Tours
We enjoy singing our music all over the world! Here is a list of places where we've sung:
2007 Italy
St. Mark's Basilica, Venice
San Vitale, Ravenna
Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi
St. Peter's Basilica, The Altar of the Chair, Vatican City
Papal Audience for Pope Benedict XVI, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City
St. Ignatius, Rome
2008 Louisiana
St. Steven's, New Orleans
Cathedral of St. Joseph, Baton Rouge
St. Peter the Apostle, Hackberry
2009 Greece
St. Paul's, Piraeus
Aquamarine, formal concert aboard our cruise ship
Cathedral, Rhodes
Bemah, Corinth
Tomb of Agamemnon, Mycenae
Cave where St. John wrote the book of Revelation, Patmos
2009 Turkey
House of the Virgin Mary, near Ephesus
2011 Ireland
Gothic Memorial Church, Kylemore Abbey
Old Chapel, Our Lady of Knock Basilica, Knock
Cathedral, Galway
Bunratty Castle
St. Mary's Cathedral, Killarney
St. John the Evangelist, Kilkenny
St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin
2013 Italy
Cathedral of St. Filippo and Giacomo, Sorrento
Amphitheater in ancient Pompeii
Cathedral of Naples
Chiesa del Gesu Nuovo, Naples
Cathedral of St. Andrew, Amalfi
Cathedral of St. Matthew, Salerno
Abbey of Montecasino
Shrine of Our Lady in Mentorella
Basilica of St. Mary Major, Rome
Cathedral of St. John Lateran, Rome
St. Paul's Basilica Outside the Walls, Rome
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Church of Chiesa Nuova (Oratory of St. Philip Neri), Rome
2015 Spain
Almudena Cathedral, Madrid
Santo Tome, Toledo
El Escorial Monastery, near Madrid, with the Escolania del Escorial boys choir
Birthplace and Church of St. Teresa, Avila
Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillars, Zaragoza
La Seu Cathedral, a.k.a. Cathedral del Salvador, Zaragoza
Iglesia parroquial de San Miguel Arcangel, Alfajarin
Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat
Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Cathedral of Barcelona (Holy Cross and Eulalia)
2017 France
Lyon, Notre-Dame Basilica
Vichy, St. Louis Church
Chartres, Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres
Mont-Saint-Michel, St. Peter’s Church
Normandy, American Cemetery
Lisieux, Basilica of St. Therese
Lisieux, St. Peter’s Cathedral
Paris, Sacre Coeur
Paris, Concert at La Madeleine
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2007 Italy
St. Mark's Basilica, Venice
San Vitale, Ravenna
Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi
St. Peter's Basilica, The Altar of the Chair, Vatican City
Papal Audience for Pope Benedict XVI, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City
St. Ignatius, Rome
2008 Louisiana
St. Steven's, New Orleans
Cathedral of St. Joseph, Baton Rouge
St. Peter the Apostle, Hackberry
2009 Greece
St. Paul's, Piraeus
Aquamarine, formal concert aboard our cruise ship
Cathedral, Rhodes
Bemah, Corinth
Tomb of Agamemnon, Mycenae
Cave where St. John wrote the book of Revelation, Patmos
2009 Turkey
House of the Virgin Mary, near Ephesus
2011 Ireland
Gothic Memorial Church, Kylemore Abbey
Old Chapel, Our Lady of Knock Basilica, Knock
Cathedral, Galway
Bunratty Castle
St. Mary's Cathedral, Killarney
St. John the Evangelist, Kilkenny
St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin
2013 Italy
Cathedral of St. Filippo and Giacomo, Sorrento
Amphitheater in ancient Pompeii
Cathedral of Naples
Chiesa del Gesu Nuovo, Naples
Cathedral of St. Andrew, Amalfi
Cathedral of St. Matthew, Salerno
Abbey of Montecasino
Shrine of Our Lady in Mentorella
Basilica of St. Mary Major, Rome
Cathedral of St. John Lateran, Rome
St. Paul's Basilica Outside the Walls, Rome
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Church of Chiesa Nuova (Oratory of St. Philip Neri), Rome
2015 Spain
Almudena Cathedral, Madrid
Santo Tome, Toledo
El Escorial Monastery, near Madrid, with the Escolania del Escorial boys choir
Birthplace and Church of St. Teresa, Avila
Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillars, Zaragoza
La Seu Cathedral, a.k.a. Cathedral del Salvador, Zaragoza
Iglesia parroquial de San Miguel Arcangel, Alfajarin
Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat
Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Cathedral of Barcelona (Holy Cross and Eulalia)
2017 France
Lyon, Notre-Dame Basilica
Vichy, St. Louis Church
Chartres, Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres
Mont-Saint-Michel, St. Peter’s Church
Normandy, American Cemetery
Lisieux, Basilica of St. Therese
Lisieux, St. Peter’s Cathedral
Paris, Sacre Coeur
Paris, Concert at La Madeleine
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Choir Biography
The first St. Gregory the Great Church and School was founded in 1904 to serve German Catholics on the North Side of Chicago and Father Klasen (later Monsignor), the first pastor, was also the first organist. On the Feast of the Holy Rosary, October 2, 1904, the first choir of eight men trained by Fr. Klasen sang its first High Mass, and even though they sang the Agnus Dei for the Sanctus, the pastor knew that the St. Gregory tradition of solemn liturgical worship was born on that day. Ms. Mae Enderlin (later Schiller), Fr. Klasen's niece, became the parish organist in 1905, and was still playing for masses through 1954.
The original church building was deemed inadequate in size, so ground was broken in 1905 for a combination church and school building. Archbishop Quigley laid the cornerstone on September 3, 1905 and the building was dedicated for use on April 6, 1906. In 1906, a "young ladies section" of the choir existed, "in order to be able to sing such compositions that are written exclusively for mixed choirs." A "boys' section" was attempted, though was not successful.
The current strong brown brick church (the third church building) was built in 1926, and was referred to as "a medieval gem in a modern setting," and unlike the style "of any other church in the New World," by two former Chicago cardinals. The second church and school building was then used as a gymnasium. With the new church Mr. John Brodesser became the first paid organist and choir director. Herman Pedtke succeeded him in the 1930's and later taught on the organ faculty of his alma mater, DePaul University, Chicago. A tragic fire destroyed the second church and school building on July 13, 1951. Axel Norder succeeded him from 1954-56 and William Klüh also served the parish from 1956 until August of 1961, when George Hacker became organist. Hacker was a teacher at the high school and published composer. Bill Roessler, who remained an additional organist for many years, assisted him by playing for the Saturday mass. Hacker held the post for 39 years until he retired in 2000, at which point Hacker's former pupil John Hoppe took over. On March 8, 2003 an electrical fire that began in the choir loft hit the third St. Gregory's Church; a complete restoration was in order. In the midst of this period of repair in July of 2003, Patrick Godon, our current Director of Music was appointed. In the seven years since then he has doubled the Parish Choir from twenty members with four paid singers to a volunteer choir of over forty members, started a Chamber Choir, founded a non profit chamber music ensemble called the International Chamber Artists, composed and arranged music for liturgies, and sustained the St. Joseph funeral choir. In December of 2003, on the third week of Advent, the altar of the church was rededicated and the church was restored to its original glory.
Under Godon's leadership and commitment to quality, the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir seamlessly blends a wide variety of styles for the liturgies. The congregation worships with music from both the rich heritage of the Catholic Church and with newly composed psalm settings and songs by Godon, reaffirming the church of today and tomorrow. The choir sings polyphonic works and Gregorian chant along with the works of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century composers. The choir sings standard works from various hymnals, but also brings great masterpieces of music to the service of worship by singing ambitious choral works by such composers as Aguiar, Allegri, Bach, Bruckner, Byrd, Casals, Elgar, Faure, Gibbons, Handel, Kodaly, Mozart, Palestrina, Rutter, Vaughan Williams, Victoria, and many others with great technical and musical excellence. The choir has sung in numerous languages not only to observe the original text of the composers but also to emphasize the diversity of the congregation. Equally important is the training of the singers. Godon begins each weekly rehearsal with a group voice lesson, ensuring the vocal health of each member. This period of awareness and instruction at the beginning of the rehearsal yields positive results in the sound and morale of the choir. The Parish Choir sings for the Sunday 10:30 AM mass from the Feast of St. Gregory, the 1st week of September, to Corpus Christi. Each year they are the featured choir at the church's Christmas Festival of Lessons, Lights, and Carols. The music program makes use of highly trained, young adult musicians who have trained with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago to aid in Sunday mass celebrations, feast day masses, and special liturgies. The choir is a place where long-time and new parishioners can come together. Some of the members have lived in this neighborhood in excess of 60 years and yet it is also a welcoming environment for new arrivals to the parish. The youngest choir members have been in their teens and the oldest in their eighties. Choir members come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Godon took the St. Gregory Parish Choir on tour to Italy in 2007, singing in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, St. Ignatius in Rome, and for Pope Benedict XVI at a papal audience. This was the first time in the church's 102-year history that a choir from this parish has ever gone on a tour. In June of 2008, Godon took the choir on tour to Louisiana, singing in St. Stephen’s Church in New Orleans, the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Baton Rouge, and in St. Peter the Apostle in Hackberry, for which the choir raised $3,500 for this sister parish’s music program. In 2009, the choir toured Greece and Turkey, singing in St. Paul's in Piraeus, the Cathedral in Rhodes, the Bemah in Corinth, the Tomb of Agamemnon in Mycenae, at the cave where St. John wrote the book of Revelation in Patmos, at the house of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus, and a formal concert aboard our cruise ship. The choir embarked on a performance tour of Ireland in 2011, singing in Kylemore Abbey, Our Lady of Knock Shrine, the Galway Cathedral, Bunratty Castle, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney, St. John the Evangelist in Kilkenny, and at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. The Chapel Master of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City invited the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir back to participate in the 500th anniversary of the Cappella Guilia in March of 2013, an invitation the choir was honored to accept. In 2015 the choir toured Spain, native country to Parish Choir tenor Carlos Miguel-Pueyo. They met the mayor of Alfajarin, and after singing a concert in Carlos' home church for 500 people, were given the key to the city.
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The original church building was deemed inadequate in size, so ground was broken in 1905 for a combination church and school building. Archbishop Quigley laid the cornerstone on September 3, 1905 and the building was dedicated for use on April 6, 1906. In 1906, a "young ladies section" of the choir existed, "in order to be able to sing such compositions that are written exclusively for mixed choirs." A "boys' section" was attempted, though was not successful.
The current strong brown brick church (the third church building) was built in 1926, and was referred to as "a medieval gem in a modern setting," and unlike the style "of any other church in the New World," by two former Chicago cardinals. The second church and school building was then used as a gymnasium. With the new church Mr. John Brodesser became the first paid organist and choir director. Herman Pedtke succeeded him in the 1930's and later taught on the organ faculty of his alma mater, DePaul University, Chicago. A tragic fire destroyed the second church and school building on July 13, 1951. Axel Norder succeeded him from 1954-56 and William Klüh also served the parish from 1956 until August of 1961, when George Hacker became organist. Hacker was a teacher at the high school and published composer. Bill Roessler, who remained an additional organist for many years, assisted him by playing for the Saturday mass. Hacker held the post for 39 years until he retired in 2000, at which point Hacker's former pupil John Hoppe took over. On March 8, 2003 an electrical fire that began in the choir loft hit the third St. Gregory's Church; a complete restoration was in order. In the midst of this period of repair in July of 2003, Patrick Godon, our current Director of Music was appointed. In the seven years since then he has doubled the Parish Choir from twenty members with four paid singers to a volunteer choir of over forty members, started a Chamber Choir, founded a non profit chamber music ensemble called the International Chamber Artists, composed and arranged music for liturgies, and sustained the St. Joseph funeral choir. In December of 2003, on the third week of Advent, the altar of the church was rededicated and the church was restored to its original glory.
Under Godon's leadership and commitment to quality, the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir seamlessly blends a wide variety of styles for the liturgies. The congregation worships with music from both the rich heritage of the Catholic Church and with newly composed psalm settings and songs by Godon, reaffirming the church of today and tomorrow. The choir sings polyphonic works and Gregorian chant along with the works of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century composers. The choir sings standard works from various hymnals, but also brings great masterpieces of music to the service of worship by singing ambitious choral works by such composers as Aguiar, Allegri, Bach, Bruckner, Byrd, Casals, Elgar, Faure, Gibbons, Handel, Kodaly, Mozart, Palestrina, Rutter, Vaughan Williams, Victoria, and many others with great technical and musical excellence. The choir has sung in numerous languages not only to observe the original text of the composers but also to emphasize the diversity of the congregation. Equally important is the training of the singers. Godon begins each weekly rehearsal with a group voice lesson, ensuring the vocal health of each member. This period of awareness and instruction at the beginning of the rehearsal yields positive results in the sound and morale of the choir. The Parish Choir sings for the Sunday 10:30 AM mass from the Feast of St. Gregory, the 1st week of September, to Corpus Christi. Each year they are the featured choir at the church's Christmas Festival of Lessons, Lights, and Carols. The music program makes use of highly trained, young adult musicians who have trained with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago to aid in Sunday mass celebrations, feast day masses, and special liturgies. The choir is a place where long-time and new parishioners can come together. Some of the members have lived in this neighborhood in excess of 60 years and yet it is also a welcoming environment for new arrivals to the parish. The youngest choir members have been in their teens and the oldest in their eighties. Choir members come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Godon took the St. Gregory Parish Choir on tour to Italy in 2007, singing in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, St. Ignatius in Rome, and for Pope Benedict XVI at a papal audience. This was the first time in the church's 102-year history that a choir from this parish has ever gone on a tour. In June of 2008, Godon took the choir on tour to Louisiana, singing in St. Stephen’s Church in New Orleans, the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Baton Rouge, and in St. Peter the Apostle in Hackberry, for which the choir raised $3,500 for this sister parish’s music program. In 2009, the choir toured Greece and Turkey, singing in St. Paul's in Piraeus, the Cathedral in Rhodes, the Bemah in Corinth, the Tomb of Agamemnon in Mycenae, at the cave where St. John wrote the book of Revelation in Patmos, at the house of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus, and a formal concert aboard our cruise ship. The choir embarked on a performance tour of Ireland in 2011, singing in Kylemore Abbey, Our Lady of Knock Shrine, the Galway Cathedral, Bunratty Castle, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney, St. John the Evangelist in Kilkenny, and at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. The Chapel Master of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City invited the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir back to participate in the 500th anniversary of the Cappella Guilia in March of 2013, an invitation the choir was honored to accept. In 2015 the choir toured Spain, native country to Parish Choir tenor Carlos Miguel-Pueyo. They met the mayor of Alfajarin, and after singing a concert in Carlos' home church for 500 people, were given the key to the city.
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