By Giorgia Carraretto
The annual Carol service, in which the whole school community gathered together to sing carols in Ealing Abbey, took place on the evening of Tuesday 5th of December.
The Carol Service started with a candle-lit procession, followed by the Chamber Choir and Orchestra’s carols. This year, the Carol Service also included the talented Choir from our sister school in France, Sainte Marie de Neuilly, who flew to London from Neuilly to partake in this event.
The whole school gathered in Ealing Abbey for the Carol Service.
The Carol Service commenced with a Procession, designed by the Art Department, with the help of some artistic students.
The Carol Service is a beloved event hosted each year in the season of Advent. It is a highlight of the social calendar as the whole school community gathers together to spread joy and holiday spirit. “It’s the time where our community comes together in the Christmas spirit,” Lucy Hill said, from Year 10. In addition, it is an evening that serves as a distraction from school work and a reminder of the Nativity, due to the readings that were “very good” (Amba Sehgal said). “It was a magical experience which brought our school community together in times of business, in the lead up to Christmas,” Molly Murphy said, a singer from the Chamber Choir.
Overall, the Carol Service was a joyous event, which spread festive feelings throughout the whole community, which came together especially for this event. It highlighted the origins of the global celebration, Christmas, as the story of the Nativity was recounted through the readings, prayers and songs. In my opinion, the Carol Service this year was like no other, as the Abbey was filled with songs and smiles, and the singing of Sainte Marie de Neuilly with the St Augustine’s school community enriched the event. “The singing was beautiful,” Lucy Hill said in regards to the Carol concert.
If you would like to listen to a song from the Carol Service, sung by the whole congregation, the Chamber Choir, the Junior Choir and the Choir from Sainte Marie de Neuilly, click here (Carol Service Song).