JOHN COLET DAY, 2009

St Paul's continued the celebrations of its Quincentenary with the tenth John Colet Day service, which replaced the former January Feast Evensong in 2000. The Archbishop of Canterbury preached during a service filled with Pauline and Old Pauline music. After an opening fanfare by 17 year-old George Parry (son of former Music Director, Ben Parry), the congregation was welcomed by the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, Dean of St Paul's. The choirs of St Paul's, St Paul's Girls' and Colet Court schools under the direction of Peter Gritton sang Thomas Ravenscroft's setting of part of Psalm 112, Maurice Greene's setting of 'O clap your hands together, all ye people' and William Goodchild's setting of words by the school chaplain, Patrick Allsop. Raphael Taylor-Davis sang the solo in the Goodchild.

Tom Rebuffa, Charlie Satow, Leo Suter, Ali Prenn and George Essex read during the service, at which James Henry Metter, the Captain of School (shown talking to the Archbishop with Lara Attarzadeh, Head Girl, and Roshan Sreekumar, Head Boy of Colet Court), laid a wreath in memory of Dean Colet before the Dome Altar. The service ended with an Act of Rededication led by Dr Martin Stephen, the High Master, and the Archbishop's blessing on the capacity congregation of 2,400.