Lessons & Carols at Saint John’s Seminary: A Joy-Filled Weekend of Scripture, Song, and Community

This past weekend, Saint John’s Seminary welcomed benefactors, seminarians, faculty, students, families, and friends for our annual Lessons and Carols celebration, held on Saturday December 6, and Sunday December 7 in the Seminary Chapel. These cherished gatherings brought together the many branches of our seminary family, united in prayerful anticipation of the coming of Christ.

Throughout the service, our seminary community joined together to proclaim Scripture lessons foretelling the mystery of our salvation.

Under the direction of Tristan Smith, Director of Sacred Music, the entire assembly lifted their voices in some of the most beloved hymns of the Advent season. The Seminary Schola also provided exquisite choral meditations, enriching the liturgy with music that deepened our reflection on the coming feast of the Lord’s Nativity.

Lessons and Carols is more than an Advent tradition, it is a powerful moment of evangelization and an opportunity to promote vocations to the priesthood and other ministries within the Church. By opening our doors to the wider community, we invite all who join us to encounter the beauty of the Church’s prayer, to draw closer to Christ, and to consider how He may be calling them to a deeper life of service.

After each service, guests gathered in the seminary refectory for a light reception, enjoying fellowship and warm conversation as we continued preparing our hearts for Christmas.

A Tradition Rooted in the Church’s Earliest Prayer

While the Lessons and Carols service grew in popularity in the Victorian era within the Church of England, its origins extend back to the earliest monastic traditions of the Catholic Church. In ancient monasteries, the service of matins combined Scripture readings with sacred song, taking on particular solemnity during the great seasons and feasts of the liturgical year. Today, Saint John’s Seminary continues that heritage—proclaiming the Word, lifting our voices in song, and preparing to welcome Christ anew at Christmas.

A Weekend of Grace and Expectation

We give thanks for all who joined us for this year’s Lessons and Carols. Through Scripture, music, and communal prayer, we heard again the prophetic telling of the world’s salvation and joined together in the hymns that proclaim the coming birth of our Savior.