NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS IN RURAL BRITTANY

‘O come, O come, Emmanuel’

‘Venez, divin Messie’

Since the year 2000 an annual ecumenical service of ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ has been held during Advent in the village church of St Hernin at Locarn in Central Brittany. The service has now become a much appreciated local tradition. It began as the brain-child of English residents Margaret and David Ray and their French friends Lætitia and Françoise Dallongeville, Each year the service attracts well over two hundred people drawn from local French and English residents, as many as the church can hold. This year’s service was again graced by the presence of the Bishop of St Brieuc, Mgr Denis Moutel, as well as by other local clergy. The service is supported by the Chaplaincy of Christ Church Brittany which has been without a priest-in-charge for the last eighteen months and is currently seeking a new appointment. Through the assistance of the Diocese in Europe Christ Church has had a succession of locum priests who have helped to maintain and develop its work. The current locum, the Revd Roger Wikeley, arrived in Brittany just two days earlier and was able to take an active part in this service.

In addition to four biblical readings In French and four in English one lesson is read in Breton. The service sheet provides transcripts of each reading in both French and English. The carols are similarly divided and this year’s musical accompaniment was provided by a small instrumental group. As the year’s have passed there has been an increasing confidence within the congregation to join together in the singing of all the carols, irrespective of language.

A retiring collection raised 250€ for the Bishop in Europe’s Advent Appeal

Refreshments followed the service using the splendid facilities of the nearby ‘Institut de Locarn’.

Christmas Social Evening at Ploërmel - 9th December 2011

The Christmas Social was a great success with the evening including a version of the story of the Nativity. This was based on a 1980’s now re-invented and included three ‘Angels’ called Gabriella, Cherub and Angelica.

Supper was included in the evening, which included a soup course followed by of a finger buffet with many favourite items and proved to be a big hit.

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