Parish choir praises the Lord through song
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Rose O’Connor | Correspondent
St. Augustine is credited with saying, “He who sings, prays twice,” and what beautiful prayers were sung during a multilingual concert in Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd Church, Trenton, Nov. 16. The proceeds of the free-will offering event will be used to purchase a new sound system for the parish.
Click here to see video coverage of the concert.
Under the direction of Rupert E.Z. Peters, the choir, as Angela Dodson described in her opening remarks, “chose to demonstrate the diversity of our parish and to show the range of styles that we incorporate regularly into worship in the Masses we celebrate here.” She explained the repertoire “included three genres of music: Gospel, anthems and African songs from three countries in three dialects.”
Peters, a native of Liberia, has been the music director of the parish for the past six years. He was encouraged by his mother to use his piano playing talents to serve the Lord.
In 2005, when he arrived in the United States, he served as an assistant organist in the First Baptist Congregational Church of Chicago.
In 2010, he began his tenure as music director in Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd Parish.
As Divine Word Father Edward Tetteh, pastor, explained, “he had the task of merging our three diverse choirs,” namely, the traditional choir, the Gospel choir and the youth Gospel choir, a task the parish overwhelmingly agrees he has succeeded in accomplishing.
Peters, a graduate of Rider University, Lawrenceville, holds a degree in computer information systems and also plays the organ for two additional local churches on Sunday mornings.
“Wait until you hear them sing, they are better than any CD, I promise you,” Carol Hubert said as the choir was performing a sound check. Hubert, the former school secretary in Blessed Sacrament School, which closed in 1998, joined her former faculty and staff members for the concert as she celebrated her birthday.
The next few hours were filled with solo presentations, sacred choral works, Gospel music and songs from Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa. For each presentation, the choir changed their garb, dressing in traditional choir robes, more contemporary clothing for their Gospel selection and apparel from their native countries during the African presentation. Praise dancer Pam Lyons also performed an inspirational solo dance during the Gospel presentation.
A moment of silent prayer was offered for the victims of the Ebola virus which has plagued Liberia in the recent months, and for those who are ill and suffering from the virus.
Peters hopes to raise $50,000 to replace the existing sound system, which is over 25 years old, and purchase recording equipment to further enhance the liturgical celebrations of the parish with beautiful music.
“With God’s help, divine inspiration and your support, we can achieve this goal,” he said.
Father Tetteh also supports the work of his music ministry and is grateful to them.“I am very proud of you all,” he addressed the choir, and thanked them for their dedication to the parish in arranging for this event, which the choir had been preparing for since the summer.
“It was beautiful, the choir did a beautiful job,” Andrea Milligan beamed as she took a photo of the group following the concert. Her mother Meredith, is a soprano in the choir.
While many parishioners gathered to support the fundraising efforts of the combined choirs, the event also drew many people from the outside local area who had heard of the beautiful music produced in the parish. Terri Gray from Yardley, Pennsylvania, was invited by a friend to attend the concert.
“It was just an overwhelming and inspirational program,” she said with admiration. “It was so well-done. You can see how much time and dedication they gave to each performance.”
For more information on how to donate to this cause, visit http://cbs-olds.webnode.com.Christina Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., and editor of SisterStory.org, the official website of National Catholic Sisters Week.
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By Rose O’Connor | Correspondent
St. Augustine is credited with saying, “He who sings, prays twice,” and what beautiful prayers were sung during a multilingual concert in Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd Church, Trenton, Nov. 16. The proceeds of the free-will offering event will be used to purchase a new sound system for the parish.
Click here to see video coverage of the concert.
Under the direction of Rupert E.Z. Peters, the choir, as Angela Dodson described in her opening remarks, “chose to demonstrate the diversity of our parish and to show the range of styles that we incorporate regularly into worship in the Masses we celebrate here.” She explained the repertoire “included three genres of music: Gospel, anthems and African songs from three countries in three dialects.”
Peters, a native of Liberia, has been the music director of the parish for the past six years. He was encouraged by his mother to use his piano playing talents to serve the Lord.
In 2005, when he arrived in the United States, he served as an assistant organist in the First Baptist Congregational Church of Chicago.
In 2010, he began his tenure as music director in Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd Parish.
As Divine Word Father Edward Tetteh, pastor, explained, “he had the task of merging our three diverse choirs,” namely, the traditional choir, the Gospel choir and the youth Gospel choir, a task the parish overwhelmingly agrees he has succeeded in accomplishing.
Peters, a graduate of Rider University, Lawrenceville, holds a degree in computer information systems and also plays the organ for two additional local churches on Sunday mornings.
“Wait until you hear them sing, they are better than any CD, I promise you,” Carol Hubert said as the choir was performing a sound check. Hubert, the former school secretary in Blessed Sacrament School, which closed in 1998, joined her former faculty and staff members for the concert as she celebrated her birthday.
The next few hours were filled with solo presentations, sacred choral works, Gospel music and songs from Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa. For each presentation, the choir changed their garb, dressing in traditional choir robes, more contemporary clothing for their Gospel selection and apparel from their native countries during the African presentation. Praise dancer Pam Lyons also performed an inspirational solo dance during the Gospel presentation.
A moment of silent prayer was offered for the victims of the Ebola virus which has plagued Liberia in the recent months, and for those who are ill and suffering from the virus.
Peters hopes to raise $50,000 to replace the existing sound system, which is over 25 years old, and purchase recording equipment to further enhance the liturgical celebrations of the parish with beautiful music.
“With God’s help, divine inspiration and your support, we can achieve this goal,” he said.
Father Tetteh also supports the work of his music ministry and is grateful to them.“I am very proud of you all,” he addressed the choir, and thanked them for their dedication to the parish in arranging for this event, which the choir had been preparing for since the summer.
“It was beautiful, the choir did a beautiful job,” Andrea Milligan beamed as she took a photo of the group following the concert. Her mother Meredith, is a soprano in the choir.
While many parishioners gathered to support the fundraising efforts of the combined choirs, the event also drew many people from the outside local area who had heard of the beautiful music produced in the parish. Terri Gray from Yardley, Pennsylvania, was invited by a friend to attend the concert.
“It was just an overwhelming and inspirational program,” she said with admiration. “It was so well-done. You can see how much time and dedication they gave to each performance.”
For more information on how to donate to this cause, visit http://cbs-olds.webnode.com.Christina Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., and editor of SisterStory.org, the official website of National Catholic Sisters Week.
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