Members of the Stella Maris Concert Choir at the Basilica di Francseco D’Assisi in Assisi, Italy. Director Trudi Stammer (fourth from the right) holds the certificate presented to the choir for singing Mass in the church. (Stephen VanSpall / Special to The B.C. Catholic)
In recent columns, I've written about our family’s summer pilgrimage to Italy, mentioning the trip was a part of a choir tour and that my two oldest children and I were blessed to sing with the group. This column focuses on our choir, its history, and its gifts.
In the Church’s Jubilee Year, 2000, musical director Trudi
Stammer organized a concert choir based out of Star of the Sea parish in South
Surrey. Encompassing people of varying musical backgrounds, The Jubilee Choir
as it came to be known rehearsed at Good Shepherd Church and performed its
inaugural Christmas concert in December 2000.
The following spring, the choir presented a Palm Sunday choral meditation, known as One Hour based on Matthew 26:40, “… could you not watch with me one hour?”
The enthusiasm of its members and the warm reception of local audiences encouraged Stammer and her group to continue rehearsing – and enjoying each other’s company – for the traditional Christmas and One Hour performances each year. Proceeds from these events enabled the choir to begin to support foster children through Chalice and make donations to local charities, such as the Surrey Food Bank.
Eventually, the group began to perform locally with other choirs and in other venues in the Lower Mainland. Stammer could not help noticing that a religious choir performing at secular community events such as a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in White Rock, or the Festival of the Lights at Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver, was spreading the word of God, through song, to those who may not otherwise hear it or be interested. She was inspired to do more with her call to witness her faith.
An immigrant from Germany at the age of five, Stammer became passionate about travelling with her choir to Germany in order to bond as a group while sharing the gift of music – and the gift of faith – at “home.” This dream came to fruition in 2009 when the group, newly renamed the Stella Maris Concert Choir, travelled to Germany to evangelize through song.
The success of that initial pilgrimage led to some short trips to Oregon. Eventually, the choir returned to Europe in 2012 and 2014, visiting Germany and surrounding areas, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Bratislava, Poland, Holland, France, and Belgium.
Since Rome is the heart of Catholic Church history, Stammer aspired to visit the Eternal City with her group. Connections in her parish and choir helped to arrange opportunities for the Stella Maris Concert Choir to sing Mass at the Vatican; Mass and a concert at the Church of Sancta Maria dei Miraculis in Rome; Mass at the Basilica di San Francesco D’Assisi in Assisi; Mass at the Basilica di San Lorenzo in Florence; and Mass and a concert at the Church of St. Barnaba, also in Florence.
Not everyone in the choir is Catholic, although all are Christian. Not everyone in the group is a trained musician, yet everyone sings from the heart. Members “pray” the music they sing, and that alone seems to touch audience members who have shared faith testimonials.
To think that a small choir could travel to Italy and have the opportunity to sing in these amazing venues is moving to say the least. I find it hard to believe that we have been blessed with such fortune. The acoustics were breath-taking, the artwork was stunning, the history of our faith was present in every breath, and we shared our music in gratitude.
Stammer says repeatedly that we are called to evangelize through song. I believe we did just that, and not just in churches. For, after the choir performed an impromptu Ave Maria canon at il Molina di Grace (Grace Vineyards), the visibly moved owner professed that while many had visited his vineyard, none before had touched his heart and soul enough to make him cry.
The Stella Maris Concert Choir is not made up of professionals; we are merely people who love our faith and choose to share it through song. Throughout Italy, we enjoyed exploring the history of our Church and its saints, and we hope to have achieved our mission of evangelizing – even one person along the way – through song.