Joining them in Rome will be six members of St. Malachy Parish’s youth choir, who will be participating in the 40th International Congress of Pueri Cantores from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2.
The six girls will join more than 5,000 youth singers from across the world for the congress, held every five years, singing at several locations including St. Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The congress will include a “Carols from Around the World” celebration on Dec. 31 as well as Mass with Pope Francis on New Year’s Day.
UmbargerThe youths from St. Malachy — the oldest is a junior in high school and the youngest is in fourth grade — will be the only singers making the trip from Michigan, said Justin Umbarger, one of the choir’s directors along with Maria Lograsso.
“It’s an amalgam of various students from all our choirs. We have seven different choirs at St. Malachy, and I made the pitch to all of our students for anyone who wanted to (attend the trip),” Umbarger said.
The families who committed to the congress have spent the past year fundraising and preparing, with much help from the St. Malachy Parish community and Corporate Travel, raising nearly $15,000.
“It’s been quite remarkable,” Umbarger said of the parish’s support. “Our women’s club came through and donated an amount of money for each kid to have spending cash while they were there; Fr. Joe (Gembala) has been so gracious in letting us do so many fundraisers.”
Now that the trip is just days away, everyone is “getting really excited,” he said. Umbarger added he’s been in contact with Archdiocesan Chorus director Joe Balistreri over a possible meet-up in Rome, saying “it would be fantastic if we can make it work.”
The St. Malachy choir will be in Rome for the duration of the congress, but Umbarger said he’s hoping there will be plenty of time for the girls to take in the sights.
“All of our rehearsal time is going to be spent in all of these large basilicas and churches,” he said. “They’ll get to see the Sistine Chapel and sing inside of St. Peter’s and the Sala Nervi (Paul VI Hall) with Pope Francis presiding, and we just found out yesterday the Sistine Chapel choir themselves will be joining us for the Jan. 1 Mass,” Umbarger said. “It’s pretty out of this world.”
Umbarger said through all the rehearsals and preparations, the six girls have grown exceptionally close and can’t wait to get to Rome.
Sisters Madison and Valerie DiBattista, two choir members who will be attending the trip, wrote to the parish’s pastor, Fr. Joe Gembala, to express their thanks for the parish’s support.
“We are also very excited but very nervous,” the sisters wrote. “It is such an honor to sing at the Mass for His Holiness, Pope Francis. Please pray for us and give us your blessing for a safe trip.”
The International Federation Pueri Cantores is the Church’s official youth choral organization, representing thousands of boys and girls from fourth through 12th grade with chapters in dozens of countries across the world. In March, the organization held a festival and Mass for nearly 275 youth singers from across the state at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.
