The love and warmth was palpable in St. Colman's and St. Paul's Church today for our annual Grandparents Day.
The celebration began with a prayer service in St. Paul's Church with our popular Chaplain, Fr. Phil, presiding. Every pew was filled between students, staff, parents, grandparents and extended family members. So full was the church, Mr. Beehan joked that Fr. Phil will have to talk to Bishop Deenihan about an extension for next year's celebration. The theme for the day was 'love' and the service opened with a joyfully simple song about grandparents sung by all of our Junior Infants unaccompanied. Readings and prayers of the faithful were beautifully elocuted by students from a variety of classes and some of their grandparents, and an array of gifts were brought to the altar, also by students and grandparents. The multicultural aspect of St. Colman's was honoured with children whose parents or grandparents come from other countries coming to the pulpit to say the words 'I love you' in their grandparents' languages. Many of these were among those tuning into the prayer service online. The choir, made up of St. Colman's students and led by Ms. Mulcair, Ms. Duffy and Ms. Murphy, brought music to the service, with hymns including 'This Little Light of Mine' and finishing off with a heartwarming rendition of The Beatles' 'All You Need is Love'. There was only one way to follow such a beautiful ceremony – by all coming back to visit the school for refreshments and more magical moments. Students were delighted to show their grandparents and family members their classrooms, introducing them to teachers and friends and showing them artworks and writing displays on the walls. For this wonderful celebration, every room in the school was as full as the church, but not as full as all of our hearts.
