O Come, desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of humankind! 

St Dunstan’s church community in Woking came together for an International Carol Service last Sunday evening, to celebrate the rich diversity of its community. Musicians from three Mass music groups were joined by Polish singers, St Dunstan’s School choir, more than twenty members of the Hong Kong community in Woking, and a full church of parishioners. Opening with “O Come O Come Emmanuel” - in anticipation of the antiphons of Greater Advent which will soon be upon us - carols were interspersed with Scripture readings. 

St Dunstan’s Catholic Primary School choir brought the first international note into the evening singing Tu Scendi dalle Stelle (‘You came down from the stars’) with the Polish group then sing Lulajze Jezuniu (‘Lullaby, Little Jesus’), a traditional Polish Christmas carol that first appears in the 1705 Archdiocese of Poznan Archives in Poland - although it is thought to have been written in the 17th Century (Polish composer Frederick Chopin hints at the tune in the slow section of his Scherzo in B minor opus 20 for piano). 

A representative of the Syro-Malabar community sang a Malayalam favourite, Minni Minni Ninnu Doore (‘Glittering Lights from Afar’) with the highlight of the evening Silent Night, accompanied by a guitar and violin, with verses in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian, Cantonese, Hindi and English. The choirs worked hard for several weeks to learn all the different verses, inviting guest teachers into help out, including a young lady from the Ukrainian community who share our church. By the final (English) verse, the congregation were so joyful that the night was anything but silent! Reflecting on the evening, a representative from St Dunstan’s said:

“We were delighted that the congregation joined in as much as possible. With favourites like The Angel Gabriel, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Away in a Manger and While Shepherd’s Watched, there was plenty for everyone to sing - with parishioners in great voice. 

"Our final carol was O Come, All Ye Faithful; from the smiles on everyone’s faces we feel certain that choirs of angels were indeed singing along with us!  Our international singers were delighted to be able to represent their communities and everybody left feeling joyful. We definitely want to build on this international dimension again next year. Maybe Fr Hilary, our new priest from Kenya, will help us incorporate an African influence - watch this space.”

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With thanks to Canon Rob Esdaile and Claire Dane for sharing this story with us. Image: James Dane