So, another year another Christmas concert at St. Mary's College. Every year I go along to hear Ella in the Senior Choir...

The Junior Choir were excellent in their rendition of "Carol of the Children" by Rutter. The String Quartet, Flute Choir, String Orchestra and Orchestra were all well rehersed, professional and a delight to listen to. There were some great groups of kids who had done slightly different things... The folk group were superb (and nothing like the crap you get at folk masses). Red Banshee were also very good (again, superior to what you expect when you place an electric guitar in a teenagers hands) - Leona was loving the Red Banshee (loud and red = great). Speaking of thing's Leona loved, the dancing. There were two sets of dancers and both were very well coordinated (considering the huge number of girls on stage).

The senior Choir were very good (Full Disclosure: I'm married to one of them) and I can't not mention the guy on the guitar with his own composition "Oriental Cityscape" and the girl who played with him. She sang a beautiful lullaby which Leona hated because she could tell it was supposed to put her to sleep and she hates sleep. In fact, there were several student made compositions which were all superb. While I expect the sudden ability of students to compose music is largely due to the availability of software like sebelius (photoshop for music) this does nothing to detract from the skill with which they evoke various feeling and emotion. After all, the guy who wrote "Christmas Soon!" probably had sebelius too.

So, congratulations to all involved. Well done.

A gripe? Oh James, tell us it isn't so! Every year I moan about the secularisation of it all. Kid's these days... or is it the grownups? Either way, I didn't hear many carols... perhaps that's not what Christmas concerts are about. Anyway, that's the only criticism: less God than I would have liked.

A mass to celebrate 150 years of the Sisters of Mercy in Hull.

I might have gone, only it was held during working hours and by invitation only (it being in a school and all). Ella got an invitation though because she works there.

In the presence of several diocesan priests two students from the school (young people, not priests) gave the homily.

This evening Fr Stephen asked Fr Massie if he knew who would have been responsible. Neither of them knew but the names of some of the school staff were suggested.

So... is it possible for a lay person to be 'responsible' for what happens at a mass? If not who was responsible?

...or am I right in thinking that none of the diocesan clergy think this is important enough to worry about?

From last Sunday's gospel (which every one of them would have read outloud): The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great.

Update (30th Sept): I don't know how they got the idea, but I've heard that some folk have interpreted this blog entry as me "having a go" at Fr Stephen. This was definitely not my intention. If anything, I have portrayed him as caring about what goes on. He is definitely a good man and if I have accidentally defamed him here then I apologise. Also, another eyewitness to the conversation between Fr Stephen and Fr Massie tells me that I have it the wrong way around - apparently it was Fr Massie who asked Fr Stephen. Again, apologies if I got it wrong.