For the second year in a row, the Holy Rosary choir took a trip from Memphis to Dyersburg, to Holy Angels Church. We put on a small Epiphany concert, then proceeded to sing Vespers. The concert was a subset of the prelude program we did for the Christmas Midnight Mass at Holy Rosary. Vespers was, well, Vespers. If you don't know what Vespers is, it's enough for now to say that it is the evening prayer prescribed in the Liturgy of the Hours, a daily recitation of psalms, scripture readings and meditations that all Catholics should, at least, be familiar with.

Charles, our choirmaster/music director/organist, did his usual outstanding job of selecting the music and pounding it into our brains.  The passion he shows for liturgical music is truly something to behold.  He is also a joy to work with, showing an astounding amount of patience while dealing with us mere dabblers in a field that he excels in.  I cannot say enough good things about this young man and what he has been able to do with our choirs at HR.

The parishioners at Holy Angels took care of us with a big buffet in the family life center after Vespers was over.  I knew what to expect this year, so I made sure I hadn't eaten much during the day.  That way, the second trip through the buffet didn't feel so embarrasing. Or the stop by the dessert table. Well, after all, it wouldn't do to insult the cooks by refusing a single thing they offered, now would it?

It was also a joy to see Fr. Harbaugh again.  Holy Rosary was his first posting after ordination, so I was able to get to know him a bit for a couple of years before he was transferred to Holy Angels.  Father gave a beautiful homily on the Epiphany feast that took elements of Old and New Testament scripture, pious traditions, history and spiritual insight, and wrapped it all up neatly in a dynamic presentation on what it all should mean for us today.  There are many of us at HR who really miss him and his homilies.

Apparently, some things are going great guns at HA.  They started a fundraising project in November with a goal of $100,000, and they have already raised almost 85% in less than two months!  He's soon going to be in a position that some pastors would envy: the parish will have most of the land surrounding the church before they start working on a plan to use it.  Better that, I think, than having big ideas and plans first before trying to acquire the property you need.

I had offered my van for the trip, but no one in the choir wanted to come with me!  But, I got a couple of calls the day before from other parishioners who wanted to come, so I drove them there and back.  Thank you, Theresa and Frank, for keeping me company.

Like many such events, I really didn't want to go, but I'm glad I did.