In the purest form of parish unity and compassion during a season known for it, Ajax, Ont.’s St. Francis de Sales’ annual Advent and Christmas Carol Concert united five choirs in harmonious celebration, raising funds for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and encouraging hundreds to keep Christmas with them throughout the year.

All told, just short of 730 people packed into the parish earlier this month for an evening of musical excellence and joint fellowship, a growing Christmas tradition as St. Francis de Sales’ has now celebrated its third annual concert event. 

As told by Edmar Selda, the long-standing director of the Sunday 7 p.m. choir at the parish, as well as one of the main organizers of the Christmas concert, the event’s significance has become more than a dime-a-dozen one-off, but a true reflection of a parish committed to community, collaboration and celebration of its widespread musical talents.

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“Our parish is unique in that we have five separate Mass times, each with five different choirs and directors. Each has its own unique identity and style, and so we have pushed the musicality and the quality of the music all in favour of supporting the Liturgy and the Mass,” he said. “Again this year,  we invited people from each of those five choirs to come together and perform and to perform together. People get really excited about that community building aspect.” 

Joining the ensemble of  piano, flute, guitar, digital organ, oboe, brass quintet and percussion this year was the  Toronto String Quartet, a welcome addition which added to the more than 50 members of the music ministry who headed the spectacle. 

Adding to the excitement was the diverse yet tight-knit flair that each choir brought to the performance. The Saturday 5 p.m. youth choir delivered its energetic and unique style, blending seamlessly with the Sunday 8:30 a.m. choir's classic, traditional approach. The 10:15 a.m. choir added its contemporary, folksy polish, while the 12 p.m. choir contributed with notably vibrant Filipino and African influences. Rounding out the lineup was Selda’s own Sunday 7 p.m. choir, which he praised for its strong singers capable of mastering four-part harmonies. 

“We’re truly blessed to have such talent,” Selda said. “ The quality of music is one thing, but so was the sheer collaborative effort between the music ministry, Knights of Columbus, CWL, social committee and the many parish staff. Every part of our parish comes together to put this on, and it simply would not have happened if it weren't for all of them.” 

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Packed pews of families, staff and teachers and students from local parish-associated schools were treated to beautiful renditions of Advent and Christmas classics, with Selda highlighting "Days of Elijah," "O Holy Night," Bach/Gounod’s "Ave Maria" and "For Until Us A Child is Born" sung by a group of five singers alongside a string quartet, following their performance with 146 other singers and a 30-piece symphony at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Dec. 1 as standouts.

However, the atmosphere created by the concert’s final song, "The First Noel," profoundly moved those in attendance as a hushed awe and deep spiritual stillness overcame the crowded church at the end of the night. 

“ It was a combined choir with all the instruments, and in the last verse, all the congregation joined in. It brought together everybody in a way that I think only music can,” he said. 

“ I loved that last song because everybody got to sing it, but also because it ended very quietly. I said to the congregation before that it would be a beautiful reminder to all of us that we are still in Advent, waiting for our Saviour to arrive. That crescendo into the sacred silence was just the perfect way to end.” 

Proceeds from the concert go to the St. Vincent de Paul Society to help those in need this season, as well as the  parish’s mortgage fund. An anonymous donor matched the donations of $5,300, for a grand total of $10,600 raised on the night. 

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Selda hopes that, as with the concert's namesake, attendees came away with a renewed sense of keeping Christmas with them long after the decorations come down. 

“ Seeing our parish family come together, that really felt like the spirit of Christmas to me. If we can keep and maintain that sense of family, both parish and personal, throughout the year, then this concert and all the months of preparation for it would've all been worth it.”