Mill Hill Record Nov-Dec 2013

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Mill Hill Chapelill Hill Chapelill Hill Chapel

City Square Leedsity Square Leedsity Square LeedsLS1 5EBS1 5EBS1 5EB

RegisteredCharity

No1081978



Letter from the Editor This edition of the Record seems to have turned intoa bumper one, with a few more pages than normal!It’s a bonus for me when people bring forward material they

would like included, such as the reprinted article from the 1973Record . With next year being the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, I may reprint it again next year, along with thelist of names of the fallen, taken from the Memorial Tablet inChapel.

November and December are always busy in so many ways,both with events and, for me, the start of the madness which isChristmas season in theatre. Although I love pantomime, being

involved with running one is not for the faint-hearted! However, I

do get the pleasure of seeing families doing something fun to-gether at Christmas, and hopefully helping them to create somehappy memories.

I have, at least, already done my Christmas shopping—the giftshave been wrapped and cards written for some weeks now. Idon’t have the time or the inclination to fight my way throughshops in cold weather and heaving crowds when I have so many

better things I could be doing. For those of us who don’t get timeoff over the festive period, the secret of a good Christmas ispreparation and simplicity, leaving nothing to think about exceptto enjoy the season.

In keeping with the sentiments later in the Record , I hope we allhave a significantly better than average Christmas and NewYear!

Eleanor Dickenson

The Record Mailing Lists If anybody would like to receive their copy of The

Record by email or by post, please pass your details on

to the Editor, either in person at the Chapel, or by email

to [email protected]



Organ Concerts

Following the customary tradition over the years here at Mill Hill, our Drector of Music, Anthony Norcliffe, will give two organ concerts, i.e. on Tuesday, Nov.12th at 1pm there will be a programme of music marking the time of

Remembrance and, on Dec. 17th, a programme of Christmas music for the festive

season will be presented. Admission to both of these events is free, with a retiringcollection in aid of contributing to funds for the upkeep of our beautiful Chapel’s

fabric.

Rejoice!

All the best people have two birthdays. So Cantabile is celebrating what would beBenjamin Britten’s 100th birthday with two concerts – one in York and one here atMill Hill on Saturday 16th November.

Both concerts feature his popular and colourful festival cantata Rejoice in the

Lamb. Musical director Ian Akroyd has also selected other songs by Britten, suchas the beautiful Carry her over the Water, and complementary pieces by Britten’sown favourite composer Henry Purcell including If Music be the Food of Love and

the whimsical Old Epitaph.

Tickets are £10, but as usual Cantabile are offering the concessionary rate of £8 to

members of the congregation.

www.cantabile-leeds.org.uk

Films

As part of Leeds International Film Festival at Leeds Town Hall, you can see twoclassic films accompanied live on the organ by Dr Simon Lindley. Choose fromFW Murnau’s Faust (Mon 18th Nov, 1pm, free) and Sergei Eisenstein’s legendary

Battleship Potemkin (Thur 14th Nov, 6.30pm, tickets £8/£6 from theCarriageworks box office on Millennium Square, 0113 224 3801)

http://www.cantabile-leeds.org.uk/index.htm







The Roll of Honour

The Chapel Committee on behalf of the Congregation, would like to put on

record its sincere thanks to Mr D H Currer Briggs for commissioning the

cleaning and refurbishing of the Chapel’s Roll of Honour for the 1914 -18

War… which was originally the gift of Mr Briggs’s mother, Mrs A Currer

Briggs.

To Mr E E Walker, also, go our thanks for all the work he has undertaken on

this project. Not only doing all the cleaning of the tablet, but finding and

arranging for a lettering artist to undertake the delicate task of re-gilding the

names on the tablet.

This project has taken some months to get underway, but we are all sure that

the effort and work has proved to be very worthwhile. To the older membersof the congregation the Roll of Honour is a personal remembrance of those

who gave service in the First World War and to the younger members who

have no such personal recollections it must yet stand as a thing of beauty in

its own right and a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy have been paid for

by the service and sacrifice of other generations.

About the Tablet

Both the Memorial Tablet in the Chapel and the Cenotaph in the Chapel Yardwere the gift of Helen Currer Briggs. Both were unveiled on the morning of

July 17th 921. The Cenotaph was unveiled by Mr Grosvenor Talbot who gave

a short address at the ceremony, and the Tablet was unveiled by Mrs F W

Kitson and the address was given by Mrs Currer Briggs. The Dedication of

the two memorials was given by Rev C J Street, LLB.

Both memorials were prepared from designs by Mr Chorley of Messrs

Connon and Chorley, Architects, and the work was carried out by at the

Leeds Marble Works. The Cenotaph is of Portland Stone with the names in-

scribed on Hopton Wood Stone. The Roll of Honour is of Westmorland slate

set on Portland Stone (not the granite and marble we referred to in out last

Record when we inadvertently reported popular hearsay).

Reprinted from the Record, April 1973

(I’m happy to see that making the occasional error

in the Record is part of a noble tradition! -

Ed.)





Winter Festivities

Christmas is one among many winter festivals, both old and new,which frequently mingle and influence each other. Here are four others:

Hogmanay

The New Years Eve celebration of Scotland iscalled Hogmanay. The name derives from the old

Scots name for Yule gifts of the Middle Ages.The early Hogmanay celebrations were originally

brought to Scotland by the invading andoccupying Norse who celebrated a solstitial new

year (Britain celebrated the new year on March 25, "Lady Day"). In1600, with the Scottish application of the January 1 New year and the

church's persistent suppression of the solstice celebrations, the holidaytraditions moved to December 31. The most widespread Scottish

custom is the practice of first-footing which starts immediately after midnight on New Year's Day. This involves being the first person(usually tall and dark haired) to cross the threshold of a friend or

neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt,

coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a fruit pudding) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder.

Traditionally Hogmanay was a day of preparation and the celebrationsdid not begin until after midnight i.e. into the New Year. It was like

many winter festivals and really celebrated the end of winter and thereturn of the sun.

Meán Geimhridh, Celtic Midwinter

Meán Geimhridh (Irish tr: "midwinter") or Grianstad an Gheimhridh

(Irish tr: "winter solstice') is a name sometimes used for midwinter rituals or celebrations of the Proto-Celtic tribes, Celts, and late Druids.

In Ireland's calendars, the solstices and equinoxes all occur at aboutmidpoint in each season. The passage and

chamber of Newgrange ( Pre-Celtic or possibly Proto-Celtic 3,200 BC), a tomb in

Ireland, are illuminated by the winter solsticesunrise. A shaft of sunlight shines through



the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up

the chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn fromthe 19th to the 23rd of December. Today, among Neo-druids, Alban

Arthan (Welsh tr. "light of winter" but derived from Welsh poem,

Light of Arthur ) is celebrated on the winter solstice with a ritualisticfestival, and gift giving to the needy.

Roman Saturnalia

Saturnalia was the ancient Roman festival that marked the

anniversary of the Temple of Saturn on December 17. It began witha public sacrifice to Saturn and a banquet, followed by private

festivities that included gift-giving, continual partying, and a

carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gamblingwas permitted, and masters provided table service for their slavesThese festivities eventually expanded through December 23 during

the Imperial period.

Macrobius, a Latin writer from late antiquity, explains the holiday at

length in his work Saturnalia. In one of the interpretations he presents, Saturnalia is a festival of light leading to the winter

solstice, with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing thequest for knowledge and truth. The renewal of light and the coming

of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the "Birthday of

the Unconquerable Sun," on December 25.

Sol Invictus Festival (3rd-century Roman)

Sol Invictus ("the undefeated Sun") or, more

fully, Deus Sol Invictus ("the undefeated sungod") was a religious title that allowed several

solar deities, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sungod; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian; and

Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin, to beworshipped collectively. Emperor Elafabalus

(218–222) introduced the festival of the birth of the Unconquered Sun (or Dies Natalis Solis Invicti) to be celebrated on December 25,

and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday.





Services in December

Our Christmas Carol Service will be at 6.30pm on

Sunday December 22nd.

There will be no 10.45am service on this day.

There will be no service on Sunday December 29th.

All other Sunday services as usual at 10.45am.

Thankyou to everyone who helped with the Chapel’s Heritage Open Day

event on September 14th. Over 70 people visited the Chapel.

Maybe next year we can attract even more!

Christmas Decorations

Thankyou to everyone who helps with the Chapel’s

Christmas decorations and makes the building especially beautiful at this time of year



Chapel Management Committee Susan Coggan

Chapel Management Committee meetings will be on:

Wednesday November 20th and Wednesday December 18th

ANTHEMS DURING NOVEMBER 2013

Nov 3rd: The Lord is my shepherd Howard Goodall

Nov 10th (Remembrance Day):O valiant hearts who to your glory came Anthony Norcliffe

Nov 17th: Ubi caritas et amor Maurice Durufle Nov 24th: Immortal, invisible, God only wise Eric H. Thiman

ANTHEMS DURING DECEMBER 2013

Dec 1st: Zion hears her watchmen’s voices (from Cantata No. 140)

J. S. BachDec 8th: How beautiful upon the mountains John Stainer

Dec 15th: Sleepers, wake! (from St. Paul ) Felix MendelssohnDec 22nd: Christmas Festival Carol Service

Dec 29th: NO SERVICE

Flowers &lowers & Welcomerselcomers for Novemberor November

& December 2013December 2013

Nov 3rd: In memory of Mum & Dad, Al & Ernest Rose,

from Jenny, Paul & Family Roy Coggan

Nov 10th: In memory of Winnie & Henry Passmore Roy Perry

Nov 17th: In memory of Rose Gamble Susan Coggan

Nov 24th: Flower Fund Roy Perry

Dec 1st: Flower Fund Roy Coggan

Dec 8th: Birthday memories for Jim Cowling &in loving memory of Vera Cowling Roy Perry

Dec 15th: Flower Fund Susan Coggan

Dec 22nd: In memory of Reverend & Mrs Brian L Golland

Roy Perry

Dec 29th: Flower Fund Roy Perry

If anyone would like to make a donation to provide flowers in memory of a

loved one, to celebrate anniversaries or remember a birthday, then pleasecontact Joan Perry or Susan Coggan (Flower Secretary). A few dates in the calen-

dar are still available . . . . .



Dates for your diary Leeds is a vibrant city with a great variety of events goingon. There are a few other events which may be of interest,all of which are free. (The Editor receives no recompense for

mentioning events here, honest!).

The Big Draw Sat Nov 2nd City-wide

Events across the city for the 2013 festival of drawing and art

Bonfire NIght Tues Nov 5th 7.30pm Roundhay Park

See the spectacular fireworks for Guy Fawkes Day at Roundhay Park

Fantastic Hats! Sat Nov 9th 2pm Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

Hands-on millinery workshop celebrating hats and headpieces

Dalit Freedom Network Sat Nov 9th 6.00pm Leeds Town Hall Film and talk by Kumar Swamy, DFN’s South India Director

Organ Concert Tues Nov 12th 1pm Mill Hill Chapel A recital given by Anthony Norcliffe for the time of Remembrance

Faust Thurs Nov 14th 1pm Leeds Town Hall See F W Mumau’s film on the big screen, accompanied by Dr Simon Lindley

Barra Film Posters Sun Nov 17th 2.30pm Leeds Town Hall Talk and poster display by Polish artist Barbara Baranowska

Beata Caecilia Fri Nov 22nd 1pm Clothworker’s Hall, Leeds University

The Clothworker’s Consort sing motets for St Cecilia’s Day

Chinese Calligraphy Sat Nov 23rd 2pm Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

Learn to write in Chinese using ink and brushes

Finalist’s Showcase Fri Nov 22nd 1pm Clothworker’s Hall, Leeds University

Soprano Sophie Macrae sings Schubert’s Liederkeis and songs by Haydn

Organ Concert Tues Dec 17th 1pm Mill Hill Chapel A festival Christmas recital given by Anthony Norcliffe

Chapel Chat . . .Sunday services during

November and December 2013 Always at 10.45am except

Christmas Festival Service Dec 22nd 6.30pm

Nov 3rd: Rev Cody Coyne Dec 1st (Advent): Janet Gadsby

Nov 10th: (Remembrance) Janet Gadsby Dec 8th: Rev Jim Corrigall

Nov 17th: Rev George Callander Dec 15th: Jonathan Coggan

Nov 24th: Roy Coggan

Dec 22nd: Rev George Callander

Dec 29th: NO SERVICE



Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas, also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a 4 th-century

saint and Greek Bishop of Myra (Demre, part of modern-dayTurkey). Because of the many miracles attributed to his

intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker.He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins

in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus be-came the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes

from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself a corruption of ‘Saint Nikolaos’. In 1087, part of the relics (about half of the bones) were furtively moved

to Bari, in southeastern Italy; for this reason, he is also known as Nikolaos of Bari.The remaining bones were taken to Venice in 1100. His feast day is the 6th of December.

The historical Saint Nicholas is commemorated and revered among Anglican,Catholic, Lutheran and Orthodox Christians. In addition, some Baptist, Methodist,

Presbyterian and Reformed churches have been named in honour of Saint Nicholas.Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, thieves, children,

pawnbrokers and students in various cities and countries around Europe. He was alsoa patron of the Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Emperors, who protected his relics

in Bari.

Nicholas was born a Greek in Asia Minor during the third century in the city of

Patara which was a port on the Mediterranean Sea, and lived in Myra (part of modern

-day Demre, Turkey), at a time when the region was Greek in its heritage, culture,

and outlook and politically part of the Roman diocese of Asia. His wealthy parents

died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young and he was raised by his uncle—

also named Nicholas—who was the bishop of Patara. He tonsured the young Nicholas as a reader and later ordained him a presbyter (priest).

In 325, he was one of many bishops to answer therequest of Constantine and appear at the First Council

of Nicaea. There, Nicolas was a staunch anti-

Arian anddefender of the Orthodox Christian position, and one

of the bishops who signed the Nicene Creed.

On 26 August 1071 Romanus IV, Emperor of the

Byzantine empire (reigned 1068–1071), faced SultanAlp Arslan of the Seljuk Turks (reigned 1059–1072) in the Battle of Manzikert. The

battle ended in humiliating defeat and capture for Romanus. As a result the Empiretemporarily lost control over most of Asia Minor to the invading Seljuk Turks. TheByzantines would regain its control over Asia Minor during the reign of Alexius I

Comnenus (reigned 1081–1118). But early in his reign Myra was overtaken by theTurks. Nicholas' tomb in Myra had become a popular place of pilgrimage. Because of

the many wars and attacks in the region, some Christians were concerned that access



to the tomb might become difficult. For both thereligious and commercial advantages of a major pilgrimage site, the Italian cities of Venice and Bari

vied to get the Nicholas relics. Taking advantage of the confusion, in the spring of 1087, sailors from Bari

in Apulia seized part of the remains of the saint fromhis burial church in Myra, over the objections of the

Orthodox monks. Returning to Bari, they brought the remains with them and caredfor them. The remains arrived on 9 May 1087. There are numerous variations of

this account. In some versions those taking the relics are characterized as thieves

or pirates, in others they are said to have taken them in response to a vision inwhich Saint Nicholas himself appeared and commanded that his relics be movedin order to preserve them from the impending Muslim conquest. Currently at Bari,

there are two churches at his shrine, one Roman Catholic and one Orthodox.

Sailors from Bari collected just half of Nicholas' skeleton, leaving all the minor

fragments in the grave. These were collected by Venetian sailors during the firstcrusade and brought to Venice, where a church to St. Nicholas, the patron of

sailors, was built on the Lido. This tradition was confirmed in two scientificinvestigations of the relics in Bari and Venice, which revealed that the relics in thetwo cities belong to the same skeleton.

It is said that in Myra the relics of Saint Nicholas each year exuded a clear watery

liquid which smells like rose water, called manna (or myrrh), which is believed by

the faithful to possess miraculous powers. After the relics were brought to Bari,they continued to do so, much to the joy of the new owners. Vials of myrrh from

his relics have been taken all over the world for centuries, and can still be obtainedfrom his church in Bari. Even up to the present day, a flask of manna is extracted

from the tomb of Saint Nicholas every year on 6 December (the Saint's feast day) by the clergy of the basilica. The myrrh is collected from a sarcophagus which is

located in the basilica vault and could be obtained in the shop nearby. The liquidgradually seeps out of the tomb, but it is unclear whether it originates from the

body within the tomb, or from the marble itself; since the town of Bari is a

harbour, and the tomb is below sea level, there are several natural explanations for the manna fluid, including the transfer of seawater to thetomb by capillary action.

In 1993, a grave was found on the small Turkish island of Gemile, east of Rhodes, which historians believe is the

original tomb of Saint Nicholas. On 28 December 2009,the Turkish Government announced that it would be

formally requesting the return of St. Nicholas's skeletalremains to Turkey from the Italian government. Turkish

authorities have asserted that St. Nicholas himself desiredto be buried at his episcopal town, and that his remainswere illegally removed from his homeland.



Ways to say ‘Merry Christmas’

Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo

Celtic - Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth

Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Danish - Gladelig Jul

Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

Estonian - Roomsaid Joulu Puhi

Finnish - Hyvaa joulua

French - Joyeux Noel

German - Froehliche Weihnachten

Greek - Kala Christouyenna

Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket

Icelandic - Gledileg Jol

Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit

Italian - Buon Natale or Buone Feste Natalizie

Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa

Norwegian - God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar

Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia

Romanian - Craciun Fericit

Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom

Scottish - Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur

Spanish - Feliz Navidad

Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt Ar

Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym

Welsh - Nadolig Llawen

Zulu-

Nginifisela inhlanhla ne mpumelelo e nyakeni



Sir Humphrey: I wonder if I might crave your momentary

indulgence in order to discharge a by no means disagreeable

obligation which has, over the years, become more or less

established practice within government circles as we approach theterminal period of the year - calendar, of course, not financial - in

fact not to put too fine a point on it, Week Fifty-One and submit to

you, with all appropriate deference, for your consideration at a

convenient juncture, a sincere and sanguine expectation - indeed

confidence - indeed one might go so far as to say hope that the

aforementioned period may be, at the end of the day, when all

relevant factors have been taken into consideration, susceptible to

being deemed to be such as to merit a final verdict of having been

by no means unsatisfactory in its overall outcome and, in the final

analysis, to give grounds for being judged on mature reflection to

have been conducive to generating a degree of gratification which

will be seen in retrospect to have been significantly higher than the

general average.

Jim Hacker: Are you trying to say Happy Christmas, Humphrey?

Sir Humphrey: Yes, Minister…

Anthony Jay and

Jonathan Lynn

The Funny Side of

Christmas, 1982



Facilities Manager / Lettings

Malcolm Clarke Chapel (0113) 243 3845

Chairman of the Congregation

Director of Music Anthony Norcliffe Home (01274) 637 535

The Record Editor Eleanor Dickenson Mobile (0773) 631 7215

Email [email protected]

@millhillchapel

CONFLICT or UNITY?

There is no greater cause of conflict in our world todaythan the diversity of race, religion, culture and creed.Israel, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Russia, Spain, Africa,

India, Indonesia and elsewhere : this is fundamentally the case. Yetwhether we are Jew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Bahai or a

member of any other religious faith, we share the same universe; thesame planet Earth; the same environment; the same human biology andthe same evolutionary process of nature. Clearly then, without a move-ment toward greater unity as one world and one people, there will be nopeace.

Leeds is a modern city, which incorporates people from a variety of cultur-

al and religious backgrounds. Their children sit alongside each other inschools, and lie alongside each other in hospitals. Yet the traditions of pre-vious generations present obstacles and barriers to the natural and neces-sary integration of modern-day communities. It is now imperative that hu-man beings everywhere embrace a vision of the “oneness” of God and of Humankind. Peace and harmony for future generations depends directlyupon the success of this challenge. Of course, such unity will not comeeasily or overnight, and there will be many objections along the way. Nev-ertheless an attempt must be made, and where better to begin by way of

example to the world, than in our fine city of Leeds?

This matter will not go away, and it is of little use hiding in our Syna-gogues, Temples, Gurdwaras, Mosques and Churches, and thinking thatwe can continue safe in our exclusive, cultural and religious, traditions. Asintelligent and responsible adults, we have a duty to our children and toour world to address the problem now. If you share our vision, or are insympathy and agreement with our views, then perhaps you would like tomake contact with us, and together - whatever our differences - we might

begin to find and establish that vital path to greater unity.

Documents

Mill Hill Record Nov-Dec 2013