Children's choir helps youth connect to their faith

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The children's choir at St. Didacus Parish in San Diego is not only inspiring the children of the parish and delighting adult parishioners, but it also is an invaluable resource in the faith development of its young members, according to parish leaders.

Formed in September 2004, the choir is made up of children in the fourth through eighth grades, and provides the music at the 10 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of each month. "It's amazing to be presiding -- and I would assume the same is true (for) a person in the pews - whenever the children are leading the assembly in song," said Father Michael Baumgardner, pastor of St. Didacus Parish until early February. According to Father Baumgardner, the children's choir has successfully challenged "the illusion" that the Mass is something "done to us and for us" by priests, lectors and extraordinary ministers of Communion and shown that it is the communal worship of the church in which all Catholics are called to participate. This has been especially true for St. Didacus' youngest parishioners. "Worship becomes more approachable for them when they hear and see other young people participating," said St. Didacus music director Katherine Kamrath, who co-directs the choir with Celeste Dueber, music teacher at the parish school. They realize, Kamrath said, that "it's their Mass, too." She also said that early instruction in liturgy and music for children will ensure the presence of quality music in Catholic parishes for years to come. Father Baumgardner said an early interest in music ministry can lead to much more than a lifelong passion for liturgical music. He said it can also serve as a springboard into other parish ministries, such as altar server, lector or extraordinary minister of Communion, as well as a willingness among young boys to consider a vocation to the priesthood or the diaconate. According to Kamrath, participation in the children's choir also plays a powerful role in deepening its members' connection to their Catholic faith. In a phone interview with The Southern Cross, the official publication of the Diocese of San Diego, she said that studying and performing liturgical music could transform choir members into stronger Catholics who are more attentive at Mass and more knowledgeable about the liturgy and Catholicism in general. The children's choir now boasts 18 members -- it includes both children who attend the parish school and those who attend other schools. Its success led to the formation of the junior choir for young singers in kindergarten and the first, second and third grades. They provide music for about three special occasions each year, including Christmas and Easter. Kamrath's challenges include keeping her young choir members focused and dealing with the changing voices of some of the older boys, but it is all worth it, she said, when she sees "the expressions on their faces and the satisfaction that they have done a wonderful job singing to the glory of God." Countless U.S. parishes have their own children's choirs, but for those that don't, Kamrath highly recommends that they form one. "I would really make it a top priority for any parish -- large or small," she said. Meanwhile, Father Baumgardner has six words for his fellow pastors: "Do it as soon as possible

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