Panama 2019 Choir Pilgrimage and Performance Tour
Rehearsals for this trip are as follows:
Rehearsals at St. Gregory the Great Church, 5545 N Paulina, Chicago, IL 60640
Sunday, October 7 from 7-9:30 PM
Sunday, October 14 from 7-9:30 PM
Saturday, January 19 from 12-2:30 PM - CANCELED DUE TO SNOWSTORM
Saturday, February 2 from 12-2:30 PM
Saturday, February 16 from 7-9:30 PM (*note time change from original schedule)
Saturday, February 23 from 12-2:30 PM
Wednesday, March 6 from 6-9 PM (*ADDED REHEARSAL TO MAKE UP FOR JAN. 19)
Pilgrimage and Performance Tour March 7-16, 2019
Download the brochure here:
Rehearsals at St. Gregory the Great Church, 5545 N Paulina, Chicago, IL 60640
Sunday, October 7 from 7-9:30 PM
Sunday, October 14 from 7-9:30 PM
Saturday, January 19 from 12-2:30 PM - CANCELED DUE TO SNOWSTORM
Saturday, February 2 from 12-2:30 PM
Saturday, February 16 from 7-9:30 PM (*note time change from original schedule)
Saturday, February 23 from 12-2:30 PM
Wednesday, March 6 from 6-9 PM (*ADDED REHEARSAL TO MAKE UP FOR JAN. 19)
Pilgrimage and Performance Tour March 7-16, 2019
Download the brochure here:
9480_-_st_gregory_the_great_.pdf | |
File Size: | 470 kb |
File Type: |
Repertoire
Juntos para Toda la Vida by Estella Garcia
El Amor Nunca Pasará by Eleazar Cortes
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel Stephen Porter
Arriba los Corazones (Traditional) Accomp. by Steven R. Janco
Bienaventurados and a second recording here of Bienaventurados by Lourdes C. Montgomery
Espiritu Santo Ven by Ricardo Mishler, adapt. by Martin Verde Barajas
Pues si Vivimos Arr. by Hal H. Hopson
Pescador de Hombres and a second recording here of Pescador de Hombres by Cesareo Gabarain, arr. by Joseph Abell
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light - Arr. by Richard Proulx
A Blessing by William Ferris
Antiphon by William Ferris
Canticle of Simeon by Feargal King
Trilingual Ubi Caritas by Cheryl Aranda
Alabare by Manuel Jose Alonso & Jose Pagan
Cantico para Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe by Joel Martinson
Lift Up Your Hearts by Roc O'Connor
Ave Maria by Michael Lorenc/arr. by Patrick Godon
PILGRIMS
Patrick Godon, Director of Music & organ
SOPRANO
Marsha Cote
Linda Dukes
Sharon Howerton
Peggy McCaffray
Diane Muss
Diana Myhre
Carolyn Orthner
ALTO
Susan Licciardi
Mary Beth Niziol
Olga Rivas
TENOR/BASS
Thomas Bravos
Dave Lux
John Myhre
FRIENDS OF THE CHOIR
Atticus Godon - our newborn son
Gilbert Godon - our 7 year old son
Keri Godon - my wife
Oliver Godon - our 5 year old son
Marty Lux - wife of Dave
Paul McCaffray - husband of Peggy
Jim Muss - husband of Diane
Dianne Parulis - friend of the late Mary Ann Doyle, mighty alto
Tina Stiefel - friend of Mary Beth Niziol
Lydia Yee - expert photographer
Wanda Yee - sister of Lydia
El Amor Nunca Pasará by Eleazar Cortes
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel Stephen Porter
Arriba los Corazones (Traditional) Accomp. by Steven R. Janco
Bienaventurados and a second recording here of Bienaventurados by Lourdes C. Montgomery
Espiritu Santo Ven by Ricardo Mishler, adapt. by Martin Verde Barajas
Pues si Vivimos Arr. by Hal H. Hopson
Pescador de Hombres and a second recording here of Pescador de Hombres by Cesareo Gabarain, arr. by Joseph Abell
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light - Arr. by Richard Proulx
A Blessing by William Ferris
Antiphon by William Ferris
Canticle of Simeon by Feargal King
Trilingual Ubi Caritas by Cheryl Aranda
Alabare by Manuel Jose Alonso & Jose Pagan
Cantico para Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe by Joel Martinson
Lift Up Your Hearts by Roc O'Connor
Ave Maria by Michael Lorenc/arr. by Patrick Godon
PILGRIMS
Patrick Godon, Director of Music & organ
SOPRANO
Marsha Cote
Linda Dukes
Sharon Howerton
Peggy McCaffray
Diane Muss
Diana Myhre
Carolyn Orthner
ALTO
Susan Licciardi
Mary Beth Niziol
Olga Rivas
TENOR/BASS
Thomas Bravos
Dave Lux
John Myhre
FRIENDS OF THE CHOIR
Atticus Godon - our newborn son
Gilbert Godon - our 7 year old son
Keri Godon - my wife
Oliver Godon - our 5 year old son
Marty Lux - wife of Dave
Paul McCaffray - husband of Peggy
Jim Muss - husband of Diane
Dianne Parulis - friend of the late Mary Ann Doyle, mighty alto
Tina Stiefel - friend of Mary Beth Niziol
Lydia Yee - expert photographer
Wanda Yee - sister of Lydia
Reflections
Honestly, given that you changed tour companies so close to our departure, I was really worried. Overall, the trip was a smashing success, with only minor hangups along the way. I think the group as a whole was ready for anything, so we had the right mindset going into it.
Day 1, Thursday, March 7, 2019: I loved that there was no jet lag to get over, arrive the same day and hit the pool. Everyday allowed for pool time with the family, so that was a major bonus. The first evening we were supposed to have a rehearsal with the Polyphonic Choir of Panama, but the signals must have gotten crossed as they were not at the church. There were some other folks having a meeting so I was able to get through to the choir director of the choir and speak with her. In the meantime, the bus had left and I did my best to contact Kevin, the head of Barefoot Tours. He made a phone call and the bus was back to pick us up within a half hour or less. I thought that that was a sign for how the tour would go. I was wrong.
Day 2: We loved seeing the Miraflores Lock on the Panama Canal. This was a great way to start the tour and the guide Gonzo was excellent - informative, funny, not trying to give us too much information, and helpful. There was a great viewing area for seeing the ships. The only negative about this spot was that our blind choir member, Sharon, was robbed as she was focusing on the ships! The museum was good for children and adults alike. The movie they showed was a bit too intense for our littlest ones, but they just ended up leaving the theater to go back to the museum. That night we headed to our first singing venue, Nuestra Senora del Carmen. We sang for the mass, then a full length concert for a good sized audience. We were raising money for an orphanage and the children were at the concert. After the concert, we enjoyed meeting the parishioners, and some of the staff at the church had prepared a reception for us. This was a special opening to a memorable tour.
Day 3: The Embera Village was another special part of the tour. It was great to see the reactions of the group when they saw how the Embera still live in 2019! This was a different village than the one I had seen on the inspection tour. This one had an all-terrain hike to a waterfall. I didn't go on it b/c I opted to stay with our boys, but my wife went on the intense hike and made it to the waterfall. A couple of our members opted not to go all the way; one of which, Jim, noticed later that he had severely cut his toe. Getting the proper treatment for his toe proved difficult, but he was a trooper and did what he could, with the help of his wife (a retired nurse) and some of the other members in our group. He ended up taking the next day off to heal. Some of us stayed and shopped. My boys loved holding and being around a tame monkey. That was probably the highlight of the tour for them! The lunch here was incredibly delicious - fish caught that day, along with fried & flattened plantains, fresh pineapple, watermelon, and mango. My two year old Atticus started to play with the little Embera children and that just made my day. He then went off on his own for awhile and I just let him be. When I later went to check on him, he had been covering himself with dry dirt - probably to try to look like the Embera people - he was so cute, and dirty! A number of us, including me, requested and received (for a small fee) an ink tattoo. I opted for one that went all the way around my bicep and was their symbol for the monkey tail. My two older boys also wanted to get one after they saw mine. We are part Native American, so it felt good to connect in some foreign way to those roots. After lunch, the Embera women did a little dance for us while the men played musical instruments. I felt honored when one of the women asked me to dance with her in some sort of group circle dance. On the canoe ride home I sat next to Susan who burst into tears. She was overcome by the fact that these people live so simply, fully, and that our time with them had to come to an end.
That night we sang in Don Bosco Church. When we got to the entrance to the choir loft it was padlocked, but we heard the organist, Roberto, playing for the mass just before the one we were to sing with him. While the mass in the hour directly before us continued, we sat in the sacristy while I was praying that Roberto would come down to get us after the mass was finished. I knew there was a chance he might just stay up there and not bother to come down to get us, in case he hadn't heard that we were coming to sing. Thank God, after about 20 nerve-wracking minutes he appeared, as nice as can be with a big smile to greet us! We assembled in the choir loft and the mass began less than a minute later. There were microphones for each singer here, but the fans scattered throughout the church were so loud they did not help our singing. This was the only church that wasn't air conditioned. After the mass, we sang a short concert. They didn't know we were going to sing a concert so Roberto, after I asked him about it, wrote a note to the priest and gave it to one of the servers to give to him. He announced that we'd give a short concert after mass and we ended up singing a few songs. It was so hot I opted to keep this one short. I also wanted to keep it short b/c we had reservations at Tinajas - a great restaurant that had great Panamanian food along with a folkloric dance show. A great time was had by all.
Day 4: This day began with a walking tour of the old town with Gonzo, including La Merced - the oldest church in Panama City. He kept things moving and interesting. We even had a little time for shopping. The lunch location was excellent and the group throughout the trip was impressed by the food. The breakfasts were some of the finest I've experienced in any of the hotels in which I've ever stayed - and I've stayed in a LOT of hotels! There was still some confusion as to when we were to meet the Polyphonic Choir of Panama this day, as I thought they had told me 3 PM, but they had told Humberto 5 PM. Eventually we got in touch with the right people to tell us that it wasn't until the evening that we'd be meeting to rehearse.
Pool time at the hotel in the middle of the day, then time to freshen up for the next mass and concert. We went to meet the other choir, the Polyphonic Choir of Panama, in a practice room at Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church. Their director introduced me and then turned the rehearsal over to me. She went to figure out how things would work for the mass. I began by rehearsing the two songs we'd sing together for the mass, Pescador de Hombres in a beautiful SATB version along with Arriba Los Corazones. Once we finished rehearsing those songs, the Polyphonic Choir of Panama sang a couple songs for us. Then we sang a couple songs for them. It was a true cultural exchange. After that I borrowed one of their bass section singer's folder. I looked through it and found one that had an interesting piano part. I started to sight read it and they started to sing along enthusiastically with me playing. I got the sense after I played with them that they couldn't believe that I just sight read one of their pieces. There was such joy in the room as we met each other through music. When it finally came time for the mass, we all moved to the church. The organ was in the back of the church, so we all set up there. Their director told me that the priest preferred if we did our special singing before the mass that we were going to do as a concert afterwards. So we managed to sing 3 songs before the mass began. After each one the congregation applauded whole heartedly. We sang Pescador de Hombres combined for Preparation of the Gifts and Arriba los Corazones as the sending forth and the people loved it. I also noticed that this church had had a big renovation since the last time we were there - as had most of of the churches, because Pope Francis was there in January of this year! It was nice to see these churches at their best. After the mass, the Polyphonic Choir and our choir met again in the rehearsal room for a small reception. We shared with each other what a beautiful mass it was and how nice it was to come together in this way. I told them they were welcome in Chicago anytime and that whenever I sang Pescador de Hombres again, I'd always remember our combined version of it sung this night. They gave us a bag that they had all signed with well wishes and their names. Inside it were small Panamanian delights: coffee, a banana fruit jam bar, pineapple marmalade, chocolate, candies, and a bottle of Abuelo! They also sent me via email a number of their songs. Another truly special moment came towards the end of the reception when one of the tenors came up to me and said that he was the organist at La Merced. He asked how long we were staying and if we'd like to do a mass and concert there. We had another church lined up, but they weren't confirmed until just the day before and I wasn't sure they really wanted us to come. I didn't have a good vibe when we went to the church on the preview tour, either, because no one would meet with us. For these reasons, when he asked if we'd come to La Merced I jumped at the chance. I felt honored to be asked to sing in this historic church. I announced the revised plan on the bus to the choir and we all cheered. Just after I announced that the bus pulled away and the Polyphonic Choir of Panama members were all outside waving at us - we waved back with big smiles on our faces! What a special night, and for me, the highlight of the whole trip. Olga was a big help here and at Don Bosco church, where she translated a number of things for me to the clergy and Panamanian choir members.
Day 5: This was another amazing day. The weather throughout the trip was 90 and gorgeous, but it was never overbearing. This was the day we got to go out on the Gatun Lake (the middle and highest part of the Panama Canal) in our little boats right alongside the huge ocean liners. We enjoyed seeing the wildlife: monkeys (and we loved feeding them bananas), fish, crocodiles, sloths, birds, turtles, lizards, and others. The lunch location offered a perfect view of the lake and it was a delicious massive buffet. More fresh fish, yum!
That night we sang for a mass and a full length concert at La Merced! It was the only night I got to play a pipe organ on the tour. It was in decent condition. I also loved finding out that the pope had been to this church when he was here. We were there about 10 minutes before the Holy Hour was to begin so we only had a short time to acclimate to the church. The choir did a great job and then we had a free hour. The organist of the church took me and a couple others on a private tour of the church museum. We got to see a lovely miniature diorama of Christ's Infancy Narratives among other historic artifacts to the church. This mass was poorly attended as well as the concert, but we sang our hearts out for those who were there. Also, for the concert, we came to the front of the church and I simply used a small digital piano with no damper pedal. I tried my best to make lemonade out of lemons.
Day 6: Off to the Sheraton Bijao Resort. It had seen better days, but I prepped the tour participants and they all thought that it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. This was a lovely day of R & R once we got there. That first view of the ocean from the lobby was enough to make everyone on the tour feel like they were in Paradise.
Day 7: This was our El Valle Day. Off with Kevin to see a rustic zoo, another short waterfall hike, lunch, and an even more rustic "Thermal Springs" place where some of us put some healing clay on our faces. While my wife and I put on the clay and then swam, our boys found a little playground. Triana, the lunch location's food was out of this world. They have the best chicken that I've ever tasted in a lunch buffet they offered us. Delicious. I totally overate. This was a fun day up the mountain with breath taking views down to the ocean.
Day 8: We relaxed in the morning and afternoon and ended the day with a special prayer service as this was my last tour as the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir director. The room was lovely and they had covered the chairs with soft white coverings that made us all feel a little extra special and placed them in a circle. I created a centerpiece out of a couple chairs turned on their backs and covered them with sea shells that our boys had caught on the beach. The scallop shell is the symbol of pilgrimage, so I found that to be a perfect fit. We sang a good number of our songs, prayed, shared our experiences, and shed some tears. It was a special end to an extraordinary tour.
Later that night, Olga was talking with one of the worker girls who was asking her how her experience had been at the resort. She brought the young girl to talk to me and get my feedback. After I told her that I was the director of the choir, she said, "YOU'RE the choir from Chicago that sang in Panama City? My aunt heard you guys and was raving about you!!!" What are the chances of that - meeting the niece of someone who had heard us sing in Panama City?! It is yet another God-incidence. The aunt later made a bunch of candies and sent them with her niece to give to our group!
Day 9: Kevin and his family gave our family a ride one day early to get to the airport. I was supposed to get back for a Chicago Symphony Orchestra rehearsal, but the orchestra had gone on strike so the rehearsal was canceled! Needless to say that I was bummed to have to leave Paradise one day early. However, I heard that on...
Day 10: the day the choir was to leave, their flight was delayed by 3 hours. That meant they arrived back in Chicago around 3 AM (whereas we arrived at midnight). I guess Panama didn't want us to go, either. :)
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This trip was just what the doctor ordered. Thank you, Angela and Peter, for all the steps you took to ensure that we'd have a spiritually renewing, physically challenging, and mentally stimulating journey on this eye-opening cultural experience which we all now cherish!!! The friendships kindled on this trip will last a lifetime. The churches were so unique and interesting. I appreciated this experience as we got to include people and be ambassadors for the USA - we were tearing down walls, increasing tolerance, and bringing others the joy we feel from the music we sing, building up the kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven.
Love and Music,
Patrick Godon
Director of Music, St. Gregory the Great Church
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Day 1, Thursday, March 7, 2019: I loved that there was no jet lag to get over, arrive the same day and hit the pool. Everyday allowed for pool time with the family, so that was a major bonus. The first evening we were supposed to have a rehearsal with the Polyphonic Choir of Panama, but the signals must have gotten crossed as they were not at the church. There were some other folks having a meeting so I was able to get through to the choir director of the choir and speak with her. In the meantime, the bus had left and I did my best to contact Kevin, the head of Barefoot Tours. He made a phone call and the bus was back to pick us up within a half hour or less. I thought that that was a sign for how the tour would go. I was wrong.
Day 2: We loved seeing the Miraflores Lock on the Panama Canal. This was a great way to start the tour and the guide Gonzo was excellent - informative, funny, not trying to give us too much information, and helpful. There was a great viewing area for seeing the ships. The only negative about this spot was that our blind choir member, Sharon, was robbed as she was focusing on the ships! The museum was good for children and adults alike. The movie they showed was a bit too intense for our littlest ones, but they just ended up leaving the theater to go back to the museum. That night we headed to our first singing venue, Nuestra Senora del Carmen. We sang for the mass, then a full length concert for a good sized audience. We were raising money for an orphanage and the children were at the concert. After the concert, we enjoyed meeting the parishioners, and some of the staff at the church had prepared a reception for us. This was a special opening to a memorable tour.
Day 3: The Embera Village was another special part of the tour. It was great to see the reactions of the group when they saw how the Embera still live in 2019! This was a different village than the one I had seen on the inspection tour. This one had an all-terrain hike to a waterfall. I didn't go on it b/c I opted to stay with our boys, but my wife went on the intense hike and made it to the waterfall. A couple of our members opted not to go all the way; one of which, Jim, noticed later that he had severely cut his toe. Getting the proper treatment for his toe proved difficult, but he was a trooper and did what he could, with the help of his wife (a retired nurse) and some of the other members in our group. He ended up taking the next day off to heal. Some of us stayed and shopped. My boys loved holding and being around a tame monkey. That was probably the highlight of the tour for them! The lunch here was incredibly delicious - fish caught that day, along with fried & flattened plantains, fresh pineapple, watermelon, and mango. My two year old Atticus started to play with the little Embera children and that just made my day. He then went off on his own for awhile and I just let him be. When I later went to check on him, he had been covering himself with dry dirt - probably to try to look like the Embera people - he was so cute, and dirty! A number of us, including me, requested and received (for a small fee) an ink tattoo. I opted for one that went all the way around my bicep and was their symbol for the monkey tail. My two older boys also wanted to get one after they saw mine. We are part Native American, so it felt good to connect in some foreign way to those roots. After lunch, the Embera women did a little dance for us while the men played musical instruments. I felt honored when one of the women asked me to dance with her in some sort of group circle dance. On the canoe ride home I sat next to Susan who burst into tears. She was overcome by the fact that these people live so simply, fully, and that our time with them had to come to an end.
That night we sang in Don Bosco Church. When we got to the entrance to the choir loft it was padlocked, but we heard the organist, Roberto, playing for the mass just before the one we were to sing with him. While the mass in the hour directly before us continued, we sat in the sacristy while I was praying that Roberto would come down to get us after the mass was finished. I knew there was a chance he might just stay up there and not bother to come down to get us, in case he hadn't heard that we were coming to sing. Thank God, after about 20 nerve-wracking minutes he appeared, as nice as can be with a big smile to greet us! We assembled in the choir loft and the mass began less than a minute later. There were microphones for each singer here, but the fans scattered throughout the church were so loud they did not help our singing. This was the only church that wasn't air conditioned. After the mass, we sang a short concert. They didn't know we were going to sing a concert so Roberto, after I asked him about it, wrote a note to the priest and gave it to one of the servers to give to him. He announced that we'd give a short concert after mass and we ended up singing a few songs. It was so hot I opted to keep this one short. I also wanted to keep it short b/c we had reservations at Tinajas - a great restaurant that had great Panamanian food along with a folkloric dance show. A great time was had by all.
Day 4: This day began with a walking tour of the old town with Gonzo, including La Merced - the oldest church in Panama City. He kept things moving and interesting. We even had a little time for shopping. The lunch location was excellent and the group throughout the trip was impressed by the food. The breakfasts were some of the finest I've experienced in any of the hotels in which I've ever stayed - and I've stayed in a LOT of hotels! There was still some confusion as to when we were to meet the Polyphonic Choir of Panama this day, as I thought they had told me 3 PM, but they had told Humberto 5 PM. Eventually we got in touch with the right people to tell us that it wasn't until the evening that we'd be meeting to rehearse.
Pool time at the hotel in the middle of the day, then time to freshen up for the next mass and concert. We went to meet the other choir, the Polyphonic Choir of Panama, in a practice room at Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church. Their director introduced me and then turned the rehearsal over to me. She went to figure out how things would work for the mass. I began by rehearsing the two songs we'd sing together for the mass, Pescador de Hombres in a beautiful SATB version along with Arriba Los Corazones. Once we finished rehearsing those songs, the Polyphonic Choir of Panama sang a couple songs for us. Then we sang a couple songs for them. It was a true cultural exchange. After that I borrowed one of their bass section singer's folder. I looked through it and found one that had an interesting piano part. I started to sight read it and they started to sing along enthusiastically with me playing. I got the sense after I played with them that they couldn't believe that I just sight read one of their pieces. There was such joy in the room as we met each other through music. When it finally came time for the mass, we all moved to the church. The organ was in the back of the church, so we all set up there. Their director told me that the priest preferred if we did our special singing before the mass that we were going to do as a concert afterwards. So we managed to sing 3 songs before the mass began. After each one the congregation applauded whole heartedly. We sang Pescador de Hombres combined for Preparation of the Gifts and Arriba los Corazones as the sending forth and the people loved it. I also noticed that this church had had a big renovation since the last time we were there - as had most of of the churches, because Pope Francis was there in January of this year! It was nice to see these churches at their best. After the mass, the Polyphonic Choir and our choir met again in the rehearsal room for a small reception. We shared with each other what a beautiful mass it was and how nice it was to come together in this way. I told them they were welcome in Chicago anytime and that whenever I sang Pescador de Hombres again, I'd always remember our combined version of it sung this night. They gave us a bag that they had all signed with well wishes and their names. Inside it were small Panamanian delights: coffee, a banana fruit jam bar, pineapple marmalade, chocolate, candies, and a bottle of Abuelo! They also sent me via email a number of their songs. Another truly special moment came towards the end of the reception when one of the tenors came up to me and said that he was the organist at La Merced. He asked how long we were staying and if we'd like to do a mass and concert there. We had another church lined up, but they weren't confirmed until just the day before and I wasn't sure they really wanted us to come. I didn't have a good vibe when we went to the church on the preview tour, either, because no one would meet with us. For these reasons, when he asked if we'd come to La Merced I jumped at the chance. I felt honored to be asked to sing in this historic church. I announced the revised plan on the bus to the choir and we all cheered. Just after I announced that the bus pulled away and the Polyphonic Choir of Panama members were all outside waving at us - we waved back with big smiles on our faces! What a special night, and for me, the highlight of the whole trip. Olga was a big help here and at Don Bosco church, where she translated a number of things for me to the clergy and Panamanian choir members.
Day 5: This was another amazing day. The weather throughout the trip was 90 and gorgeous, but it was never overbearing. This was the day we got to go out on the Gatun Lake (the middle and highest part of the Panama Canal) in our little boats right alongside the huge ocean liners. We enjoyed seeing the wildlife: monkeys (and we loved feeding them bananas), fish, crocodiles, sloths, birds, turtles, lizards, and others. The lunch location offered a perfect view of the lake and it was a delicious massive buffet. More fresh fish, yum!
That night we sang for a mass and a full length concert at La Merced! It was the only night I got to play a pipe organ on the tour. It was in decent condition. I also loved finding out that the pope had been to this church when he was here. We were there about 10 minutes before the Holy Hour was to begin so we only had a short time to acclimate to the church. The choir did a great job and then we had a free hour. The organist of the church took me and a couple others on a private tour of the church museum. We got to see a lovely miniature diorama of Christ's Infancy Narratives among other historic artifacts to the church. This mass was poorly attended as well as the concert, but we sang our hearts out for those who were there. Also, for the concert, we came to the front of the church and I simply used a small digital piano with no damper pedal. I tried my best to make lemonade out of lemons.
Day 6: Off to the Sheraton Bijao Resort. It had seen better days, but I prepped the tour participants and they all thought that it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. This was a lovely day of R & R once we got there. That first view of the ocean from the lobby was enough to make everyone on the tour feel like they were in Paradise.
Day 7: This was our El Valle Day. Off with Kevin to see a rustic zoo, another short waterfall hike, lunch, and an even more rustic "Thermal Springs" place where some of us put some healing clay on our faces. While my wife and I put on the clay and then swam, our boys found a little playground. Triana, the lunch location's food was out of this world. They have the best chicken that I've ever tasted in a lunch buffet they offered us. Delicious. I totally overate. This was a fun day up the mountain with breath taking views down to the ocean.
Day 8: We relaxed in the morning and afternoon and ended the day with a special prayer service as this was my last tour as the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir director. The room was lovely and they had covered the chairs with soft white coverings that made us all feel a little extra special and placed them in a circle. I created a centerpiece out of a couple chairs turned on their backs and covered them with sea shells that our boys had caught on the beach. The scallop shell is the symbol of pilgrimage, so I found that to be a perfect fit. We sang a good number of our songs, prayed, shared our experiences, and shed some tears. It was a special end to an extraordinary tour.
Later that night, Olga was talking with one of the worker girls who was asking her how her experience had been at the resort. She brought the young girl to talk to me and get my feedback. After I told her that I was the director of the choir, she said, "YOU'RE the choir from Chicago that sang in Panama City? My aunt heard you guys and was raving about you!!!" What are the chances of that - meeting the niece of someone who had heard us sing in Panama City?! It is yet another God-incidence. The aunt later made a bunch of candies and sent them with her niece to give to our group!
Day 9: Kevin and his family gave our family a ride one day early to get to the airport. I was supposed to get back for a Chicago Symphony Orchestra rehearsal, but the orchestra had gone on strike so the rehearsal was canceled! Needless to say that I was bummed to have to leave Paradise one day early. However, I heard that on...
Day 10: the day the choir was to leave, their flight was delayed by 3 hours. That meant they arrived back in Chicago around 3 AM (whereas we arrived at midnight). I guess Panama didn't want us to go, either. :)
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This trip was just what the doctor ordered. Thank you, Angela and Peter, for all the steps you took to ensure that we'd have a spiritually renewing, physically challenging, and mentally stimulating journey on this eye-opening cultural experience which we all now cherish!!! The friendships kindled on this trip will last a lifetime. The churches were so unique and interesting. I appreciated this experience as we got to include people and be ambassadors for the USA - we were tearing down walls, increasing tolerance, and bringing others the joy we feel from the music we sing, building up the kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven.
Love and Music,
Patrick Godon
Director of Music, St. Gregory the Great Church
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