• Concelebrating - it's so much more friendly with two!
    Aug 20 2025

    In this episode, as Mairi flies higher up the candle, Mairi and John discuss concelebrating - saying the Eucharistic prayer together - debating the hows, whats and whys of this form of celebrating Eucharist. Does it have to be a high church thjng, or is it good enough that its "friendlier with two" ?

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    19 mins
  • 1662 & all that...The Book of Common Prayer.
    Mar 20 2025
    Mairi and John reflect on the joys and challenges of using services written in 1662. Together they discuss the two services which St Paul's uses from BCP - Choral Evensong and Holy Communion.
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    20 mins
  • Smells and Bells
    Feb 19 2025
    Mairi and John pause to reflect on why incense and bells are often associated with services which are "higher up the candle". They discuss why an d how bells and smells are used in worship, and Mairi shares her experience of using incense...and usually remembering to pause for the bells!
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    24 mins
  • I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...
    Jan 14 2025
    Mairi and John reflect on her first christmas as a priest...from community christmas tree festivals to grappling with the propers used in Midnight Mass. Also in this episode, hear about the differences between Spanish and English Epiphany celebrations ( let's face it, English Epiphany isn't much to get excited about!) and why the Crib remains up.until February!
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    22 mins
  • It's all Greek (orthodox) to me!
    Nov 19 2024
    Mairi and John discuss John's recent pilgrimage to Greece, visiting the monasteries of Meteora, and the churches he visited in Theseloniki. We think about the liturgy of the Greek Orthodox church - not so much creeping up the candle this episode, as wandering around a different candle altogether!
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    24 mins
  • An extra pair of hands?
    Sep 24 2024
    John and Mairi discuss the curate's role - is it about providing an extra pair of hands for the church, or about training a new priest? They reflect on their own experiences of curacy and explain how the training process works.
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    22 mins
  • Greenbelt Festival
    Aug 29 2024
    Our summer holiday episode - reflecting on Mairi's experiences at Greenbelt Festival - a Christian Arts and Music festival which doesn't creep up or down the candle; it gets on the business of being church regardless of affiliation and aims to include everyone! Until Mairi's curacy, John had never explored what happened at Greenbelt: Mairi and family are regulars, so this episode is more of an interview about what the Festival is, its commitment to social justice and care for creation, and the impact it has had on Mairi's faith and ministry.
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    29 mins
  • Ordination Weekend!
    Jul 4 2024
    Mairi and John reflect on the events of the weekend, where Mairi was priested and also took her first Eucharistic service - celebrating the fact that nothing caught fire! They discuss why Anglican priests are ordained twice, and why this final ordination isn't the end of Mairi's curacy. As well as reflecting on the personal highs and lows of the weekend.
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    18 mins