Full Church in Burrawang.

Last evening I went to the early Christmas Vigil Mass, with my friend Lucy, and her kids - and several hundred other members of the community.

St Peter's, Burrawang is a tiny country church, with two rows of pews (seen here on an earlier occasion, just prior to another Mass). Last night, the Church was full when I got there at quarter to Seven. It ended up being a "standing room only" situation, with a few people outside the side doors, where they could easily hear the ceremony, and take part, from a distance. This so impressed the priest, from the Pauline Fathers Monastery at Sutton Forest, that he commented that he had only seen full churches like that back in his native Poland.

Anyway, the service was enthusiastic, with the little kids providing a living pageant of shepherds, Kings, and (fortunately) a plastic "baby Jesus". I have seldom seen such a large queue for Communion in such a small Church.

After the Mass, we then gathered around outside the Church for a celebratory snack, and a glass of refreshment - which is a nice tradition, which I was not expecting. The church yard was full of cars, and trestle tables, and people. The old Blackwood tree (also seen from a previous event) was last night being climbed by numerous children, in their "Christmas best". The tree is seen here, complete with a wonderful old "prop" in the form of a forked trunk from another tree.
Happy Christmas everyone!