Dear Choir Director,

As many of you already know, the 35th International Congress of Pueri Cantores will resound in song with children and youth choirs from around the world, gathering in Stockholm, Sweden, July 8-13, 2009. Having participated in many of these great festivals of sacred choral music, I can only begin to describe the wonders available to you and your young singers. At this time, the people of one of the most beautiful cities in the world are preparing to open great arms of hospitality and embrace our choristers with their beautiful music in ways that will uplift and remain in our hearts for a lifetime.

For the first time in the history of Pueri Cantores this congress will have an ecumenical emphasis and actively invite the participation of all Christian denominations. The theme chosen for the event is “Instruments of Peace” with a concluding worship service in collaboration with The Catholic Ecumenical Committee and The Christian Council of Sweden.

To provide the best possible experience for our American Federation Pueri Cantores choirs, I have been working closely with the very kind and professional staff at Music Celebrations International (MCI). Their excellent planning and execution skills have produced truly splendid travel arrangements for many American choirs participating in international congresses of recent years. In addition, MCI recently was the organizer of our American Festival in Washington, D.C.

MCI is also working with AFPC to assemble a National Honor Choir to represent our federation at the Stockholm Congress. This choir will consist of singers from across the United States. So, if for whatever reason you are not able to take an entire choir to the event, singers in your choir will still have the opportunity to participate as members of the National Honor Choir!

I invite you to contact Music Celebrations and discover how to take part in this pilgrimage which MCI is expertly prepared to customize for your choir. The office of American Federation Pueri Cantores looks forward to hearing from you regarding our ongoing mission: “That choirs of boys and girls throughout America may join together in singing the peace of God!”

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Patrick Flahive, President
American Federation Pueri Cantores

The American Federation Pueri Cantores, the official student choral organization of the Catholic Church, is pleased to announce that the Pueri Cantores American Festival Choir has been invited to celebrate the Fourth of July this year in Washington, D.C. with an honorary performance along the National Mall across from the White House - all part of the opening ceremony for the official 2008 National Independence Day Parade!

To kick off the Independence Day celebrations, the Pueri Cantores American Festival Choir will sing a patriotic number for the assembled masses at the reviewing stand of the parade. Hundreds of thousands of spectators along Constitution Avenue will be treated to the thrilling sound of this combined chorus of Catholic youth singers!

You are the little messengers of beauty. The world needs your singing, for the language of beauty moves hearts and contributes to the encounter with God.

-Pope John Paul II, in an address to Pueri Cantores International

In July 2007, the 34th International Congress of Pueri Cantores will serve as a pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland, and a walk in the Footsteps of John Paul II. Once again, Music Celebrations is partnering with the American Federation Pueri Cantores to assist Catholic youth choirs in making this experience a reality.

Karol Wojtyla, now forever known as Pope John Paul the Great, lived in Krakow for four decades. It is here where he spent his formative years as a student, librarian, athlete, playwright, actor, philosopher, linguist, and young priest.

Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz, John Paul II’s secretary and confidant for many years, will host and greet participating choirs in Krakow. Journeyers will also be blessed to visit Wadowice, birthplace of John Paul the Great.

To request information about the American Federation Pueri Cantores, the International Congress, and details on participating, please click here.

To view one of the suggested itineraries, please click here.

Nun, peasant, mystic, saint.

Maria Faustina Kowalska, commonly known at St. Faustina, was a member of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1920’s and 1930’s. In her 600-page diary, she detailed visions she had of Jesus, who’s message in His revelations to St. Faustina was that of great mercy - that He is mercy itself. The revelations to Faustina therefore became known as “The Message of Divine Mercy.”

Pope John Paul the Great beatified St. Faustina in 1993, and canonized her in 2000. Divine Mercy Sunday is now celebrated the Second Sunday of Easter (which is the first Sunday after Easter), as established by Pope John Paul II.

American Federation Pueri Cantores members will have the great opportunity to visit the Shrine of the Divine Mercy, where St. Faustina is buried, while on journey to Krakow for the 34th International Congress of Pueri Cantores, and while walking in the Footsteps of John Paul the Great.

The Jasna Góra Monastery of Częstochowa, Poland holds perhaps the most important icon of Mary, Mother of God in all of Europe. The icon, depicting the Mother of God with the Christ Child, is known as The Black Madonna of Częstochowa, or Our Lady of Częstochowa, which is widely venerated and credited with many miracles.

Christians from across the world regard Częstochowa as the Holiest City in Poland, and take pilgrimages there every year to see the Black Madonna. This is one of the great stops when walking in the Footsteps of John Paul the Great.

According to legend, St. Luke painted the Black Madonna of Częstochowa on the same wooden table where Mary would eat her meals.

Another legend concerning the Black Madonna is that the presence of the holy painting saved its church from being destroyed in a fire, but not before the flames darkened the fleshtone pigments.

If you are interested in taking a pilgrammage to Poland and visit Częstochowa, please contact us for more information.

The following is an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the youth choir at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Valdosta who is traveling with Music Celebrations International to the 2005-2006 International Congress of Pueri Cantores in Rome.

Donna Farwell thought she was the target of a prankster when an unknown caller invited her choir to travel to Rome and sing for the pope.

“I said, ‘Could you mail something?’ ” said Farwell, director of the youth choir at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Valdosta. “Then they mailed me a confirmation letter and I knew it was true.”

Her choir was one of 12 American groups — two from Georgia — invited to participate in the International Conference of Pueri Cantores, the Catholic organization for youth choirs.

Twelve members of the youth choir from Mary Our Queen Catholic Church in Norcross, plus 26 adults, also will fly to Rome on Monday.

About 100 choirs — 4,500 singers — from around the world will sing hymns and Christmas carols.

They’ll also sing during Pope Benedict XVI’s first New Year’s Day Mass.

The 32 Valdosta singers and adult chaperones will fly to Rome on Monday for three performances over eight days.

“Hopefully people will be reminded by the voices of these children of the simplicity of God’s grace,” said the Rev. David Dye, priest of Mary Our Queen. “When you talk about the glory of Christmas, people have all sorts of ideas about it being wealth, power, lots of presents and material things. But Christmas is a lot deeper and longer lasting.”

When the young singers are not performing, they will be able to tour Rome’s major basilicas and the catacombs.

“I’m excited, but more excited for the children,” said Farwell. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They’ll get to tell their grandkids that they sang for Pope Benedict’s first New Year’s Mass.”

The Valdosta group’s invitation came as a result of a November 2004 performance during a youth choir conference in Savannah that featured hundreds of young singers.

“Someone from California was scoping out the choirs and we received an invitation,” Farwell said.

Each of the Valdosta singers had to raise $2,500 for the eight-day trip.”They raised the money either out of their parents’ pockets or [through] carwashes or chicken dinners,” said the Rev. John O’Brien, the priest of St. John.

When asked what successful fundraisers the St. Jude Children’s Choir organization has been involved in to help cover the expenses of their trip to the Thirty-Third International Congress of Pueri Cantores in Rome, Italy in December, 2005, Toor Coordinator Brenda Maxwell responded:

Our most successful things have been ongoing sales of private label coffee and grocery store certificates after all Masses (4 per weekend) every weekend. Our local grocery store sells gift certificates to us at a 5% discount and we sell them at cost to people (I believe all the “big” stores do this — we used King Soopers (owned by Kroger) but I know Safeway and Albertson’s do this as well….

We have also done several spaghetti dinners at a local restaurant that have brought in about $1,000 each time.

Barnes and Noble donates a percentage of sales made during a specified time period — the children sing there during the evening and hand out flyers to be turned in when people make their purchase. I think we just did this twice.

We have had a lot of cash donations from parishioners, local churches and organizations totalling over $15,000, I believe! Begging turned out to be our greatest strength!