Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Joseph Henry's Solo!

St. Dunstan’s chorister Joseph Henry Monti had the honor of singing a solo on the first verse of “Once in Royal David’s City” to open the Holy Innocents’ service of Lessons and Carols. The service, held at the Cathedral, included choruses from the elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as the church adult choir. More than 1,000 people attended.

What the video on YouTube! Click below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhlDjJvrX3A


Monday, December 5, 2011

CHRISTMAS TAG TREE

This year, St. Dunstan’s is buying Christmas gifts for 10 families served by Emmaus House. On that tree (above, modeled by our children) are tags with the name of the person and each gift to buy written on the tag. They are 10 families with mothers and children and fathers and grandmothers, not always in the same grouping. Bits of what we know: The brother of a high school football player fatally caught in the cross fire of a gang turf war. A four-year-old still innocent enough to like things that go “vroom” and his mother who could use a few more pots and pans and cups for the kitchen. A disabled single father. A girlie girl who likes Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber. A baby doll. A pair of Nike’s. A book.

I have done this exercise before. In North Carolina, several years ago, I was shopping with my oldest son for two little boys we were buying Santa Claus for through St. Andrew’s, our old church in Columbia. We would go out and shop, unpack our bags and look at the piles. Which was bigger, more exciting. We shopped so much in fact that when I ran out of money that I could spend, Vincent dug into his own savings, hoping to make the Christmas morning of these two unknown little boys a good one. As we shopped, it was as if Vincent, an 18-year-old freshman in college, could see through their eyes, as if he feel through their hearts excitement or disappointment. I think that is the best you can hope for.

Anyway, I’ve taken two tags off the tree but haven’t done my shopping yet (gifts due wrapped or unwrapped next Sunday). If you’ve done this before, it would be great if you’d share your stories with all of us! Please respond to this post.