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Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus
Ex Maria virgine, gaudete!

Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born
Of the Virgin Mary — rejoice!

The time of grace has come—
This that we have desired,
Verses of joy
Let us devoutly return.

God has become man,
To the wonderment of Nature,
The world has been renewed
By the reigning Christ.

The closed gate of Ezekiel
Is passed through,
Whence the light is born,
Salvation is found.

Therefore let our gathering
Now sing in brightness
Let it give praise to the Lord:
Greeting to our King.

Gaudete C16th

As our Advent journey draws to a close, as we come to the cusp of the Christ Mass, our thoughts turn to Mary. The ark of the new covenant, mother to beloved disciples, mother of God, queen of heaven, or simply the greatest Christian who ever lived. The language Christians us to speak of this remarkable young teenage girl who carried God incarnate within herself, magnifying the lord in her very flesh, has varied through the centuries.

On Fire is a small Christian Conference held at High Leigh during the week. It attracts around 160 people from a wide range of backgrounds and ages, although its timing and history mean that there are a large number of people over 45, and fewer people of working and child rearing age.

What is unique about On Fire Mission is that it is "a network dedicated to promoting Charismatic renewal blended with the riches of Catholic spirituality." In short it is Anglo-Catholic and Charismatic (and inclusive in terms of orders.) You may wonder why On Fire hasn't adopted Bishop Paul Bayes strap line of (Anglican) Charismatic Catholic and Missional, but On Fire as a movement and conference attracts people from a wider range of backgrounds.

And it is a movement that is changing. This is my second year at On Fire, and this year the worship had a more modern feel. There were still some older chorus' and songs, but the worship team had made an effort to use newer songs from the last 10 years. Charismatic Catholic worship works when there is a natural flow between songs, spoken liturgy, prayer time and opportunity for spiritual gifts and ministry. And this On Fire does exceptionally well.