The first reading

A poem — memories of a boy in a Christian Brothers formative school

The Wake-Up Call

Brother Jerome’s chime rings out,

Ding, ding, ding, it sounds throughout.

The boys rise from sleep,

Rubbing their eyes, they creep.

The time is five thirty,

Still dark outside; it’s chilly.

The lights flicker on,

They kneel down, their prayers are gone.

God comes first, always,

They pray for a blessed day.

Off to the washrooms they go,

Two levels down, they hurry so.

Quick wash and dress up,

In their white uniforms, they stand up.

They assemble in the hall,

They walk in rows, two by two, all.

To the chapel they go,

Young ones lead, the seniors follow.

Strict silence, no hums,

Sick boys rest in the side chapel, the nuns.

Christian brothers at the back,

Mass is imminent, preparations abound.

The priest and altar boys in red,

Who will read the missal today?

One boy picked from the front row,

Excited and eager, he pre-reads.

The mass starts with grandeur,

The posture song sung with fervour.

An older boy plays the organ,

All sing with a mighty voices,

“Glory to God in the highest!”

The small boy walks up the steps,

Reads loud and clear, looking up and down,

From the pulpit, microphone in hand.

The congregation listens,

He reads the Psalm of the day,

Psalms 96:1–2, 2–3, 10.

Walking back with his missal in hand,

Pride and confidence on his face.

The mass continues,

Well done, boy, you did it with grace.

A memory dash of Denzil from his time in St. Joseph’s Juniorate in Sri Lanka, where he regularly led the mass readings.

A related story: Gamifying ping-pong

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Images and artwork belong to Denzil Jayasinghe