SUN PRAIRIE — The choir at St Albert the Great Parish has been practicing since September for their upcoming Candles & Carols, a cantata that, with its accompanying narrative, tells the story of Christ from the prophets all the way to his birth in Bethlehem.
And that’s choir — as in, one choir, one parish, one Church.
They may have many weekend Masses to each sing at, but all of the choir members come together once a week to practice in just one of the ways that St. Albert the Great Parish is striving towards a greater sense of unity. The Candles & Carols event is another.
The choir, which will also be performing several of the songs a few days earlier at a choral fundraiser for the local food pantry and at the 9 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve, won’t be performing alone at the event December 6. Along with the instrumentalists, the choir will also be assisted by young people taking on roles to flesh out the narrative of the coming of Christ, telling the stories of the Bible to serve as a reminder of the reason for the Advent season. Throughout the performance, which features arrangements that often call to mind many familiar Christmastime carols, they will light candles to represent the coming of Christ.
“Children will love it — it’ll be really neat,” said Cecile Gregory, the director of liturgy and music at the parish.