Mountain-top Alleluias, Liturgical Comfort Breaks and Community: A Report on Our Easter CPW 2019

Yearning to Sing our Alleluias - A View from the Chair

The four days which our community spent together on Easter CPW were both sun-soaked and truly blessed by God. 

The blurb for the event made the bold claim that we would ‘fully enter into the Triduum, by living, learning and worshipping in community.’ We did indeed celebrate the Three Great Days in a complete and participatory way which made manifest the riches of our tradition.  We also found practical solutions for liturgical challenges – a comfort break in the middle of the Vigil for small children to go to bed seemed a great idea (we won’t divulge that the bar almost opened in the break). These Triduum liturgies were complemented by other beautiful prayer times; Stations of the cross, a Service of lament, Evening prayer on Good Friday and a mountain-top Alleluia on Easter morning.

Those of you who have previously attended CPW events which I have chaired will know how I like to make the most of every available moment in the programme. So in addition to the beautiful liturgies we also reflected theologically on the themes of the Triduum.  Our spiritual guides for this were Tom O’Loughlin and Jean Vanier on Footwashing, Richard Rohr & Cynthia Bourgeault on Atonement Theology, Von Balthasar on Holy Saturday, and John O’Donohue on the resurrection.

We also found the time to help out Sue the chef in the kitchen, and also wash up.  These acts of service helped to form and reinforce our community. Our community was further enriched by both the range of generations and nationalities present. With participants coming from Kenya, Canada, Australia, Germany and Wales it was certainly the most international CPW I have attended.

The fine weather made spending time in the beautiful Welsh countryside a joy. In our free time, many walked in the local area or spent an afternoon or two on the beach.

Our time together was holy not because of what we remembered about Jesus’ last days but because of how we gave of ourselves and allowed Jesus’ presence to work within each one of us. I am left feeling deeply satisfied, grateful, and refreshed from the experience. Thank you.

Clare Guidi, Easter CPW Chair, 2019