Photo: Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons
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A local choir recently had the rare honor of performing for Pope Leo XIV during a general audience at the Vatican, marking a major milestone for the Church of St. Paul the Apostle.
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On Wednesday, the parish’s 45-member choir performed an original English-language composition titled “Love More” in St. Peter’s Square. According to the church’s Instagram post, the piece was created specifically for the group’s Jubilee Pilgrimage to Italy and features text drawn from Pope Leo’s inaugural homily and first public speech.“Today, in front of thousands of pilgrims at the Pope’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, our choir performed an original piece in English for Pope Leo XIV,” the church wrote.
The song was written by J. Oconer Navarro, the church’s composer-in-residence, and presented under the direction of Fr. Eric Andrews, CSP, and Director of Music Joey Chancey. It was dedicated to the children of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
The choir had reached out to the Vatican prior to their trip to explore the possibility of performing but had received no guarantees. “When we got to our seats, the Swiss guard said ‘oh no no no, come with me,’ and then we walked right in front of the pope’s chair and sat down,” Fr. Andrews told ABC7. Soon after, the group was invited to begin singing as Pope Leo entered the square in his motorcade.
“It’s a piece that celebrates the text of Pope Leo’s inaugural address and homily after he became our Holy Father,” said Fr. Chris Lawton in a statement to ABC.
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The performance in Vatican City marked the culmination of a multi-city pilgrimage through Italy, and the first time in the Church of St. Paul the Apostle’s history that its choir had performed for a pope. Reflecting on the moment, Fr. Andrews said, “When you share a gift so generously as they have, it comes back a hundredfold.”The Church of St. Paul the Apostle is located at 405 West 59th Street.
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