St. Francis de Sales Parish

The SFdS Children’s choir is an open group open to grades 3 and above.  Being a member means attending all of the rehearsals and liturgies on the attached schedule, and being on time or early

Hymn Writers Included in This Festival

Saint Francis de Sales

Third Annual Hymn Festival

Celebrating the Song of the People of God

Featuring the combined choirs of

Harderwyk Ministries, CRC

and

St. Francis de Sales, RC

with

Kelly Dobbs-Mickus, Organist

Robert J. Batastini, Narrator

 plus

Brass Quartet, Timpani

Sunday, May 22, 2011, 4 p.m.

Bob recently retired after forty years as vice president

The combined choirs of Harderwyk Ministries and St. Francis de Sales Church will number more that fifty singers for this event. Besides their separate preparation, the St.

Hymns are the song of the people—the persons in the pew, the congregation that assembles.

Our festivals feature hymns for the 21^st Century church presented in a way that makes new hymns readily accessible to the folks in the pews, most of whom do not read music.

Holland Chorale will be presenting their 2011 Concert of Sacred Music here at St. Francis.

For more information or for tickets please see http://www.hollandchorale.org/

Hope College's three smallest choirs perform at St.

“Hymns are the song of the people” quotes Robert Batastini, who will lead the April 25^nd  hymn festival at  St. Francis de Sales Parish. St. Francis is inviting clergy, musicians, those who sing in choirs, and those who sing in the pews, from churches throughout the area to join in this festival of song. But make no mistake, this is not a choir concert. It is a celebration of the song of the people in the pews, and when several hundred folks gather in the superb acoustics of St. Francis Church, under the musical leadership of Bob Batastini and Kelly Dobbs Mickus, the experience is both inspirational and exhilarating.

The Great Ninety Days—Lent through Pentecost, will be the focus of the event. Our celebration of the holiest time of the Church year  will take us on a journey beginning at the First Sunday of Lent, singing hymns based on the specific scriptures of each of the fourteen Sundays.

Mostly familiar tunes will be used, making it easy for everyone to sing (one need not know how to read music!), but the richest element of the festival will be with wide exploration of hymn texts by modern writers—texts for today’s church.

Robert Batastini, will narrate the event, moving us through our journey with a brief introduction to each hymn. As s hymnal editor, Batastini  coordinated the compilation of a number of  Catholic hymnals, as well as The African American Heritage Hymnal. He was a editorial contributor to The Presbyterian Hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, and served as consultant on several other denominational hymnals. He is currently director of a new hymnal project for the National Baptist Convention U.S.A., the largest African American denomination in America. Bob is past president and a fellow of the Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada. After serving for 40 years as senior editor of church music publisher GIA Publications, Chicago, he retired to Fennville, Michigan, and plays an active role in the music of St. Francis Parish.

For more details about the Hymn Festival click here 

Fun, free, family-friendly concert by the Hope College Women's Chamber Choir, Luminescence (the close-harmony women's ensemble) and 12th Street Harmony (the popular men's group).

Selections will include7

* two spirituals, including numerous soloists from the group
* a rousing setting with piano of Psalm 150
* an early poem by Charlotte Bronte
* "Kasar mie la gaji," (The Earth is Tired), a fierce environmental statement by South American composer Alberto Grau
* our traditional closing song, "Blessing"