Three Months in Exile

As the main Church building closed for the redecoration, we moved to the Hall for all Masses. We soon got used to going in by the side door and through the Crypt corridor, finding the Hall looking remarkably like a church. The altar had been put on the platform, with the St Damiano crucifix above it; a tabernacle was in the corner one side and the hymn board on the other. There was even the small font there.


The musicians took their place at the back, with an electronic keyboard which played either as an organ or a piano, according to the preference of the organist.

There were pluses and minuses to this arrangement. On the positive side, there was a good feeling of warmth and companionship as we pushed together on the chairs to make room for everyone. On the more negative side, we missed the statues and the candles (too much of a fire hazard in the squash) and there was a certain confusion getting everyone seated, especially as the back chairs always seemed to fill up first! Embarrassed members of the congregation arriving half way through the Mass were escorted to seats right at the front. Kneeling down was out of the question.

The organist could not see the celebrant when the congregation were standing, and sometimes had to guess when to come in.

On top of all this, we were still going through the swine flu restrictions: no chalice and just a nod at the Sign of Peace.

All in all, although we were grateful to have had such a good place in which to worship as a temporary measure, it felt like a real return from exile when we at last returned to the main Church on the second Sunday of Advent. Phew!

(Marion Morgan)