Anne's Blog

Wednesday 25^th June 2009
Start of the countdown to the opening of the festival on Saturday evening.

At 11o’clock Brian, the man with the van, arrived at All Saints (AllSS) to de-clutter the church – all the wooden chairs were taken into store and wooden trestles etc. then to SS Peter and Paul (SSPP) to cover the treasures with bubble wrap and bring them back for the exhibition. Going from the sacristy into the church there is such a nostalgic smell of decades of polish and incense. Bill had helped take all the vestments to AllSS last week to give the flower arrangers a sense of the space and colour allocated to them; they were lent a stole belonging to ‘their’ vestments to give an idea of the colour of flowers to order.

In the afternoon to the UCM meeting to ask for help with refreshments – good response for cakes for Tuesday evening.

Later, started to put the dummies and stands in their arches and cover them with albs and put out some of the vestments; the modern gothic chasubles show very well on the dressmakers dummies - they hang beautifully in folds.

Finished writing the guide and did the fiddly colour bits, there is probably a quicker way of doing it but no time to experiment.

Thursday 25th June
Early to the Vicarage for Jeff to print the guides on his whiz of a copier that prints on both sides, folds and staples all at once.

The stands that were made for us were delivered and proved perfect to show the roman vestments; a volunteer helped to put the vestments on their stands and into their places.

Covered the SSPP standing notice boards with dark blue felt they look neat and the drawing pins stay in!

A flower arranger arrived to put greenery in place for the two large displays in the sanctuary – even without flowers they look very dramatic.

To SSPP school in the afternoon to judge the ‘alternative’ flower arrangements they had made from the material I had given them; they were beautiful, finer than I had ever hoped; chose six winners, one from each class and gave them each a fridge magnet of Our Lady and a holy picture. Later stuck the plates full of flowers on to the backs of the chairs with sticky dots – 120 of them!

Ironed some of the older non –crease resistant albs and finished at 1.30 am by ironing Baby Jesus’ dress!

 Friday 26th June
Thought that maybe would find all the children’s flowers had fallen off, but only six on the floor. Most of the flower arrangers arrived to make a start on their displays. They appear with buckets full of greenery and flowers, often still with buds wrapped tightly and in no time a beautiful, imaginative arrangement emerges. A little blue rowing boat also arrived for the St. Nicholas display for the Feast of SS Peter and Paul. The SSPP contingent had been to the Liverpool flower market at 4am yesterday! Most of the arrangers are members of the New Brighton flower club; they are such a lovely group to work with; they share material and ideas and look after each other’s displays and they have fun.

Two colourful posters arrived from OLOL School; they brighten up the entrance dramatically.

Delivery from the printers of the catalogues, the small cards for prayers and 1000 more flyers, the first 2000 flew out all over Wallasey and to every priest in the diocese. All the publicity looks very eye catching with the photo of the lamb and banner on a gold background. The printer had also made us a visitors book – wonder how many will have signed it by the end of the festival?

Later to Tesco to buy wine for the evening meetings. The flower arranger for the sanctuary arrived at 8pm to put the flowers into her two large displays. She had brought a very tall man to help and he was very useful in putting up the borrowed Red Cross display boards and moving the rather fragile AllSS boards; these with the three SSPP boards make a good divider between the entrance and the main body of the church.  Started to hang 38 stoles and 28 maniples over the top of the boards to show the exquisite embroidery and colouring.    

Saturday 27^th June
All the major flower displays are now in place and the smaller arrangements for the various tables arrived – each containing all the liturgical colours and each in a very different style; the whole entrance (and exit) area looks so vibrant – just right for a Festival of Colour.

Hasty call to Norma, the vicar’s wife, to borrow another dummy for the beautiful, white and gold chasuble discovered, belatedly, in a box.

Cleaners arrive at 3pm, not much to clear up as the flower arrangers are so tidy. Standing in the church after they had left and looking round – yes – it was even better than imagined back in February when the offer of curating an exhibition was proposed and accepted! All saints’ Church lends itself to this kind of exhibition; each flower arrangement is different in shape and colour and the vestments too vary in shape and colour yet because of the arcades and wide, tall arches and stout piers it doesn’t look busy but rather serene.

Back to Tesco again for last minute supplies and then home to change quickly before returning to the 6pm Mass, the vigil Mass for the Feast of SS Peter and Paul.

People coming in for Mass at first did not seem to realize there was a festival in the church – but then Fr Feeney processed in and nobody could have been in any doubt that something different was happening – John, you could never have thought that when you said “I’ve never done a flower festival” that a few months later you would be saying Mass surrounded by Liturgical Colour and vested in spangles! The red Philomena chasuble looked splendid.

At the end of the Mass there was a very special cause for celebration – Tom Toland was presented with the Papal Medal Bene Merenti. Tom was an altar server at the first Mass in SS Peter and Paul’s church in August 1935 and also at one of the last 73 years later. Fr. Feeney acknowledged Tom’s commitment to the Parish and loyalty to his Bishop over so many years, which had been outstanding.

First experience of visitors going round the exhibition with the Guide leaflet; they seemed to understand it the principle of the tableaux and enjoy the whole.

Refreshments with wine and homemade biscuits in the hall afterwards, very jolly. Home at 9pm, just put feet up when the telephone rang – Paloma and Sylvia were locked in the church –Bill had to go to the rescue – mortified!

Sunday 28^th June
A few last minute tweaks before the Bishop Brian arrived. He decided to wear the dark red velvet, half gothic chasuble which is heavily embroidered with gold twisted thread; apparently he said afterwards it was like wearing his sofa! A lovely Mass, the children’s Pray and Play Group made the offertory procession very colourful with banners and balloons all in liturgical colours and none of the balloons escaped. The festival was well and truly launched.

A lull after the Anglican service – will anyone come? Yes, a steady stream of people until 4pm. AllSS doing the refreshments and homemade cakes and taking the money they made to pay for their flowers – a lovely orange display around the pulpit.

Monday 29^{t h} June
Fr. Lucas said Mass and wore the dark green velvet chasuble embroidered in gold and orange from the Ordinary Time tableau which has a display of mainly orange flowers by English Martyrs.

Several groups of visitors throughout the day; everyone seems to know each other as old neighbours or they went to school together and were delighted to meet up again. St. Alban’s did the refreshments - lovely scones and strawberries and cream; their display on three levels for the Christmas tableau is very glittery and sets off the old white and gold chasuble and the huge processional canopy. They have brought the crib figures from St. Alban’s; they sit beautifully on the carved dark wood chest belonging to AllSS.

The hall is well used in the evenings but it means the tables and chair have to be put away at the end of each afternoon and put out again each morning.

Home to make fruit scones and cheese scones for SSPP refreshments tomorrow.

Tuesday 30^th June
Long day ahead. Canon Lightbound said Mass and wore the modern red chasuble from the Good Friday exhibit. He stayed for tea afterwards and looked out of the window in the hall onto the Captain’s Pit where he sailed his model yacht as a small boy.

Steady stream of visitors throughout the day. Home for a short while to change and then back for 7pm Mass. UCM’s from St Joseph’s, Seacombe, and English Martyr’s are planning on coming; at ten to seven it was decided there were too many cakes and too many wine glasses as there were only about twenty people and then all of a sudden the church was full with over a hundred people.

Norman Carew, the Permanent Deacon from St Joseph’s had come with their contingent and he wore the matching dalmatic to the newly found white and gold full gothic chasuble which Fr. Feeney wore - John made it a very special Mass and it was the start of a happy evening.

The girl guides were in the hall so the refreshments had to be at the back of the church. There was not as much room as usual because the screens divided the nave of the church but people managed to find somewhere to sit and chat with old friends from other parishes. Pauline Carew had brought the Our Lady UCM too.

Wednesday 1^st July
Anglican service to start the day and afterwards AllSS did the refreshments. Several people came back today because they were so busy talking to friends last night they missed the exhibition!  Being in the church throughout the day, it is interesting to see how the light shines on the different areas from the sanctuary in the morning, through the tall west window in the afternoon and the high windows in the evening.

Thursday 2^nd July
Very busy day! Fr. Lucas said Mass and wore the oldish green damask roman chasuble. This is an example of an old embroidered monogram sewn on to newer material. The St. Nicholas refreshments team arrived carrying plates and containers of delicious looking cakes and goodies.  All their parishioners turned up to visit the exhibition and brought their friends and neighbours; people were disappearing into the hall and only coming out to get more tables; Elizabeth had created the display for the feast of SS Peter and Paul with its three arrangements of dark red flowers, a boat for St. Peter and a bible for St. Paul; throughout the week people were asking about an unusual flower with a frilly head, apparently it is called ’the brain flower’ because it looks like a section of a brain – good talking point. Elizabeth had also baked most of the cakes and made ham and cheese rolls for lunch; they easily covered the cost of their flowers; there must have been over a hundred people came to the exhibition today.

Friday 3^rd July
Canon Hoban said Mass in the modern red chasuble for the feast of St. Thomas. Several visitors had come back for a second look and often brought someone else.

Brought binoculars to look at the saints on the four high stained glass windows. What a co-incidence – the first is St Dorothy who carries a basket of three roses and the fourth is Tabitha, also called Dorcas, who was a dressmaker and carries vestments across her arms – the church was made for a Festival of Flowers and Vestments!

Saturday 4^th July
Fr Feeney said Mass in a white and green full gothic chasuble from the hanging rail of vestments not in the tableaux; it was probably made in the ‘50s because the main decoration was still at the back. A good number of visitors, there was never a time with no-one in the church. Fr. Lucas said the 6pm Mass wearing the modern green chasuble with the motif of loaves and fishes on the back and front; the silver embroidered fishes glisten.

Several people stayed after Mass to view the exhibits and more arrived later, wine and refreshments at the back of the church – quite a party. Was careful not to lock anyone in!

Sunday 5^th July
The last day of the Festival - it has gone wonderfully well. Although we decided from the beginning that we would not count visitors, judging by the number of Guides that have gone, there have probably been around four hundred people round the exhibition, far more than expected. After mass several people bought catalogues to send to friends abroad – some even wanted them signed!

A definite lull at lunchtime and then some people arrived early for benediction so that they could take a last look at the SSPP ‘treasures’.

3pm – what a delight to close the Festival with Benediction! Fr Feeney wore the 1950s cope embroidered with roses and the matching humeral veil; the gothic tower monstrance from the exhibition was happily reunited with its pyx - it was a prayerful experience.

Afterwards John thanked every one who had helped to make the Festival such a wonderful event and presented the Curator with aids to relaxation: whiskey and bath oils – very pampering! 

Monday 6^th July
After Mass, started to take the Exhibition apart - harder work than putting it up because it is not nearly as much fun. The flower people take down their arrangements much quicker than they put them up but are still as tidy – ten black bags of dying foliage for the cleaning firm to take tomorrow.

Tuesday 7^th July
The cleaners arrived at 9am and one vacuumed every inch of the carpets and the other mopped the stone floors and polished every bit of wood in sight. Put back the blue chairs and took off the children’s ‘alternative’ flowers; they really were amazingly creative with a small paper plate and a few liturgically coloured paper serviettes and bits of gold doilies!

Many of the flowers are still looking good; everything from the festival is piled at the back of the church.

Wednesday 8^th July
Sent off to the Cluster newsletter a ‘thank you’ to the SSPP parishioners - quite a list of tasks they undertook during the Festival. Composed a ‘thank you’ card in Liturgical Colours to take round to individuals – so many helped!

Brian, the man with the van, arrived on time to bubble wrap the treasures, take them and the vestments back to SSPP and then bring the wooden chairs back to AllSS; they were placed along the walls in the arcades - they look somehow monastic.

Now, the Festival is over; John wrote in the newsletter “ The decoration of the church was fabulous and the prayerful Masses and services have certainly achieved what we hoped for, that the festival would give glory to God.”

A.M.D.G