Sunday, August 18th was a special day of celebration at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Corner Brook, as three choral scholars led the music at the morning Eucharist, and presented a 6 pm Choral Evensong from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). This was their last service as a team for Charlotte Guy, Maria Veitch, and MaryJane Jacobs before moving away for university studies.
At the reception after the morning Eucharist, the girls expressed their appreciation for what they had learned from Fr. Lynn Braye their liturgical coach, Doreen Klassen their organist/pianist/choirmaster, and the late Dr. Jennifer Matthews their vocal coach, who first proposed the founding of a choral scholars programme at the cathedral. The girls also expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and continuing support they had received from the congregation.
Since its inception in 2020-2021, the Choral Scholars Programme has incorporated eight young people of Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Baptist backgrounds into its musical ministry, for varying lengths of time. Consequently, young people who rarely attended church growing up started participating in as many as 50 services annually, and often brought their families with them. For Charlotte and Maria, this led to a decision to be confirmed, and, as Bishop John Organ noted, by their own choice, to become disciples of Christ.
In his message to the scholars, Bishop John expressed his heartfelt gratitude for their service to Christ and his Church through their gift of music, and encouraged them to continue doing so throughout their studies and, indeed, their whole lives.
It was quite fitting that the girls ended their celebratory Sunday with the calming quietness of a Choral Evensong that concluded with the well-known hymn “The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended” and “Deep Peace,” a sung benediction by John Rutter.
