I’m incredibly exhausted right now, but felt strongly that I needed to blog about our experiences today.
A choir tour would never be complete without a few surprises along the way. Two of mine came just after we arrived at Hyattsville Mennonite and then the next morning through a cell phone call. Let’s just say that two members were in need of either their whole tuxedo or just “all the white parts”!!! Nothing like that to get my adrenaline pumping!! But God is good and does provide–one of our alums Kent Beck loaned the student his tux for the rest of the trip and one of the choir members happened to bring along another tux shirt…
After a very meaningful Lenten service in the packed sanctuary at Hyattsville Mennonite, we were treated to a scrumptious potluck before we headed to the National Shrine. Once again, my feeble-minded human self had no idea what God had in store for us. An initial disappointing discovery that Mass had been moved from the Upper Church to the lower Crypt turned out to be a blessing in disguise–the Crypt acoustics were some of the best I’ve ever experienced and the ornate architecture and artwork that surrounded us transported us briefly beyond this world. After being briefed repeatedly by the assistant organist about how we were to walk, talk, hold our folders, and stand, I was a bit surprised when in the middle of the service, he said: “Okay, it looks like we need another 2 minute piece. I forgot about this additional liturgical ritual.” So there, for all the Catholic parishioners present, we sang a very Mennonite hymn, our college hymn, “Teach me Thy Truth.” Our alumni in the audience had to have been smiling just a little in the pews….
Sweet dreams,
Scott Hochstetler