Helping out and rotas
Fr Tony, Fr Antony and Fr Eddie are delighted that our parishioners are willing to share their many different gifts. However the parish also has a need for a vast array of skills and abilities.
There are almost unlimited ways in which you can help out and make this “our” parish. Whatever your talent you could be of great help. All are welcome to share the load of creating the "welcoming parish" that Pope Francis urges us to be. We have listed some of the current opportunities for getting involved; just click on the tab for more information about each.
To find our how YOU might help please contact Fr Tony, our parish priest in the Friary on 01275 842333 or email him here
N.B. Massive thanks are due to every helper including those whom we may have missed. Sorry! If you let the office know of our omission we will gladly correct the error.
Altar Serving
Young people who have made their First Holy Communion are welcomed as altar servers at either Clevedon or Yatton. Full support and training is provided to enable you to enjoy this service to God and the parish.
Please contact the Parish Office for more information.
Flower Arranging
Our team of flower arrangers create fine floral displays that glorify God with their beauty each week. Their full talent is shown on special occasions such as Christmas, Easter and also for weddings. Not only would they appreciate your donations, they would also appreciate your help. They will happily help you gain the necessary skills.
As above, please contact the Parish Office to offer your help. Thank you.
Welcoming
if it is needed. If you have a question or a concern, please approach one of them.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC), previously known as Eucharistic Ministers, assist in the distribution of Holy Communion at Mass and by taking Holy Communion to housebound people. If you know anyone who would like to receive Holy Communion, but is unable to attend the church, please inform the Parish Office.
The EMHC rota for the parish church in Clevedon can be found here.
Reading
We thank all members of the Lay Reading Ministry - they are an important demonstration that members of the congregation are more than passive attenders at a service. They are part of the Liturgy, part of the Celebration of the Mass.
Click on the link here to see the Current Readers Rota – if you have any questions about this rota, please contact the Parish Office (01275 873205)
Click on the link for the Reading Rota for Yatton (Rota from Jan 2026)
Liturgy Group
The Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy (CSL, 10) states, “The liturgy is the summit towards which the activity of the church is directed; it is also the source from which all its power flows”. Furthermore CSL 14 states “it is very much the wish of the church that all faithful should be led to take that full, conscious, and active part in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy to which the Christian people, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people” (1Peter 2:9, 4-9) have a right and to which they are bound by reason of their Baptism.”
The Liturgy Group meets twice a year to prepare and plan the various Liturgies prescribed by The Church throughout the Liturgical year. It takes its representation from all the ministries involved in the delivery of the Liturgies. Membership is by invitation but is open to all parishioners who wish to help improve our Liturgies.
The next year will again be one of learning for those involved in the liturgy. It is often cited that as we give shape to the liturgy, the liturgy gives shape to us. I hope that we are able to pull more people into preparing the liturgy over the next year. I also hope that the parish will take the opportunity to engage in more evangelisation and catechesis, as these are integral to the deepening of our faith and underpin our liturgy.
If you wish to help with preparation of Liturgy in the Parish, please speak with one of the Friars or email the Parish Office here
Vincent McLaughlin
Universal Prayer Writers
Rota for the current year click >here< for rota from July to November 2026.
In his First Letter Timothy urged his readers to devote themselves to prayer for all people.
Timothy wrote: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time."
The early Christians followed this advice, and the “Prayer of the Faithful” became part of the liturgy of the early church. By about the 6th Century, the Prayer had disappeared and only the short “Kyrie Eleison” remained, reflecting a decline in the people’s participation in the Eucharist.
The restoration of the Prayer of the Faithful was among the earliest changes in the renewal of the liturgy after the Second Vatican Council. The Council declared that “The Prayer of the Faithful is to be restored after the gospel and homily, especially on Sundays and holy days of obligation” thus reclaiming the role of the congregation in praying for the needs of the world.
Today the Prayer of the Faithful is known as the Universal Prayer.
Children’s Liturgy
The reading of the Word of God during Sunday Mass is an important celebration in which Jesus is still talking to us and proclaiming the Good News.
Our Children’s Liturgy group consists of children of all ages (up to and including Year 6) who celebrate their own Liturgy of the Word at the 10 am Mass in Clevedon.
In Greyfriars, our parish hall, we welcome the children and immediately involve them in celebrating and praising God through the use of music. With a selection of child-friendly songs and music tracks, the children are encouraged to join in, using a selection of musical instruments, and often moving around the hall in time to the music.
We then concentrate on the reason for our praise, by using readings that have wordings more suited for the children. They are based on the reading for each particular Sunday. We also try to include more familiar prayers such as the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, plus a short form Creed, which is especially for the children.
The group is run by volunteers and anyone interested in assisting would be very welcome. Please contact Sarah through the Parish Office for any questions. Many thanks to Sarah Ivaldi and the Team for their continued commitment.
Click on the link to view or download the Children’s liturgy leaflet
Music/The Choir
The Choir - The Serious Bit
What is a Catholic choir and what is its purpose? Well, the members of a choir are ministers, together with all who have a role in the running of the parish. They are servants of God, the parish and the universal Church. Their ministry is to lead the congregation in song during a sung Mass on Sundays, Solemnities and on special occasions such as a wedding or funeral. As a ministry, membership of the choir is not a thing to be taken lightly.
Chapter VI of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which was solemnly promulgated by Pope Paul VI, says:
- The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy…
Therefore sacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites.
- Liturgical worship is given a more noble form when the divine offices are celebrated solemnly in song, with the assistance of sacred ministers and the active participation of the people.
- Religious singing by the people is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical services, the voices of the faithful may ring out according to the norms and requirements of the rubrics.
To put it simply, our job is to lead the congregation in song, and to ensure that what we sing corresponds to the Liturgy of the Word for that particular Sunday or Solemnity.
The Practical Bit
We meet together in the church at 7:30 on Thursday evenings and, after catching up and news, we open the Lectionary and look at the readings for the following Sunday or Solemnity. The readings will usually jog our memories and suggest suitable hymns but there are indexes in the hymn books which give specific hymns and psalms for every Mass. We are, of course, bound by copyright and can only sing music that has been purchased by the parish office. By the time we introduce a new Mass setting, a lot of thought, practice and funds have gone into it.
The Fun Bit
Choir practice is the place where the written music comes alive and harmonies are born so regular attendance is very important. Some of us can only read music a note at a time but Vincent McLaughlin leads us with a velvet glove and we have discovered that we can create our own arrangements which blend, in turn, with the very capable voices of the congregation.
Making music together is a rather intimate thing and we have developed close bonds. We are good friends and trust one another. Very importantly; we have FUN! There is nothing dreary about the choir.
A small group of regular members of the congregation at the Chapel of St Antony and St Dunstan, Yatton, meets most Wednesday evenings at 1900 to choose and practice the hymns for the week. All are most welcome to join us but do check with Anthony Palmer that the rehearsal is on!
However, we don’t make enough “Joyful noise unto the Lord” and need more singers and musicians desperately. All you have to bring is a tuneful voice and/or an instrument and commitment.
Choir Prayer Before Mass
O Lord, please bless this music that it might glorify your name.
May the talent that you have bestowed on us be used only to serve you.
Let this music be a witness to your Majesty and love, and remind us that you are always watching, and listening, from your throne above.
May your presence and beauty be found in every note, and may the words that are sung reach the hearts of your people so they will draw closer to you.
May your Spirit guide us through every measure so that we might be the instruments of your peace, and proclaim your glory with glad voices. Amen.
If you are interested in joining the choir, or have other queries please contact Vincent McLaughlin via the office on Tel: 01275 873205
or email here – or talk to us after Mass on Sunday.
If you have an interest in singing or playing an instrument on Saturday evenings, please contact Tom: email here
Counting
As well being an important part of the Liturgy of the Mass when we offer our hard-earned money to the Lord, the Mass Offertory collections are a vital element of parish funding. Therefore it is important that the monies are accurately counted and attributed. Additional volunteers are always being sought.
If you are willing to assist, please contact Tom at the Parish Office - tel: 01275 873205 or email here
Click here for current Counting Rota
Church Shop / Repository
The church shop (repository) sells Christian cards and books, bibles, rosaries, crucifixes, statues and gifts suitable for marking Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. There is also a small selection of beautiful religious icons exquisitely hand-painted by a local artist and parishioner. The monies received for the icons are donated exclusively to the San Damiano Fund for church refurbishment.
The shop is open before and after Mass on Saturday evenings and on Sunday mornings.
We take cash or cheques but unfortunately are not able to process payment by debit or credit cards. The small financial surplus from the shop (apart from sales of icons) is given to the Friary to contribute to the living costs of our four friars.
New volunteers to join the shop rota are always welcome!
Please contact Jenny by email here
Church cleaning
Cleaning the church is good housekeeping – but it is also a demonstration of respect for God’s house and respect for those visiting the church for private or communal worship.
For the Clevedon Church Cleaning Rota click here
If you are willing to give some time to help keep the church clean and tidy, please contact the parish office by phone on tel: 01275 873205 or email here
Coffee
Small Altar Linen Laundry
Please contact Ruth Hale if you can help with the Small Altar Linen rota via the Parish Office.
We are looking for someone to take on the important role of Sacristan who is responsible for the behind-the-scenes preparations for mass. If you would like to know more please speak with one of the Friars or email the Parish Office
Historical Note
Dr Alastair MacLeod, a retired GP and a much respected doctor in Clevedon, was in charge of the laundering of the Small Altar Linen. When he started with this responsibility unknown. Suffice it to say that he was still producing handwritten SAL rotas in 2002, which were photocopied and distributed to a team of eight launderers including himself.
Dr MacLeod was awarded the Bene Merenti Medal on 6 October 2002. He was the last Apostolic Syndic to be appointed in this parish by the OFM in December 1953. The office was dispensed with before his death on 3 May 2006. The Parish History, written by Michael Huscroft and published in 2004, gives further details.