Reverend tells 200 children ‘Santa is just not actual’ as livid dad and mom slam him

Parents are fuming after a church rector instructed over 200 children that Santa wasn’t actual, with some saying he “ruined Christmas “. Reverend Edward Keene made the surprising revelation throughout a carol live performance at St Nicholas Church in Stevenage, Herts.

The religion chief’s speech left many youngsters “in tears” and “confused”, in response to indignant dad and mom. Despite the backlash, the Reverend defended his actions, stating that the age of the youngsters made it an “acceptable” time to ship the reality about Father Christmas.

Families who attended the annual gathering with children from Barclay Academy accused the Reverend of taking away the “magic” of the vacation season. One irate mother or father mentioned: “He decided the whole of Year 7 needed to know Santa isn’t real, as they are entering the real world.”

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Emma Race, a mom whose daughter was current on the occasion, added: “My daughter was upset and confused. Lots more children were affected in similar ways. I would like to make other parents and schools aware, as this has ruined my daughter’s Christmas.”

Steve Shaw, a father, additionally expressed his disappointment, saying: “This guy doesn’t know about the children’s home lives and situations. Why did he need to say this? Who is he to deliver this news?”

Revd Keene responded to the upset dad and mom, stating that the live performance was “free of charge”. He defined that his sermon aimed to make youngsters “think carefully about what is true and what is not.” He mentioned: “As the Year 7 children are at, or nearly at the age of 12, I considered it would be acceptable to point out that Father Christmas is not real.”

He additionally apologised for any misery he had “inadvertently” induced and promised to “approach the topic differently in the future”. He added: “As the event to that point had included songs and readings about a range of characters, including Father Christmas and the sleigh, the Grinch and Jesus Christ, I did note that discernment had to be exercised and that some of these are real and others are not.

“At the time, this proved some extent of amusement for the youngsters reasonably than one among upset. The matter of the reflection was geared toward a secondary college viewers and wouldn’t be the identical for a main or pre-primary one. I’ll method the subject in another way sooner or later, in addition to apologising for any undue upset inadvertently induced this was in no way my intent.”

Barclay Academy expressed their shock at Revd Keene’s revelation, with staff being “simply as shocked” as parents. A spokesperson for the school said: “We perceive the issues and stress this may occasionally have induced,” and assured that they will contact the church to prevent a similar incident at next year’s carol concert.

Both Barclay Academy and Revd Keene have been contacted for further comment.

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