Fatima News

Singers from Philadelphia
Peregrinus We had a visit from a very nice group of boys, a choral group, from the diocese of Philadelphia, USA. They came to spend a week here in Fatima "in order to celebrate the beatification of the two little shepherd children, Francisco and Jacinta", explained the director, Tom Windfelder. While in Fatima the boys stayed at the Consolata Seminary. With the blink of an eye the boys would be assembled on the front steps of the Seminary for a quick warm up before going over to the shrine to sing. The actual warm up/rehearsals were spectacular in themselves, the other guests at the Seminary would immediately go to their windows at the sound of the first voices. Others would be seen running to the entrance of the building so as to hear better. The director has the group so well trained that with merely a gesture from his hand he can take the 53 singers from perfect silence to a rousing crescendo. The boy choir had eight singing engagements at the shrine during their visit. On Sunday, July second, they sang in the Fatima Basilica. This event was a Concert which featured eight pieces of classical music, one piece was a "CHRISTUS FACTUS EST", written by the composer/director, Tom Windfelder. Father Artur Ribeiro Oliveira, (music director at the shrine), introduced the choir to the large crowd assembled in the Basilica, the building was filled to capacity with standing room only. Father Oliveira explained to the congregation why it was so fitting to hold a concert in the Sanctuary of the Fatima shrine. (The tombs of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto were on either side of the Main Altar; the boys were on the steps just in front of the Main Altar.) He said, "this type of music not only gives great glory to God, but it can serve to lift the spirit of those who are listening."

Singers from Philadelphia

Peregrinus

We had a visit from a very nice group of boys, a choral group, from the diocese of Philadelphia, USA. They came to spend a week here in Fatima "in order to celebrate the beatification of the two little shepherd children, Francisco and Jacinta", explained the director, Tom Windfelder. While in Fatima the boys stayed at the Consolata Seminary.

With the blink of an eye the boys would be assembled on the front steps of the Seminary for a quick warm up before going over to the shrine to sing. The actual warm up/rehearsals were spectacular in themselves, the other guests at the Seminary would immediately go to their windows at the sound of the first voices. Others would be seen running to the entrance of the building so as to hear better. The director has the group so well trained that with merely a gesture from his hand he can take the 53 singers from perfect silence to a rousing crescendo.

The boy choir had eight singing engagements at the shrine during their visit. On Sunday, July second, they sang in the Fatima Basilica. This event was a Concert which featured eight pieces of classical music, one piece was a "CHRISTUS FACTUS EST", written by the composer/director, Tom Windfelder.

Father Artur Ribeiro Oliveira, (music director at the shrine), introduced the choir to the large crowd assembled in the Basilica, the building was filled to capacity with standing room only. Father Oliveira explained to the congregation why it was so fitting to hold a concert in the Sanctuary of the Fatima shrine. (The tombs of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto were on either side of the Main Altar; the boys were on the steps just in front of the Main Altar.) He said, "this type of music not only gives great glory to God, but it can serve to lift the spirit of those who are listening."

This particular magazine has a large circulation throughout the entire country of PORTUGAL as well as in other parts of the world where Portuguese is spoken and in places where the Consolata Missionaries have houses.

	ARCHDIOCESAN BOY CHOIR PHILADELPHIA - FATIMA 2000
	from the magazine "FATIMA MISSIONARIA" Aug.-Sept. 2000 - written by Padre J. Carrera, translated from the Portuguese by Father William Maggs C.C.S.R.