sunday of the Year C, and the Bishop without Bro. Claude's knowledge, had changed the 1st Reading from 2 Samuel 12.7 - 10.13, which is what Bro. claude had prepared, to 1 Kings 8:55-61. Fortunately Bro. Claude knew 1 Kings 8:55-61 because he had read it three or four Sundays before. Then, totally out of breath and still very wet, Bro. Claude, bowed but not beaten, commenced the reading. Phew!
Bro. Claude was the scheduled first reader but the person who normally takes him to Mass for some reason, Bro Claude said, didn't show up! Not to be thwarted, he dashed off on foot covering a distance of almost one mile from his flat to the school and, thankfully, arrived in the nick of time. Then, the thoroughly drenched Bro. Claude was whisked unceremoniously through the wrong door past the Bishop and his entourage and with just three seconds to spare, took his place just as the Bishop was reading the collect.
However, there were further complications. It was the 11th Sunday of the Year C, and the Bishop without Bro. Claude's knowledge, had changed the 1st Reading from 2 Samuel 12.7 - 10.13, which is what Bro. claude had prepared, to 1 Kings 8:55-61. Fortunately Bro. Claude knew 1 Kings 8:55-61 because he had read it three or four Sundays before. Then, totally out of breath and still very wet, Bro. Claude, bowed but not beaten, commenced the reading. Phew!
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| Bro. Claude bowed but not beaten! |
