Annual Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross' annual Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent will be held on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8:00 p.m. in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. All are invited to attend as the Holy Cross College Choir performs their 25th annual holiday concert. There is no admission fee.

The College Choir has been presenting the Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols as a cooperative service with the Chaplains' Office since December 1978. The religious service is based on one given each year at King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England.

The service consists of nine Advent and Christmas lessons taken from the Bible, beginning with Old Testament prophecies and concluding with the Gospels. The lessons are read by various members of the College community, and each one is followed by a corresponding carol sung by the College Choir. Familiar carols such as "Adeste Fideles" are interspersed with such choral pieces as Benjamin Britten's "A Hymn to the Virgin" and William Dawson's spiritual "Hail Mary."

"The four week season of Advent is not only a period of preparation for Christmas when Christians remember the birth of Christ, but also a time when Christians reflect on Christ's return at the end of time and on how their lives are helping to build up the reign of God on earth. The Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent reflects these themes in prayer, music, and scripture readings," says associate chaplain Paul Covino.

For more information contact the Holy Cross music department at 508/793-2296.