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Is Outrage? Drum kit in the Anglican Shrine at Walsingham

Gamma GamalielGamma Gamaliel Shipmate
in Ecclesiantics
Is nothing sacred? I'm enjoying spring sunshine at an ecumenical pilgrimage in Walsingham.

On arrival I noticed a drum kit to one side of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.

How long has this been going on?

When I last visited 25 years ago I was outraged by the statues, dolls and Mariology. Well, actually I wasn't. I was a bit puzzled by it though.

This time I'm outraged by the presence of a drum kit. Well, I'm not actually but just pretending to be.

My serious question is how common is it to find drum kits in Anglo-Catholic settings these days?

Comments

  • MrsBeakyMrsBeaky Shipmate
    Our diocese (Chichester) has an annual youth pilgrimage to Walsingham so the use of modern instruments might be partly to do with the demographic?
  • Jengie JonJengie Jon Shipmate
    When they have where withall to use a drum kit and the audience to appreciate it, they will use it, but not otherwise. There are even a few cases of Anglo-Catholic Charismatics around. Not sure where today, it is a long time since St Obscures was one of them. However, more common in churches with a sizable teenage* contingent.

    In other words, not unknown but nowhere near normative. With Walsingham for Childrens, Youth, families and possibly Adoremus (young adult) if they can find the musicians. I think in this case it was the Children's Pilgrimage.

    *I do not mean youth, which typically goes up to something around 25, as once they cross eighteen or go to University, the assumption seems to be hymns and chant is what they come for. Now, brass bands seem to be far more common, at least at festivals up North.
  • Gamma GamalielGamma Gamaliel Shipmate
    I'm now reliably informed that youth pilgrimages here use a marquee with lights, dry-ice and what-not.

    Which implies that 'that sort of thing' takes place separately rather than inside the Shrine Church itself.

    At least the drum kit was tucked away to one side and not in front of the altar like The Abomination That Causes Desolation which might be the case in HTB-style churches.

    😉

    I do know of an Anglo-Catholic parish in South Wales that was quite charismatic at one time although that seems to have abated somewhat.

    As far as I am aware they never went in for drums. I may be wrong but I'd assume it was more RC folk mass in style.
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