2 minute read
The Spanish Choir: Sharing God’s Truth, Beauty and Goodness
When our Spanish Choir sings, they do more than just offer music. They bring hearts to love Our Lord, and minds to comprehend the marvels of Catholicism.
“There are three pillars of evangelization — truth, beauty, and goodness,” says St. Francis Xavier Choir Director Matthew Cabeen, who sings and conducts for the Spanish Choir. “Today, people have a hard time identifying truth and goodness, so we want to lead them with beauty. We want to let people see and hear beautiful things when they come to Mass. Beautiful music can help draw them in and soften their hearts, so they can see the beauty of our faith.”
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Time and time again, the music they bring to us sheds light on what we believe as Catholics.
“Music allows you to remember things better, so it helps when musical lyrics are true and include doctrine,” Matthew says. “This helps get the truth out!
The Spanish Choir sings for the Spanish Mass at 1 p.m. on Sundays, as well as for special occasions and large Catholic celebrations. At times, the Spanish Choir joins other choirs to provide bilingual music when the Spanish and English-speaking communities have Mass together.
“The members of the Spanish Choir are extremely dedicated,” Matthew says.
Most importantly, the Spanish Choir members help our parishioners embrace a prayerful disposition during Mass, and glorify God wholeheartedly with their voices. The Spanish Choir rehearsals take place various times one evening per week and are run by Kevin Larios.
“The Church specifies that we should have music on Sundays in order to provide a full liturgical celebration,” Matthew says. “Music is really a form of prayer and it brings honor to God. It unifies people and brings them together. It is not a performance ensemble and shouldn’t be seen that way. As a choir, our job is to facilitate the music and make it easier for others to participate fully in the liturgy.”
Recently, the choir has been encouraging the congregation to sing in a refreshing way.
“We are trying to help our parishioners learn the music by heart, using repetition,” Matthew says. “We have been singing the same set of hymns for several weeks in a row so they get to know them very well, even if they can’t read music.”
They are also happy to give others the opportunity to bless our parish family with the gift of music.
“We are a small group, but we would really like to grow,” Matthew says. “We are beginning a concerted effort to recruit more Spanish Choir members. We want to get more people in the loft! And we want them to know that they won’t ever have to sing alone. No one ever has to sing a solo — we sing in unison together.”
Marcela Perez greets the parish.
Brennan Lacy plays the piano.
Dr. Howard Potter plays the marimba.
Kevin Larios plays the organ.
Perez sisters Maritza, Marcela, Luz (in foreground) and Linda Taylor (in background) share their vocal talents with God and our parish.
