Chris Connor
More than 700 five to 18-year-olds from Catholic schools in the Wairarapa gathered at the Genesis Centre Masterton on Catholic Schools Day, 22 May, to celebrate the treasure of being Catholic Schools.
Students from Chanel College and St Patricks Primary Masterton, St Mary’s Carterton and St Teresa’s Featherston took part.
The day started with a liturgy which Chanel College’s head boy and girl led. Representatives from each school processed through the stadium with treasures, banners and candles from their schools. Chanel’s students, who had participated the previous weekend in the O’Shea Shield, proclaimed the gospel and dramatised a gospel story related to the present day.
Children from each school led prayers and a combined band of musicians with teachers and students from Chanel College and St Patricks Masterton in the lead to encourage the singing.
Chanel’s cultural leaders then hosted a showcase of items from each school. Kapa Haka from St Mary’s, O’Shea drama from Chanel, Rap covering the history of the Catholic schools in the Wairarapa by St Teresas and St Patricks School. The choir performed the Lord of the Dance accompanied by a 10-year-old violinist, Brendan Connor on guitar and a troupe of their Irish Dancers.
The Senior children then went to Chanel College for lunch and an afternoon of theatre sports and games, while the junior pupils went to the park across the road to eat their lunch and play tabloid games and art activities for the afternoon.
A grand but exhausting day!