Cathedral Choir in Rome, will perform at New Year's Mass

In the morning of Thursday, Dec. 31, the Holy Father Pope Francis will receive in audience the participants in the 40th International Congress of the International Federation of Pueri Cantores, held in Rome from Dec. 28, 2015 –Jan. 1, 2016. Among the 5,000 youth singers, from around the world, will be the Corpus Christi Cathedral Youth Choir.

“Cantate Spem vestram” (concerts of hope) is the motto of the congress, which opened Dec. 28 with a procession along Via della Conciliazione to the Holy Door, which the participants then passed through, and the inauguration ceremony in the Paul VI Hall, led by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization.

During these five days concerts will be held in various churches around the capital: on Tuesday, Dec. 29, in the Basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles and the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere; on Wednesday Dec. 30, in the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina and in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Christ the King. Later Wednesday, there will be prayers for peace. Finally, the congress will conclude on Friday with a Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica.

There are more than 1,000 singers from the United States.

The International Committee bestowed two honors on the Corpus Christi Cathedral music ministry; they chose the Cathedral Youth Choir to serve as the lead choir representing the United States, and named Cathedral choir director Lee Gwozdz, who is also president of the American Federation of Pueri Cantores representing all choirs from the United States, to conduct the 6,000 singers for the International Prayer for Peace.

The Corpus Christi choir will have the honor of singing with the other lead choirs from other countries on stage with the Holy Father at Nervi Hall and next to the High Altar at St. Peter’s Basilica for the Holy Father’s New Year's Day Mass. This is the first time in IFPC history that an American conductor has ever been selected to conduct an International Pueri Cantores event.

Photos by Cindy Martinez