Thanksgiving Mass November 24, 2009: Students Give Thanks for Creation. The Gathering Song, "For the Fruits of This Creation," set the focus for the school's Thanksgiving Mass. The liturgy, which was planned by the fourth and fifth grades with the assistance of Father Charles Bolser, Mr. Ed Lally, and Mr. Michael Glenn, included readings from the first chapter of the Book of Genesis and the first chapter of the Gospel of John, both of which talk about beginnings. The first reading, the story of Creation, was accompanied by posters illustrating the days of Creation, and was told as a chorale reading punctuated with the chorus "And God saw that it was good." Instead of the normal collection, during the preparation, students offered up leaves notated with the thing for which they were most thankful, which were then placed on the altar during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The collection was accompanied by the hymn "Simple Gifts" sung by the Fourth and Fifth Grade choir. The Sending Forth Song brought together all the themes of the Mass as the children sang, and signed, "The Wonders I See" with its opening line "Thank you God for the gifts of Creation."