Today I went to the 11am Mass and found myself standing outside in the car park, listening to the priest recite the Eucharistic doxology through a speaker.
When I first turned the corner on to The Scores I was surprised to find - what looked like - a group of people queuing to get into the church. I was confused. Were they not allowed inside? Had Mass started? Was it Palm Sunday already? I walked over and did what any good Brit would have done and stood behind the person in front of me (not too close to smell their aftershave, and not too far for me to look like I was just casually standing on the pavement randomly). I could vaguely make out what was being said inside over the scent of cooked breakfast wafting from one of the B&Bs. It was then (whilst thinking about bacon) that I heard a child's voice. He must have been about 10 and was reading the first reading. I was even more confused than I was earlier. It's usually the same person reading at the 11am Mass. It was then that one of the stewards said something about children getting confirmed today. That explained it. But wait, the boy still sounded a bit too young. I put the thought to one side.