Outstanding Educator Erin Mattes

We are very pleased to celebrate Erin Mattes as the Choir School's Outstanding Educator of the 2012-2013 School Year. Nominated and chosen by her colleagues, Erin was recently honored at an event with Bishop Wester, School Superintendent Sr. Catherine Kamphaus, Mrs. Baillie and others. Erin is the Choir School's very talented Art Instructor, and her work with the children very impressively lines the walls of Erbin Hall.

We are very grateful for this talented and dedicated educator on our faculty. Be sure to congratulate Mrs. Mattes on this recognition of her remarkable contribution to our community of learners.

The Easter Mass of Pope Francis and the Choir School

Well, this is really part two of the Pope and the Choir School. Once again our alumnus Christopher Gray (Class of '97) has served in the role of Deacon for the Holy Father's Mass, albeit now for Pope Francis. On Easter Sunday morning, Deacon Christopher took part in a very ancient tradition in Rome wherein at the beginning of the Easter Sunday Mass the Deacon proclaims to the Pope the Paschal Kerygma or the news of the Lord's resurrection and his appearance to Peter.

Interspersed by Alleluias, the Deacon sings The Lord has risen from the tomb, who for us hung upon the tree. Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. You can watch the video here.

All of this service as a Deacon is coming to end on Saturday June 29th of this year when Deacon Christopher will be ordained a priest by Bishop Wester in our Cathedral.

And not wanting to fall prey to Salt Lake City one-upmanship, it seems safe to point out that our Lord appeared first to our patroness, Mary of Magdala, and only after that to Peter.

St. Mark's Day and an Opportunity for Parents

Today is the Feast of St. Mark, and our school community celebrated Mass in the Cathedral this afternoon to remember this early follower of the Lord who left us with an account of the life and teaching of Jesus. As parents are the primary teachers of the faith to their children and we are only your humble assistants in this important work, please find below some of the information and discussion points that our teachers have introduced in preparation for today’s celebration of St. Mark. You can raise some of these points as questions or conversation starters to continue your child’s reflection on our celebration today.

Mark is known as an Evangelist, and is counted among four writers of Gospels or Evangelists whose work is found within the New Testament.
• Symbols for the Four Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - are found on the tympanum above the front doors of our cathedral, in the roundels of the great West Window and on top of the four apsidal pillars - they are interesting!
• Mark is represented by the Lion - tradition has long connected the four 'living creatures' around the throne of God in Revelation 4:7 with the the Gospel Writers
• The term Gospel comes from the old English term 'Godspell' or "Good News"
• A Gospel is not a biography - such forms did not exist at the time of their composition. A Gospel is a combination of historical data and believing witness, highlighting the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth

Mark's Gospel has some very unique features!
• It was the very first of the Gospels to be recorded - Matthew and Luke based their Gospels upon the first work of Mark
• It was composed about 70 AD in Rome
• It is a bold statement of victory and a new rule of life made as one author puts it "in the belly of the beast" or the headquarters of the Roman Empire.
• It uses as its source the testimony of Peter - full of details that indicate the eyewitness accounts from which it derives
• It was meant to be proclaimed aloud and not read in private - storytelling techniques abound in this Gospel, i.e. the sandwiching of a story in the middle of another - see Mark 5: 21-43 or 11:12-26. The inner passage is meant to illuminate or expand upon the meaning of the account within which it is found.

Review the readings that were proclaimed at the Mass with your students
• Please note in the reading from the First Letter of Peter St. Peter's identification of Mark as his 'son'.
• In the joy of the resurrection and ascension of the Lord, the disciples "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs."As friends of Jesus of Nazareth how and to where are we to go forth, and how are we to preach?
• St. Francis of Assisi said "Preach the Gospel - use words only if necessary." What does that mean for Christians today?
• Mark brought the life of Jesus to people by means of writing his Gospel - how can we imitate the work of Mark as an Evangelist and bring the life and teaching of Jesus to others? How are we 'evangelists' today?
• As we celebrate the life of St. Mark the Evangelist, how are we to be evangelists today, advancing God's Kingdom of mercy and justice and inviting people to wholeness of life and happiness? What values, attitudes and actions will make us evangelists in today's world?

Shoes for the Santo Niño

The Choristers are busily preparing for a performance this weekend of Stephen Paulus's Shoes for the Santo Niño, a short setting of the text by Peggy Pond Church which depicts the devotion to the Santo Niño de Atocha for both Hispanic and Native American families. The tale is of Julianita and the Santo Niño – the Holy Child Jesus known as an advocate for healing, primarily of children. Many believe that he wears the shoes left by pilgrims who visit his shrines to walk abroad and heal sick children while they sleep.

The devotion to the Holy Child of Atocha began in Spain, where particular devotion developed as many were imprisoned there for their Catholic faith and appealed to the Santo Niño for food and water while incarcerated. Only children were allowed to deliver food, and prisoners reported a young child carrying a gourd with water and a basket of bread that never seemed to run empty.


Devotion to the Santo Niño came to the new world where in Fresnillo, Mexico there is a shrine to the Holy Child. From this central Mexican city an image of the Holy Child was brought to Chimayo, New Mexico, where a Sanctuary for the Holy Child also exists today.

The image is distinctive: the Santo Niño wears the traditional symbol of a pilgrim, a shell, and he holds a little basket in his left hand and a water gourd suspended from a staff in his right hand. The little holy boy wears buckled sandals of silver, and a large, floppy hat with a feather. Although he is known as a wanderer, he is usually shown seated in a little chair.

Prayers to the Santo Niño have come from many, primarily those incarcerated unjustly and including soldiers in World War II who were prisoners of war after fighting bravely at Corregidor and Bataan. Known as the 'little wanderer', the Santo Niño is often cited as the patron of the abandoned.

The Choir School is delighted to collaborate with Utah Symphony-Utah Opera in performing this short opera celebrating the Santo Niño. Performances will take place in the Cathedral on Sunday, April 28th at 8:00 PM and again on Monday, April 29th at 8:00 PM.

Earth Day and Catholic Relief Services

Today is Earth Day, an opportunity to reflect on our care for and stewardship of the earth. Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis often speak about this concern in their writings and addresses. Proper stewardship of the earth, entrusted to us by our creator, is one of the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching regularly articulated as manifestations of our Christian beliefs.



Not long ago, a report was published by Catholic Relief Services entitled Tortillas on the Roaster. The Summary Report describes the results of a study focusing on the impact of climate change for Central American subsistence farmers. It was funded "...because the information it reveals is critical to understanding how this region can achieve long-term food security in the face of extreme challenges. Climate change raises the vulnerability and resiliency stakes for the more than one million subsistence farmers in Central America who depend upon maize and bean production for their survival. Until this report, it was impossible to understand the specific implications of climate change and what it will mean for the kinds of crops that can be grown and under
what conditions."

The report represents a great example of collaboration between the best of scientific research and analysis and our Church's concern for food security in developing nations and the care for God's creation. The impact of climate change is being acutely felt in Central America, one of the world’s most vulnerable regions. Because agriculture is highly sensitive to the temperature and precipitation changes associated with climate change, smallholder farmers in Central America are already experiencing the impacts, first hand. The report highlights the fact that the farmers "...already understand climate change is affecting their livelihoods, they just need help getting the information and learning new techniques to mitigate its effects. We hope the stark predictions presented in this report will be a wake-up call to all—farmers, extension agents, governments, aid organizations—that we need to take a fundamentally different approach to farming."

The report recommends conservation practices that will improve soil quality and water use, while mitigating soil erosion and nutrient run-off. It recognizes that we can’t completely stop the effects of climate change but we can significantly reduce its impact on farming by adopting these improved practices.

The report reminds all of us that "...food security is a choice, not for those who are hungry but for those who are in a position to solve the problem with the right solutions." In the power of the Lord's resurrection, we are called to build a civilization of love by means of our actions. This work of Catholic Relief Services represents an opportunity to make a systemic difference in the lives of some of our vulnerable sisters and brothers.

Pope Benedict's Midnight Mass and the Choir School

Not a very likely combination: the Midnight Mass in Rome's St. Peter's Basilica with our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and Salt Lake City's Cathedral Choir School. But indeed a remarkable connection this year as one of our alumni - Deacon Christopher Gray/Class of '97 - was chosen to serve as a Deacon at the Papal Midnight Mass, which included a great deal of singing. Deacon Gray sang the Gospel, a portion of the Universal Prayer and the Solemn Dismissal.

Deacon Gray continues his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and will return to Salt Lake City in June for his Ordination to the Priesthood in our Cathedral on Saturday June 29 at 11:00 AM.

Congratulations Deacon Gray!

Statement on Today’s Tragedy in Connecticut

Dear Parents and Friends,

We are experiencing the darkest days of the calendar year. Next Friday, the winter solstice will bring the darkest day as the sun is furthest from our planet’s north pole and we begin anew the gradual tilt that brings us the hope of longer, warmer days. This play of darkness and light invites many to give greater thought to our human living, and that is, in fact, what this Season of Advent brings: perhaps an invitation to consider our ‘ultimacy,’ to step off the fast-moving holiday train for just a moment and consider what is truly most important in our living, in our friendships, in our families. In the end, what is it that we must hold as most valuable and ultimately worth investing our heart, mind and strength in finding and maintaining.

The troubled, alcoholic Harvard poet James Agee knew something of this play of darkness and light in writing this passage from his poem Description of Elysium

Sure on this shining night
Of star made shadows round,
Kindness must watch for me
This side the ground.

The late year lies down the north.
All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth.
Hearts all whole.

Sure on this shining night
I weep for wonder wand'ring far alone
Of shadows on the stars.



Today the darkness has struck our nation again, and we have witnessed the shadowed star. We are reeling with the news of the tragedy this morning in Connecticut. As a school community, this strikes us at the heart: the senseless loss of 20 young children and many of their faculty and administrators. It is an act of darkness that will surely overwhelm the light of this season for these families and loved ones, for whom the healing from this horrific loss will be long in coming and never complete.

As a community of faith, sentimental or Pollyanna responses to this tragedy will be completely inappropriate. Resignation that this is somehow God’s will is ridiculous: this cannot be the will of God. What this act of darkness should draw from each one of us is a greater commitment to action on behalf of the light: a serious civic dialogue about access to automatic and semi-automatic weapons, how our society cares for those struggling with mental illness, the many members of our community being squeezed into acts of desperation because we refuse to share, and more.

As we move into next week with our many community offerings of prayer and music we will remember most especially these children, their families, and their teachers; we will also hold in mind the law-enforcement and fire service officials and medical professionals who will bear their own deep grief in having helplessly attended to the victims and their families who are suffering so terribly.

And in these troubled days we will implore the God of great mercy, who chose to come among us a vulnerable child, born of a terrified, poor and ill-prepared mother. We place all of our lost and suffering children in his care this night, and in the care of his mother who beckons us: No tengas miedo! No estoy aqui que soy tu madre? And we ask him for greater courage and strength to be effective agents of the light, to work for real and positive change so that our communities both here throughout the world may be healthy and whole. Building a civilization of love: that is what this holy season calls you and me to now go and do.

Gregory Glenn
Pastoral Administrator