At Your Word, Lord

Liturgical Resources

In 2002 the Diocese of Westminster embarked on a process of parish and diocesan renewal firmly derived from the RENEW programme, developed by RENEW International in the United States.

From the beginning it was recognized by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and his team that the materials produced in the USA would require significant adaptation so that they spoke true to people’s experience in London, and so that they more fully addressed the particular pastoral needs of the Diocese. Key among these pastoral needs was the renewal of people’s understanding and celebration of the Liturgy of the Church. The adapted RENEW programme has now been introduced to the diocese as the At Your Word, Lord process.

The Diocesan team asked the Liturgy Office to assist them with this work, and some of the fruits of that work are presented below.

The At Your Word Lord process is based over 5 renewal seasons (2 1/2 years) and each of these has a separate liturgical focus, based on a part of the action of the Mass

An important part of the work done to complement the RENEW materials was to provide a chapter on how parishes might think of singing the liturgical texts proper to those parts of the Mass, and build up a liturgical repertoire which was not largely comprised of hymns. (The origins of this work as linked to particular Sundays in the Church’s Year will be evident. At a later date what is here might be edited into a still more user-friendly form, but the time is not right for that yet.) From Season 2 a general commentary on the relevant ‘part of the Mass’ has also been prepared.

It is thought these materials are likely to be of interest to the Church more widely and so are made available for inspection and downloading here.