Oratorio educates, inspires

A collaboration between St. Cloud State University and the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University yielded incredible results on April 25 & 26. The choirs and orchestras of both universities, in conjunction with the Cantabile Girls' Choir and the St. John's Boys' Choir presented an oratorio by Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus, To Be Certain of the Dawn. The concert was presented at both campuses to full houses. The event was a monumental one in the history of Central Minnesota and did much to educate the young people inovlved about the Holocaust and to engage them in discussion about prejudice and injustice.

Music transcends racial barriers

The St. John's Boys' Choir were a featured guests at the Changing Faces conference and workshop hosted by the Saint John's School of Theology and CSB's Companions on a Journey program. The Changing Faces series seeks to engage more people in transformative approaches to intercultural ministry. This particular workshop dealt with the topic Black and Catholic: Social and Cultural Challenges in Ministry. The boys presented a program of sacred music, ranging from Gregorian chant to music of the African diaspora. Their program was followed by a lecture by Dr. M. Shawn Copeland on African roots in today's Church.