Holy Week

Wow! I finally have a couple of seconds to write. It has been an insanely busy week, but also a great experience and a story that I will find amusing for many years to come.

Being a first year student at Holy Cross, I am enrolled in the Holy Week seminar: we basically run the chapel for Holy Week (altar, chant, ushering) and attend a series of lectures on the structure and meaning of Holy Week. Last Friday we had our first meeting for making palm crosses for Palm Sunday. I found out at that time that I was designated a chant leader, together with one student who has been here a few years and a former student, both wonderful chanters.

After the initial surprise and talking to one or two people, I realized that the other two would do most of the chanting and I would be the 'emergency' chanter. That was Friday evening. Saturday neither one shows up - for good reason, as I was to find out later: the current student was an emergency replacement chanter for a local parish and the former student teaches on Saturday. In any case, that was my welcome to the Holy Week seminar.

By now you have probably realized that, since one of the other chant leaders was assigned to a parish, that leaves two chant leaders for the chapel. Thus the story comes to the present: it has been an extremely hectic week, but, by the grace of God, I have been able to prepare for each service and take care of the English section of the chant reasonably well. There are five services left - I hope and pray they go well. Now, back to chant practice and/or the annual Paschal apartment cleaning.