Christmas 2003 at Saint Faith's
This year’s Christmas celebrations at Saint Faith’s followed the traditional pattern, and the pictures on this and the following pages show something of how we marked the great feast of Christ’s Nativity.
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The Christingle Service, on Christmas Eve, is a fine family occasion, centred on the telling of the Christmas story to children (and their parents!). After the homily, given this year by visiting Mirfield ordinand Derek Hyett, the children brought up the money they were giving to the Children’s Society, and were given decorated Christingle oranges in return. When these had been lit, the children processed round the darkened church, singing familiar hymns and carols, with helpers strategically placed on fire watch!
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The Christmas Midnight Mass was celebrated with traditional ceremony and splendour at the High Altar, with the illuminated Christmas crib seen below the Nave Altar in one of our pictures. Follow  this link  to read Fr Neil Kelley's sermon at this sermon and some prayers for the Christmas season. On Christmas morning we see the procession bringing the Gospel to be read in the midst of the congregation, and two members of the congregation braving the wet weather to depart in style after the service.
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The crowded schedule left time for one less formal event: the Carols and Punch evening held before Christmas in the Church Hall. Geoff Moss’s pictures on the final page of this link show assorted parishioners enjoying the choir’s singing, various seasonal readings and, of course, the festive food and drink on offer.
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Text and remaining pictures by Chris Price.

 

 

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