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Students enthusiastically embrace annual Christmas concert that raises funds for Barrie youth ministry
St. Monica’s Elementary School performing at St. Mary’s Church in Barrie, Ont., on the feast day of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6, during a Christmas concert fundraiser on behalf of the local Catholic youth ministry.
Photo courtesy by Shannon Barks
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OSV Newsillustration/Dado Ruvic, Reuters
St. Nicholas Day brought the gift of music this year, as a local tradition enlivened St. Mary’s Church in Barrie, Ont.
Fundraising for youth ministry, Dec. 6 brought young and old alike together in song, an age-old tradition of Christmas music in the parish's Annual Christmas Concert.
The concert featured performances of choirs from several local Catholic schools: St. Mary's, St. Monica’s, The Good Shepherd, Msgr. Clair, St. Marguerite d'Youville, Sr. Catherine Donnelly and St. Joseph's High School. Ranging from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, the school choirs and young musicians showcased their musical talents, including performances featuring a quartet, an accordion soloist, a saxophonist and a trumpeter.
Shannon Barks has been organizing this Christmas concert since 2013, before which she helped facilitate similar concerts at a different location in Barrie. Each year’s concert features two pieces by each school’s choir, intermixed with pieces by the St. Mary’s Church Choir. Barks has worked intimately with this church choir for over 10 years, and said this year’s performance was a little different than in years past.
“We acutely felt the loss of so many voices this year,” said Barks, who explained how some of their choir’s core members had sadly passed in 2024.
While these valued members of the community will be dearly missed, Barks is happy to have seen new members grow into their choir as well.
Barks stressed the importance of investing in music and celebrating where there is musical growth, noting a distinct decline in choirs around her. She hopes that projects like these help encourage and promote the joy of music to young people and hopes to see an increase in music programs and choirs for youth.
“There’s not the same opportunity in schools any more, not as much serious focus on music as there once was,” said Barks.
The project seems to have indeed appealed greatly to the youth. Adria Alberico, Grade 2 teacher at St. Marguerite d'Youville Catholic School, reports that kids were jumping on this opportunity to perform and share their talents, and notes a distinctive team spirit arises from this Christmas concert project each year, complete with spontaneous practice in the hallways.
“It was touching, because some have never had the opportunity to sing outside of their school,” said Alberico. “They love it. They are so excited to share their music with the community.”
This is Alberico’s second year co-leading the school’s Christmas choir with Maurreen Martin, and, inspired by the joy it brings to the school’s students, hopes to continue supporting this project in future years. Holding on to these musical traditions, she says, is an important part of Christmas.
“Music is a universal language, a feeling that stretches through the ages. Through the older Christmas songs, we can feel and experience those same feelings of hope, joy and anticipation that was given to previous generations,” said Alberico.
Another aspect of the show is charity. Barks said $1,000 was raised for youth ministry in Barrie with this year's concert.
A version of this story appeared in the December 22, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Youth enriched by the sound of music".
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