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FESTIVAL OF LESSONS & CAROLS

St. Therese Catholic Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Rd., Fort Wayne, will host a Festival of Lessons and Carols on Monday, Dec. 16, at 7:00 p.m. There is no charge, but a free will offering will be taken up to benefit the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of the parish. All are welcome.

Presented by the Music Ministry of St. Therese under the direction of Beverly Rieger, the Festival of Lessons and Carols is a candle-lit service of carols and scripture presented around the time of Christmas. It has a long history, beginning in England in the early 1800s, and continued to this day.

“We have adapted this Festival of Lessons and Carols to reflect the season of Advent that moves into the celebration of Christmas,” said Ms. Rieger. “The beautiful, candle-lit service is not precisely a Christmas concert, although attendees will experience beautiful Advent/Christmas music,” she continued. “The audience is invited to sing throughout, but it is not a Christmas Carol sing-a-long either,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful way to celebrate the Advent/Christmas season with family and friends,” she related.

Actually, the service begins at 6:45 p.m. with prelude music featuring Guest David Ling on violin, Guest Classical Flautist, Tamara Searer-Jenkins, and Guest Organist Allen Goebbert, Ms. Rieger added. It will be followed by a procession and an opening prayer led by Father Lawrence Teteh, C.S.Sp, pastor of St. Therese Church.

The lessons are six readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament, concluding with the reading of Joseph taking Mary into his home (Mt 1,18-24). After each lesson, there is music, including solos and Advent/Christmas hymns for the audience to sing with the choirs.

In addition to the St. Therese Choir, participants include the One Voice St. Therese Children’s Choir; an ensemble group of guitar and vocalists; The Chimes Group; soloists from the Cantor Ministry; instrumentalists and additional vocalists.

After the service and closing remarks by the pastor, all are invited to a free reception in the nearby Parish Hall.

The Waynedale News Staff
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