The December 1926 edition of the Trinity College School Record reported on “a carol service of unusual nature” held at the School, the object of which “was to present the carols not by way of a Sacred concert but as an act of preparation for the coming festival of Christ-Mass.” It was noted, “The School showed at its best during the services,” with the end result being “a service that was not only harmonious but also devotional.”
In this same spirit, and for the 98th time, the school community gathered for the annual Carol Services, held December 16th and 17th in the Memorial Chapel. The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas was led by Canon Don Aitchison, chaplain of TCS, with our boarding families joining us on Saturday, and day families from the Junior and Senior Schools on Sunday. Sunday’s service was also attended by several former staff members of the School who came to campus for a social reception hosted by the philanthropy & alumni office.
The service tells the story of Christ from the foretelling of his birth and concluding with St. John’s words on the mystery of the Incarnation. The lessons are intertwined with carols that shed light on the good news of the Saviour’s arrival. A special moment of this year’s service was the annual singing of The Angel Gabriel, composed by long-time TCS music teacher and organist Tony Prower ’46, who passed away earlier this year.
Special thanks go to Mr. Randy Mills, organist and director of the Chapel Choir and Johnson Ringers, and to our singers and ringers, who filled the chapel with wonderful sounds. Mrs. Pam Dew coached the readers, including Cindy Liu, Sebastian Szabo, Haoran Wu, Lulu Vahramian, Ruby Campbell, Charles Diggis, Keefer Carriere, Kenna Beatty, Natalya Viznyak, Johnny Brown, Eric Jin, Nya Fludzinski, Hannah Bailey, Beau Lee, Atticus Hodges and Mr. Kristopher Churchill.
After Mr. Stuart Grainger, head of TCS, read the ninth lesson and the handbell ensemble played the Carol of the Bells, the lights were dimmed and each member of the congregation held up a taper to be lit. Then all joined together in the singing of Silent Night and Adeste Fideles, and Father Don provided a blessing that we may all be filled with inward peace and goodwill at this special time.
The chapel was beautifully decorated for the service by the dedicated volunteers of the TCS Parents’ Guild and filled with poinsettias donated by generous community members. Thanks also to those who donated to the Pat Moss Society charities. And a note of gratitude to our facilities department for its many contributions, and to our culinary services team, who prepared a lovely meal for attendees to enjoy following the service.
Click on the links below for multimedia from the services:
