Hundreds of eager listeners packed in tightly together at a Whitby, Ont., parish on the evening of Dec. 10 to hear the angelic voices of young students singing in the “True Meaning of CHRISTmas” concert.

Around 200 children from seven schools across the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) united their voices to honour the miracle of Christ’s birth at St. John the Evangelist Parish in a special community Christmas performance.

“It was a pinch me moment,” said Catherine Faria, principal of St. John Paul II Catholic School in Brooklin, Ont.

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Earlier in the school year, Faria envisioned a Christmas concert that emphasised the importance of the birth of Jesus Christ. 

“I didn’t know what it was going to look like. I reached out to principals asking for choir leads, at least 10 were considering it at the time. Eventually, we ended up with six elementary and one high school,” she said.

Different choirs from the seven schools sang a repertoire of 17 traditional Christmas carols, all of which focused on the birth of Jesus Christ, like “Joy Unto the World” and “What Child is This.”

For Faria, a devout woman whose faith is “incredibly important,” the concert reinforced the true importance of the Christmas season.

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“Each choir director was asked to choose two Catholic Advent or Christmas songs. Jesus is the reason we have Christmas. Our world has become secular and we wanted to bring back the faith component,” said the teacher of almost 30 years. “Even in between sets, I got the crowd to sing carols that they had known since they were children. We wanted to remind everyone what Christmas is about.”

Music teacher Amanda McLaurin was responsible for preparing students of St. John Paul II for the Christmas concert. Ultimately, she coached about 30 students between Grades 2-6. Watching her students perform on stage, she was touched by their authentic joy for Christmas.

“They get really passionate when they’re singing, they’re so into it. I needed to remind them to tone it down and to sing and not yell. But when they’re living the words they want to yell it,” she said.

McLaurin, a teacher for 19 years, chose songs that would appeal to younger students. She opted to give solos to the older students to highlight their musical abilities.

One of McLaurin’s students, Mila Fancelli-Mohabir, gave a solo performance at the concert. She sang the third verse of “Go Tell It On The Mountain.” The talented young singer said that Christmas concerts like these are very special to her.

“Christmas concerts are important Christian traditions, but also memories that will be held forever,” said Fancelli-Mohabir, a Grade 6 student.

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Although there was no admittance fee, attendees were asked to bring donations of gift cards for the Durham Catholic Children’s Foundation — an organization dedicated to serving the needs of vulnerable students across the DCDSB to help them reach their full potential.

“At the end, the box was quite full,” said Faria.