LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Prince Charles has read a poem by a Catholic convert priest during the Easter meditation for England’s leading Catholic school.

Stonyhurst College is Jesuit institution founded in 1593 in France, since the Catholic Church was illegal in England at the time. It was moved to Stonyhurst in Lancashire in 1794.

Its annual Easter Meditation is made up of three sections, or nocturns, with poetry and scripture, prayer, reflection and music. This year’s edition is available on YouTube, and includes images of artefacts housed in Stonyhurst’s museum, including a thorn from the Crown of Thorns which once belonged to Mary Queen of Scots.

According to the office of the Prince of Wales, Charles made his contribution to the Easter Meditation in “support for Christians around the world.”

The prince read a poem by Jesuit Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, an English poet who converted to Catholicism in 1866. He studied for the priesthood at Stonyhurst and later taught at the college.

Prince Charles read from the 1877 poem “God’s Grandeur.”

John Browne, the head of Stonyhurst, said the school was “honored” the Prince of Wales participated in the Easter Meditation by reciting “God’s Grandeur.”

“The poem is offered as a reflection on the journey from the darkness of Lent to the joy of Easter. We are delighted that through Stonyhurst, His Royal Highness will be able to reach Catholics and the wider Christian community around the world at Eastertide,” he said.

Browne said the Easter Meditation highlights the importance of the younger generation, “whose stewardship of the planet provides our hope for the future.”

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