Ecumenical service with Pope

Press, 15 October 1986, Page 7

Ecumenical service with Pope

Christchurch churches have combined musical talents to prepare for the only ecumenical service to be celebrated by Pope John Paul II in New Zealand, when he visits Christchurch on Monday, November 24. The service at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament at 9 a.m. will be broadcast live throughout New Zealand. The

Cathedral is the only church the Pope will visit while in New Zealand. Christchurch had been chosen as the venue for the ecumenical service because it was regarded as the most ecumenical city in New Zealand, said one of the organisers of the musical programme for the service, and the musical director for choir and orchestra at the

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Mr Don Whelan. “Christchurch churches have always enjoyed a harmonious relationship, and have often worked before for combined Christian services,” he said. Up to 160 singers from about seven inner-city churches will be accompanied by about 40 members of the Cathedral orchestra. The musical programme has been prepared in the last three months by the musical directors of Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist churches including Mr Whelan, the organist and choirmaster of Christchurch Cathedral, Mr David Childs, and the musical director at the Durham Street Methodist Church, Mr Wallace Woodley. Choirs from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch Cathedral, Durham Street

Methodist Church, St Paul’s Trinity Pacific Church, Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, the Salvation Army, and St Michael and All Angels’ Church, as well as a combined Samoan choir, would present a "musically exciting” service, said Mr Whelan. Pope John Paul would be greeted with a Maori welcome and a fanfare and brass ensemble. During the service the Pope would also bless a new chapel near the altar, called the Unity Chapel. Musically, the Mass at Lancaster Park at 11 a.m. would be “more of a utilitarian occasion,” said the chairman of the musical organising committee for the Christchurch visit, Professor John Ritchie. A former head of the School of Music at the University of Canterbury, Professor Ritchie has been responsible for organising a 1000-member choir for the Mass. Choir members, aged 10 to 70, in parishes and schools

from Invercargill to Nelson, have been learning their scores for several months, "The Mass is fairly functional because it is outdoors and you need a lot of people to even make a mark,” said Professor Ritchie. Several non-church musical groups have also volunteered to contribute, including the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, the Christchurch Harmonic Society, the Christchurch Liedertafel, and the Cecilian Singers. Each group has had to practise separately because of the difficulty in arranging practice times. A final combined practice will be held at the park on the morning of the Mass. Professor Ritchie has composed the fanfare for the Polish national anthem, as well as composing the score for some of the pieces to be played by the New Zealand Army Band. The band will also accompany the choir.