‘The beauty of the music brought me back’

By Ashlie Hand | Photos by Christy Gruenbaum

Dave Hess, a professionally trained musician and vocalist, began singing with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception’s Schola Choir in 2017. At the time, he was not attending Mass or practicing his faith after falling away from the Church after college.

Dave grew up in Topeka and attended St. Matthew’s Parish. A college friend was singing in the Schola Choir at the Cathedral when Dave graduated from college and moved to Kansas City. There wasn’t a position for him at the time, so he found other gigs where he could use his talent. The opportunity to sing professionally at the Cathedral came after six years of waiting and performing at other venues.

“Being involved in choir got me back to church,” Dave says. “Pretty soon, I started going [to Mass] even on days when I wasn’t singing.”

It wasn’t long before Dr. Mario Pearson, director of music and liturgy at the Cathedral, asked Dave to get more involved. Today, Dave also serves as cantor once per month, leading the congregation in all sung parts of the Mass, and attends young adult ministry events with his parish friends.

“The beauty of the music is what brought me back; [then] the beauty of the Mass and the building drew me in. I couldn’t stay away.”

A Choralschola, known simply as schola, is a choir for singing Gregorian chant or plainsong. It consists traditionally of only men, but modern groups sometimes also include female voices.

In the last couple of years, the Cathedral’s Schola Choir has invested more time in rehearsals and improving their performance. The group has put on several concerts that draw in public audiences, many who are not Catholic.

“There has been great support for what we do and what we share with others, and Mario’s leadership has helped us continue to improve,” Dave says.

This elevated status reflects the overall energy in downtown Kansas City over the last several years. As the area around the Cathedral continues to grow and thrive, Dave has eagerly supported the plans for a new Parish Hall.

Learn more about the Building Glory Campaign at kcgolddome.org/ building-glory Head

Dave believes the new Parish Hall will attract more people to attend Mass at the Cathedral and strengthen the community that’s already there. He’s looking forward to increased opportunities for fellowship after Mass and the added benefits of revenue-generating events that will support the ongoing impact of the Cathedral in Kansas City.

“The whole downtown area is being built up a lot and I think it will be good for Catholics, fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholics to see the Cathedral is still alive, still trying to live out the Faith in a non-Christian world.”