Weekend Warriors

The usual afternoon recreation time followed dance practice. The students who would be acting in the evening’s play stayed in the Auditorium for a final rehearsal while another group, preparing to sing for a Missa Cantata on Sunday morning, attended a choir practice. The rest of the programmers spent the afternoon playing sports, cooling off in the pool, or climbing the rock wall in the Athletic Center.

The students treasured the time with friends, knowing that, even though the program is now halfway done, there are still many good times in store. “The people here are great,” said John W. “I’m having a ton of fun, and I’m going to have a lot more fun!”

The high schoolers next enjoyed a dinner of salmon burgers and fries in St. Joseph Commons, then headed to the Auditorium to watch a cast of their peers perform a dramatic reading of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest on stage. The play features a series of increasingly hilarious scenarios involving mistaken identities, imposture, and mixed-up fiancés, all because of two women’s passionate desire to marry only a man named Ernest and the deceptions of the two men who, although decidedly not named Ernest, love the women regardless.

The actors, holding their scripts, donned fake British accents and theatrical flair to bring the play to life. The audience cackled with laughter at the witty lines and wild antics of the performers. “It was so funny! When they started throwing muffins, that was unhinged,” laughed one student after the show. 

Instead of their nightly Rosary after the play, the students gathered for a candle-lit procession down to the College’s walkable Stations of the Cross on the lower campus. There, program chaplain Rev. Sebastian Walshe, O.Praem. (’94), led the students in prayer, reading Scripture and offering meditations upon the Lord’s Passion and Death at every station. The students reflected on Christ’s profound suffering and the love that drove Him to lay down His life for His friends.

The procession walked back to upper campus singing hymns, then gathered around the Our Lady of Guadalupe fountain for ice-cream sandwiches and a different kind of sing-along. Accompanied by live piano and guitar, the students sang old classics and new favorites for the rest of the night. Shoulder to shoulder and arm in arm, programmers swayed to the music and sang their hearts out to classics such as “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Country Roads,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” as well as hits from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Vance Joy.

When the last song ended, the high schoolers returned to their residence halls for night prayer and a late-night snack of soft pretzels. Then it was off to bed to get some rest for what promises to be a very full weekend, including a hike, a volleyball tournament, and a trip to Santa Barbara and the beach. 

For a recap of this morning’s adventures, be sure to come back to the Summer Program Blog later today!