The voices of more than 30 choristers swelled and swirled throughout St. Leo the Great Church in Rohrerstown during a unique concert of sacred music on August 1, in which two Philadelphia choirs performed in various locations inside the expansive church.
With the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” the Friday evening concert featured the accomplished Archdiocesan Choir and the Cathedral Basilica Choir of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, who are preparing to perform in Mexico City this fall as part of Project Guadalupe 2031, which celebrates the 500th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The concert at St. Leo’s was a fundraiser for the choirs’ pilgrimage, during which they will sing composer Frank La Rocca’s “Mass of the Americas” at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Offering a selection of 12 hymns, the performance was at once a visual and aural experience, as the combined choir moved back and forth from the church aisles to the choir loft and to the center of the pews throughout the evening.
Opening the concert, the 30-plus-member group, under the direction of Charlene Angelini, spaced themselves across the front of the church as they began the “Salve Regina.” Continuing the chant, they processed up to the choir loft as their voices swirled throughout the sanctuary.
Upstairs for three selections – including “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” and “Ave Verum” – the choir, hidden from view, gave concert attendees an opportunity to reflect fully on the music and lyrics. When the choristers next performed a pair of pieces in the church’s center aisle, audience members were drawn in to the visual movements and emotions of “If Ye Love Me” and “Totus Tuus” as the choir stood within arm’s reach of attendees.
Solo performances, upbeat spirituals and organ selections were also part of the evening.
The concert was hosted by St. Leo the Great Parish at the outreach of its Director of Sacred Music, Kyle Postlethwait, who connected with Angelini while searching for Philadelphia-based Catholic choirs to perform at the Lancaster County Church. His goal was to bring sacred music to parishioners outside of the Mass setting.
“Music is at the service of the Mass. When we hear sacred music outside the context of the Mass, we can focus more on the text and the music being performed,” he told The Witness.
“Every opportunity we have to listen to the texts of God is an opportunity for an encounter with Him,” Angelini said. “Even outside the context of Mass, we have an opportunity to share a repertoire from diverse composers that span from Palestrina in the 1500s to today’s living composers and we can expose people to sacred music.”
“It’s such an integral part of our job as music ministers to provide people the space to meditate and maybe answer a question or two about their feelings of God – whether they’re at Mass or at an event like this,” Angelini added.” We don’t know where people are in their faith life or what they may be dealing with, but we have the opportunity to meet them where they are with beautiful music and a time to reflect.”
Learn more about the choirs at Archdiocesan Choir – The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and Cathedral Basilica Choir – The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
(Photos and video by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
