Journal

Anniversary of the Dedication of our Abbey Church

27 August 2010

Today 27th August is the anniversay of the Dedication of the Abbey Church.  The Church was dedicated on 27th August 1961.  The interior of the church was reordered in 1990 to bring it into line with contemporary liturgical norms and the needs of the community. 

The Abbey Church is the place where we assemble seven times a day to pray together, to sing God’s praise, to listen to the Word of God, to celebrate our faith, and to be fed at the table of the Lord.
The word ‘church’ means ‘convocation’ or ‘assembly’.  The church is the assembly of those whom God’s word gathers together to form the People of God.  Nourished by the Eucharist, this people becomes the Body of Christ.  The Holy Spirit is the source of the Church’s life, unity, and gifts, and makes the Church the temple of the living God.

The term ‘Church’ applies, therefore, first of all to the people,  the assembly of believers, who are the “living stones” in the Temple of God.  The building where this people gathers for worship is also called ‘church’, a place which signifies and makes visible the Church living in this place.

The altar, around which we gather is the focal point in the area of the church where we assemble for the Eucharist.  To this altar we bring our gifts of bread and wine, symbolising ourselves and all we are.  On this altar the gifrts are offered to God in remembrance of the saving death and resurrection of Jesus, and the sacrifice of the cross is made present under sacramental signs.  From this altar, the table of the Lord, we are fed with the Body and Blood of Christ as our saving food.

The ambo is the place from which the Word of God is proclaimed.

The president’s chair, used by the priest when he is not at the altar or the ambo, is designed to indicate that he is both a member of the family gathered around the altar and one who plays a special role within that family as head of the liturgical assembly.

“The hour has come when true adorers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.  God is spirit, and all who worship must worship the Father in spirit and truth.”  John 4:22-24

The sisters assemble in the stalls to celebrate the liturgy of the Hours, prayer of praise and supplication. The stalls are designed in the traditional style with two ‘choirs’ facing one another.

The tabernacle where the Body of Christ is reserved after Mass stands at the east end of the church.

The blue tiles around the altar, ambo and tabernacle indicate that these are holy areas where something particularly special happens.

The icon depicts the Virgin Mary under her primary and greates title: Mother of God.  Intimately bound to her Son, her check gently touches his in a gesture of tender care.

The windows in the apse, with their abstract stained-glass design, provide a feature of great beauty and light in the church, while the clear glass and view of the countryside outside connects us not only with nature but with the world and all its people while we pray.

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