The 12th Century Chapel of Our Lady at Roquessels, situated high up on the hill overlooking the village, is a special and very spiritual place to celebrate Holy Communion.
Monica and Simon Coulshaw had secured the necessary permissions from the Mairie and the Catholic hierarchy and worked hard to prepare the chapel for the service. Alison had arranged a cleaning party for the Saturday but when we got there we found the Mairie had already done the job so Monica and Ingrid only had to re dust the pews and distribute the candle-lights while Nigel made sure the karaoke machine would stay the course on batteries only..
Came Sunday, the weather was glorious. A congregation of some forty strong arrived early and were so enthused by the setting and the breath-taking views that it took even longer than usual to shepherd them to their pews, get them to sit down and be quiet. The adults were worst than the children!
The chapel was packed. The service was beautiful, the atmosphere magic.
Alice read a difficult bit of Romans with huge aplomb. Roger preached one of his gently inspirational sermons. Communicants managed to negotiate their way along the narrow single side-aisle to the altar and back without undue jostle.
We concluded with an absolutely rousing rendering of "You shall go out with joy" accompanied by Roger on the guitar.
After Communion we repaired to the delights of a splendid shared luncheon in Simon's winery at Domaine des Trinités, very adequately irrigated with a selection of wines generously donated by Simon.
A truly memorable occasion that many would like to repeat annually. Our thanks to all who contributed to its success, especially to Monica and Simon.
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