Pulling out the stops

Here's a picture of our very lovely fourteen-year-old Aisling playing the recessional hymn at the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday. The hymn was "Christ Our Lord is Risen Today," a very nice and rousing traditional old hymn that is sure to pick you up out of the pew where you've been sitting for the past three hours, especially if it's played on the electronic piano's pipe organ setting.

With the volume turned up to a setting that could be labeled "Triumphant," if not just plain "Loud."

If the reaction of the people sitting in front of us was any indication, the sudden burst of sound was a bit of a shock, bursting forth as it did into the quiet church: I practically saw light between them and their seats. After their initial fright, they all obediently picked up their hymnals with trembling hands and sang along, once they found their voices.

If I could be allowed a moment of shameless bragging -- and where would that be, if not on my own blog? -- Aisling did a wonderful job. There is a LOT of music at the Easter Vigil Mass and some of it is pretty difficult, but she went to rehearsals and she practiced like mad at home and she succumbed to the vapors a few times, but when all was said and done, she carried it off like a pro. It was beautiful and we are so very, very proud of our girl.