The Chapel

The past year has seen a more radical change in the pattern of our Chapel Services than the School has known for many years.

Our policy now is to keep the compulsory services for the occasions when the whole School community would naturally gather together, such as the beginning and end of term, the Harvest Thanksgiving, Remembrance Sunday and the Epiphany and Peterite Services in the Minster. So far it seems that the response to these Community Services has been more enthusiastic than in the past but inevitably we shall become less familiar with Evensong and sermons will be comparatively few. A very pleasant feature of these services has been the increasing number of parents who have wanted to join us.

An interesting innovation was a special Evening Service on the second Sunday of the School Year for the New Boys and their parents. We were especially lucky to have the Rev. Michael Burden to conduct this, for

he was an old friend of many St Olavites.

On the Sundays when there have not been Community Services there has usually been either a Family Communion at 9.30 a.m. or Holy Communion at the traditional time of 8.15 a.m. and voluntary Compline at 6.30 p.m. As yet the attendance at Compline has been very small, but I hope that in time boys will come to appreciate this chance of quiet evening prayer together. The fact that nearly half the Boarders are away

at weekends has naturally affected the attendances at voluntary services, but there has been a very cheering increase in the number of communicants in recent months.

There is also a far greater interest in the work of the Chapel Com-mittee which will be rather smaller in future and will meet more frequently and be able to discuss a far wider range of topics connected with the spiritual life of the School.

On February 23rd the Head Master revived 'The Three Old Men', the short play which he had adapted from Tolstoy. Members of the Third Form made it a very moving experience. The play, and the exhilarating performances of Part 3 of Handel's 'Messiah' made us realise the value of the movable choir stalls which John Gaastra designed. With very little trouble the Chancel can now be arranged to accommodate a play or a fair-sized chorus and orchestra.

We are very grateful to those who have preached during the year : the Bishop of Whitby, the Rev. Michael de Brisay (Chaplain of Worksop College) and the Rev. Vic Filer, who came from the Society of St Francis to spend several days with us and conducted the School Prayers on Ascension Day.

Perhaps the highest point of the year was the combined Confirmation and First Communion which the Bishop of Selby took for us on Saturday evening, March 8th. The Confirmation fell so naturally into place in the setting of the Sung Communion that we wondered why we had never done it before. Next year we hope to welcome our new Archbishop at this wonderful service.

It has been a year of such great change of emphasis in our services that it is hardly surprising that there should be a change too in the emphasis at Commemoration. At the request of the Old Peterites the service took place on the final Saturday morning of term and was primarily a service for Old Peterites and their families. The service was relayed to the Memorial Hall for those members of the School who could 15

not be accommodated in the Chapel. This provided a wonderful conclusion to the School Year and a fitting opening for a day devoted to Old Peterite activities. N.K-W.

Mrs Nix wishes to thank all who have helped with Chapel flowers during the year; and the President of the Old Peterite Club expressed the Club's appreciation of the fine display at the Commemoration Service

St. Peter's School

CHAPEL

0 NE part of the life of this School in which all are expected to join is instruction in the doctrine and practice of the Church of England. Some of this in- struction is obviously best given in corporate Chapel worship for the whole School com- munity.

We believe that Chapel is not a place where discipline in the more rigid sense should or can be enforced; altbough we think that directly antisocial behaviour in Chapel should be dealt with as it would be elsewhere in the School.

Our concern is that conditions in Chapel should contribute to worship and should thus make easier the whole-hearted involvement of those to whom such worship may be important.

May we, therefore, ask every member of the School to consider the following suggestions as guide-lines? --Entering and leaving Chapel should be orderly and quiet, and there should not be talking in the

Chapel or ante-Chapel. —The proper customs should be observed in the services. —Everyone should try to join in the singing, in order to enliven the services; and suggestions about these may be placed in the Chapel suggestion box, or made direct to the Chaplain.

We believe that while religion is naturally an intensely personal matter, the practice of corporate worship has an invaluable place in the life of the School and of the wider community. The Chapel Committee

After wide-ranging discussion of the value of Chapel worship, ilk Committee decided to publish the above summary of their thoughts, and to arrange for every member of the School to have a copy of it.

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