hail mary

A Sri Lankan Holiday Service Got Especially Spirited When Carol Programs Were Accidentally Printed With Tupac Lyrics

Tupac Shakur
Photo: Time & Life Pictures/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Heaven knows that we’ve seen no shortage of nontraditional Christmas carols cross our paths as folks go about trying to modernize the classics, but a Sri Lankan church accidentally took things a touch too far. As explained by CNN, a program for Joy to the World 2016, a service held in the capital city, Colombo, surprised attendees with its spirited display, thanks to an accidental printing of a Tupac Shakur song along the expected carols, hymns, and prayers. Apparently, in lieu of “Hail Mary†the prayer, the program featured the lyrics to “Hail Mary†the Tupac song. The mix-up meant that instead of that whole “Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners†sentiment, parishioners read of how “revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin’ pussy,†among the song’s other expletive-laden verses. According to Andrew Choksy, who attended the event, “A lot of people were in shock as whether it was a joke or someone would actually rap the song,†but alas, that call-and-response scenario will have to remain restricted to the imagination, as organizers realized the mistake and collected the booklets. Father Da Silva, from the archdiocese, told CNN that the mistake occurred when a “young boy†inadvertently downloaded the wrong “Hail Mary,†because, of course, blame it on the homonyms. A Twitter user captured a photo of the program, below, which promised “a festival of music for peace & harmony.†Well, that’s one way for a star to brightly shine, sure.

Church Prints Tupac Lyrics on Carol Program