AN INVITATION FROM THE CONGRESS MUSICAL DIRECTOR

February 4, 2014


Dear Musician & Friend:

I pray this finds you well and thriving in the first months of 2014. This great big beautiful Church we call our own has a new pope who connects the past to the present and summons us to find Christ in the very least among us.

"Hope: A World Afire" is the theme of the 2014 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. Sunday's gospel reading is the Transfiguration of Jesus remembered to us by Matthew who gives us a glimpse of the radiant Christ come to us that we might be children of the light. John Angotti wrote the theme song this year to lift and inspire us through the weekend and beyond. Antonio Alonso and ValLimar Jansen return as our very talented cantors for this year's conference.

The Los Angeles Religious Education Congress is the largest annual catechetical and liturgical gathering in the world; and it happens every year right here in Southern California at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Living in the gift, promise, and spirit of Sacrosanctum Concilium (The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), the L.A. Religious Education Congress liturgies have grown as they have embraced this wonderfully diverse church. From Byzantine chant to gospel choirs; from Nigerian and Guatemalan dancers to European, African, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese musicians; we've worked diligently to inculturate the liturgy shaped within the universality of the Roman Rite and the Church of Los Angeles.

In acknowledging your ongoing commitment to music ministry, I extend an invitation to you to participate in Congress Choir 2014. The combined talents of nearly 300 musicians comprise the group that will provide the music for the final liturgies on Sunday, March 16, 2014. Over 19,000 people attend these liturgies. I hope that in considering this invitation, you'll decide to join us. I promise you, it is an experience to remember.

Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange will preside at the morning Eucharist, and Archbishop José Gomez will preside at the afternoon Eucharist.

To participate, RSVP by clicking the following link and complete the online form at: http://tinyurl.com/Congress-Choir-2014

Attendance at two rehearsals is mandatory. We have several "first" rehearsals conveniently scheduled at a location close to you. Choose from one of the following.

* Choose the one geographically closest to you
* You must attend one of the rehearsals below and then the final two rehearsals on March 20 & 21.

*Palm Springs Area *Thursday, March 6, 6:30 p.m. Cathedral City High School, Room 813 775 Deep Canyon Road Palm Desert, CA 922060 contact: Javier Triviso Email: j_triviso@dc.rr.com Inland Empire - Yucaipa/Redlands/San Bernardino *Thursday, March 6, 7:00 p.m. St. Frances X. Cabrini Church 12687 California Street Yucaipa, CA 92399 contact: Cyndi Noble 951.742.1334 Email: cmnmuzic@gmail.com Phoenix/Scottsdale Area Monday, March 10, 7:00 p.m. Franciscan Renewal Center 5802 E. Lincoln Drive Scottsdale, AZ 85253 contact: Norbert Zwickl 480.948.7460 Email: casaliturgy@aol.com		Inland Empire - Moreno Valley/Riverside *Date and Time, TBA St. Patrick Catholic Church 10915 Pigeon Pass Road Moreno Valley, CA, 92557 contact: Maria Alvarado mess. phone 951.780.6049 text: 951.255.8806 Email: BTK4GOD@aol.com San Diego Area *Thursday, March 6, 6:45 p.m. 5115 Ruette De Mer San Diego, CA 92130-2832 contact: Bob & Ginger Infantino 858.793.5609 Email: rinfant1@san.rr.com Los Angeles Area *Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 p.m. St Jerome Church La Tijera exit at the 405 Fwy 5550 Thornburn St. Los Angeles, CA 90045 contact: John Flaherty 310.338.2720
YOU MUST ATTEND THIS FINAL REHEARSAL:
Wednesday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. St. Linus Church 13913 Shoemaker Ave. Norwalk, CA 90650 contact: Anna Betancourt (562) 921-0336 Email: abetancourt@stlinus.org

Additional rehearsals are being planned for Orange County, Ventura/Santa Barbara, and San Francisco Bay Area, as well as Anchorage, AK and New York, NY. Let me know directly if you hail from any of these areas and would like to sing in Congress Choir 2014!

Should you have any questions, please contact me at jflahert@lmu.edu.

RSVP by February 18, 2014 to me at: http://tinyurl.com/Congress-Choir-2014  RSVP right away. We must cap the number of choir members we can accept to this experience.

With warmest regards in Christ,

John Flaherty
Chair, Liturgy Committee
Music Director
Los Angeles Religious Education Congress