‘Les Mis’ magic to inspire Minster’s musical Mass

But this weekend a communion service, set to the music of the iconic musical, will resonate around York Minster.

The Rev Sue Wallace, who will be preaching at the service, said, “When the film of Les Miserables came out, the Transcendence team were planning a service at the Greenbelt Christian arts festival, and we wondered what would happen if we took Les 
Mis and did a Mass based upon 
it.

“It was one of those ideas that seemed silly at first, but we soon realised that the themes in Les Mis, of freedom, redemption and sacrifice, fit in with what we celebrate at a normal communion service.

“In the same way that Bishop Myriel forgave Jean Valjean for stealing his silverware and buys him a new life, and Jean Valjean sacrifices his freedom to save a trapped man, we remember how Jesus sacrificed himself for us, forgives us our sins and invites us into a new life with him.

“We held the service at Greenbelt last summer with 400 people at the service: the venue was so full that a queue of 300 more people had to be turned away. It seemed to strike a chord with the people coming so we thought it would be good to give people in York the opportunity of experiencing it too. People may think it’s odd to use a musical in a church, but the Church has always used the artistic tools of the culture to help explain the Gospel.”