St Gregory's

I have mentioned before our church's rather fine Hardman windows, displaying scenes from the life of our patron: St Gregory is taking choir practice (the Gregorian chant, don't you know). I was disappointed - a while back - to hear that the Cheltenham Festival of Music had turned us down as a venue, as it's a fine place for a concert.

Fifteen parish-based organisations submitted reports at our annual meeting last night, including our present music group, containing plenty of Youth. At the other extreme, the SVP rep. said they were looking for young blood - that is, anyone under the age of 70.

Our much-loved priest, Canon Bosco spoke of an "explosion of lay involvement in this parish, a family of faith, a school drawing out a prayful response to God's love." But he was, he admitted, missing his youthful assistant, Fr. Tom - given his own parish elsewhere last Autumn - and never more so than in Race Week, when he would go off, eager as a newborn lamb, only to return crestfallen, his bets misplaced. Loss, though, is "an essential part of the mystery of our faith."