Pupils' star roles in Papal ceremony

Adam Hewitt • Published 19 Sep 2010 08:30 0 Comments

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SCHOOLCHILDREN from the country's only independent Catholic school for boys have starring roles in the Pope's state visit.

Pope Benedict is beatifying Cardinal John Henry Newman, founder of The Oratory School near Woodcote, and pupils Rob McKay and Ade Olopade have been asked by organisers of the visit to serve at Mass today (Sunday) in Birmingham, where the ceremony takes place.

Rob, 18, the school captain - who will be carrying the processional cross - is one of the first people viewers around the world will see in the television coverage.

He said: "It's going to be huge. Not many people can say they have even been at a Papal mass, let alone have served in it - it's just massive."

Ade, also 18, who will hold the missal from which the Pope will read the liturgy of the Mass, said: "I'll be up close and personal with the Pope as book bearer - it's amazing.

"At first I was just 'wow', so pleased, but after a couple of minutes it hit me and I realised just what it would mean. We serve at Mass all the time at school - we'll just have to try to think about it like that."

More than 100 pupils and staff from The Oratory and its prep school are singing in the special choir of 200 during the event, part of a wider choir of 2,000. Some of them are going up on Saturday to rehearse, but the others are having to catch coaches at 3am on Sunday, thanks to the tight security.

The school's director of music, Julian McNamara, hard at work getting them ready through last-minute rehearsals, is stand-in organist. He would be lead organist, but is attending his parents' golden wedding anniversary near Liverpool the day before.

He said: "They asked first - before I was even born!"

School chaplain Monsignor Antony Conlon said how proud he was to be assisting at the ceremony as a concelebrant. He said he met the Pope, one of his heroes, 23 years ago, when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger.

He said: "It was a great moment for me, and many other priests, when he was elected Pope."

Headteacher Clive Dytor, who will be part of the offertory procession, said: "It's such a great honour. The Pope is a great fan of Cardinal Newman; what he particularly admires is Newman's teachings on conscience and the relationship between faith and reason.

"The Catholic Church in this country is reasonably big, but in the wider world it's a fifth of the population so lots of people will be watching the visit and seeing our pupils and staff play their part - it's fantastic, what an honour."

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 20 Sep 10

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