IC choir will sing at Vatican on New Year's Day

A week from now, more than 60 Mid-Missourians will be in the heart of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Immaculate Conception Festival Choir will leave Dec. 26 on its first tour and the first time for most of the members to visit Rome, Italy and the Vatican.

The highlight of the week will be participating in the Papal Mass New Year's Day with the Sistine Chapel Choir. There, Pope Francis will celebrate the Feast Day of Mary, Mother of God at St. Peter's Basilica.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the pope," said Marlene Kuster. "Even from a great distance, that's more than most people would get."

As a convert to Catholicism, Mitzi Broermann is looking forward to gaining a deeper appreciation for the religion's roots and heritage. Diane Wildhaber shares the same enthusiasm to connect with her lifelong faith.

Getting to this point has been a bit more of a roller-coaster ride than the choir members expected when they first began to make plans in October 2013.

At that time, they had a new, enthusiastic and experienced choir director who had taken choirs to perform in Rome before. But the director stepped down after Easter.

She continued to work with the choir for the upcoming tour. And, then in recent weeks, the director experienced a health problem that prohibited her from going on the tour.

This week, the choir finally met David Byrne, who will be their director for the tour. Byrne is the organist and music director at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in St. Louis.

Although grateful, Byrne rearranged his schedule to go with them, the choir has some practicing to do on some new arrangements he presented at this week's rehearsal.

"We did a lot of sight-reading (that) night," Barbara Hague said.

The local choir will be singing mostly American Christmas songs - something they've been told the Italian congregations enjoy hearing.

To be gone from their own parish for a week meant finding others to volunteer for various roles, including deacon and song leader, during the local Masses.

Several of those going on the tour are from other parishes in the Jefferson City area. And a few will dress like the choir and mouth along, so they can attend the Papal Mass with their group.

"It's going to be a great time," Kuster said.

The choir also will sing at several smaller parishes in the area of Rome. In those more intimate settings, the choir members expect the camaraderie and atmosphere to be memorable.

They are also eager to see the historic buildings and taste the chocolate and gelatto.

"This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime trip," Broermann said. "This will be an experience we've shared together. Our choir has been tight; now we'll have even more memories to have in common."