An Enchanted Evening
June 14, 2022
We were blessed to host the One Voice Youth Choir from First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, for a special performance in our main chapel on June 14. As the young voices filled every corner of the chapel with inspirational song, the evening sun shone through our stained-glass windows, creating an ethereal atmosphere.
As Residents were able to invite two family members to attend with them, music and togetherness made for a wonderful evening. The kids closed their concert by symbolically positioning themselves around the chapel in the shape of a collective embrace and offering a blessing over the audience. Afterwards, the young choir members lingered to mingle with our Residents.
The 42-member choir is in the midst of its annual summer mission trip. While staying at Washington & Jefferson University, they are doing mission work in the mornings and performing at various locations in the evenings. The trip to Pittsburgh and performance at Mt. Assisi Place were originally scheduled for 2020 but were postponed due to the pandemic. The choir made a point of staying in touch with Karen Vevers, our activities director, and rescheduling the date this year.
“This venue was absolutely perfect for us,” says First Baptist musical minister Ed Cleveland. “It's wonderful to meet all the people, and the kids learn from their interactions, too.”
Our Residents and their family members left the chapel enlightened and inspired by the music. Among them was Sister Karen Buco, who beamed with joy afterwards. “I felt like I was in heaven!” she exclaimed.
The evening also was particularly meaningful for Marian Hall Resident Sister Barbara Ann Lengvarsky, who was moved to tears and requested a group photo to commemorate the occasion. Prior to coming to Mt. Assisi Place, Sister served for more than 30 years in Alabama, not far from where the choir lives and worships.
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A children's choir singing in a church during a performance, with an audience of elderly people seated in pews.
A choir of children and teenagers performing in a church, with several adults in the audience watching and recording their performance.
A children's choir performing inside a church, with the choir members dressed in pink and purple robes, facing the congregation, while an audience of adults watches from wooden pews.
A group of children and teenagers are singing on the altar in a church for a choir performance. The singers are standing in rows; the front row is girls in lavender dresses, and the back row is boys in pink shirts. The church interior has brick walls, stained glass windows, a statue, an organ, and a large abstract artwork above the choir. Audience members sit in pews, some in wheelchairs, watching the performance.
Group of young people, mostly girls, singing on stage inside a church, supervised by an adult conductor. Audience members are seated in wooden pews, some wearing masks.
Inside a church during a choir performance, with stained glass windows on the walls, and an audience seated in pews watching the choir. There are display tables with prayer requests and religious information in the foreground.
A group of young people, possibly choir members, standing in a church or auditorium, with a pianist playing a grand piano in front. A woman stands at a microphone at the pulpit, and there are seats and floral arrangements in the background.
A choir of teenagers singing under the direction of a conductor in a church or chapel with brick walls.
Two elderly women wearing masks sitting in a church or waiting area, with other masked women seated behind them. One woman has short, gray hair and is wearing a patterned blouse and pink pants. The other has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a pink top and polka dot pants.
A group of elderly women sitting in a room, all wearing face masks. Some are in wheelchairs, and there are walkers nearby. The background features a wooden wall and a white wall, indicating an indoor setting.
A group of people, including elderly and younger adults, gathered closely together, engaged in a discussion or activity inside a room, with some in wheelchairs and others standing.
Three seniors standing inside a church, smiling for the camera, with a wooden pew in the foreground.
A group of people, including an elderly woman and several young men dressed in pink shirts, sit and stand in a church, engaged in conversation. The background includes stained glass windows and brick walls.
Three women and a young girl inside a church, posing for a photo. The women are older, two with gray or white hair, and the girl has long brown hair. The women are wearing masks, and some are holding cell phones. The background shows other people, church pews, stained glass windows, and brick walls.
A group of people, mostly elderly, wearing face masks, gathered inside a church or chapel. They are engaged in conversation, with some sitting on wooden pews and others standing, against a backdrop of brick walls and religious decorations.
A woman with a Walker and wearing a face mask is talking to a man in a red and white striped shirt inside a church or religious building. In the background, there are other people, some using walkers, and religious decor on the wall.
A young man in a pink shirt and a white mask is talking to an elderly woman in a white cardigan, seated in a wheelchair, in an indoor setting with wood paneling and a brick wall.
A group of young people, including a girl and a boy, lean over and smile at an elderly woman in a wheelchair in a church or chapel. The interior has stained glass windows, wooden chairs, and religious items like a crucifix and statues.
Group of people, mostly young women in matching purple dresses, standing in a circle around an elderly woman in a blue shirt, who is seated and gesturing with her finger during a conversation.
An elderly woman with curly white hair seated in a wheelchair, wearing glasses and a face mask, engaging in conversation with three young women dressed in matching lavender dresses in a church setting with brick walls and stained glass windows.
Six women, including a young girl and an elderly nun, standing and conversing inside a church.
Group of five people, three women and two men, speaking and interacting indoors. All are wearing face masks. The woman on the left has white hair and glasses, wearing a dark jacket. The young man in the center has dark hair, wearing a light pink shirt. The man behind him has dark hair and a top bun, wearing glasses, a mask, and a backpack. The young woman on the right has long red hair, wearing a pink dress and a mask. The woman in the background has blonde hair and is smiling. It appears to be a casual gathering or conversation.
Group of five people, three women and two men, standing in a line indoors, engaged in a conversation. The women are smiling, and the two men are wearing face masks. One individual appears to be an elderly woman with curly white hair and a face mask, and the other an elderly man wearing glasses and a face mask, dressed in light-colored clothing. The setting includes a partially visible doorway and wooden paneling on the left.
An elderly nun wearing a blue face mask and black religious habit shaking hands with a young man in a pink polo shirt inside a church. Four other young men in pink shirts stand nearby, smiling and watching the interaction. In the background, other people are seen in the church, some wearing masks, and the church features stained glass windows and American flags.
A group of young women in matching purple dresses standing in front of an older woman and a man, outside on a covered porch with a brick building and green trees in the background.