I've been very remiss about posting, but that doesn't mean the schola hasn't been busy.

We continue to sing for the 8:30 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of the month at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville. Thank you, Charles Walden, for giving us such a great opportunity.

In November we sang for my dear friend Father Patrick Resen's installation as pastor at St. Catherine Labouré Church in Copperhill. We were treated like royalty, with an excellent buffet lunch afterward, followed by Dom Pérignon at Father Patrick's house.

Of course, we sang for the second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 6, then again Dec. 8 for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. For the latter we learned Thomas Morley's "Magnificat," a simple but lovely chant-based setting that we'll definitely use again.

Now we're in the process of preparing for Christmas (we're singing at 10 a.m. on Dec. 25) and Epiphany, observed on Jan. 3 next year in the United States. We're learning a Cristobal Morales setting of "Puer Natus Est" for Christmas, as well as "Personent Hodie." For Epiphany, we'll reprise the Morales and also sing "Vidimus stellam" from the Graduale Romanum.

We have gained a bass and continue to hope and pray for more voices in every part.