A summer afternoon of music, friendship and hospitality brought the Catholic community in Buckingham together with people from across the local area, including residents of a nearby care home.
St Bernardine’s Catholic Church in Buckingham hosted a special Concert and Afternoon Tea on Sunday 23 August, organised by the parish of St Bernardine’s and St Martin’s, Buckingham and Brackley.
The event brought together parishioners, local residents and new faces for an afternoon of live music, good food and fellowship, with the weather providing a welcome backdrop.
Performances came from Gracenotes, CrazyHeart Duo and the Gospel Choir, who entertained the audience and helped create what organisers described as a wonderful atmosphere.
Alongside the music, guests enjoyed an afternoon tea, with the combination of food, conversation and entertainment providing an opportunity for people to meet and spend time together in a relaxed setting.
Among those attending were residents of Clarendon House Care Home in Buckingham. Their presence was particularly welcomed by the parish and helped underline the event’s wider community spirit.
Clarendon House provides residential, nursing, dementia and respite care in the heart of Buckingham, and its residents’ participation added another dimension to an afternoon designed to bring people together.
The parish community is keen to be welcoming and outward-looking, describing itself as a “lively, active and outward-looking community” with a particular emphasis on reaching out to people who wish to become part of parish life.
The afternoon also had a fundraising purpose. With donations still being counted, organisers expect that around £700 will have been raised towards the parish’s projects.
The organisers have expressed their gratitude to everyone who attended, performed, helped with the afternoon tea or contributed in any way to the event.
The success of the afternoon was about more than the money raised, however. By opening its doors to parishioners, local people and residents from Clarendon House, the parish created an opportunity for the wider community to share food, music and friendship.
It was, in many ways, a simple expression of Christian community: people coming together, welcoming one another and enjoying an afternoon in each other’s company, while supporting the life and mission of their local parish.
