O Come All Ye Faithful

DSHA and MUHS raise their voices to support the Catholic School Champions Endowment Fund

When the president of Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, Ellen Bartel, and the president of Marquette University High School, Fr. Warren Sazama, put their heads together, they came upon the idea to unite the voices of the talented young women from the DSHA chorus with those of the gifted young men from MUHS chorus. However, their intent was not only to combine beautiful voices to spread Christmas joy, but also to raise money for a very worthy cause – The Faith in Our Future Campaign, Catholic School Champions Endowment Fund.

To help get this endeavor off the ground, the schools sought worthy co-chairs and found them in John McDermott (MUHS class of ’76) and his wife, Chris McDermott (DSHA class of ’76). The McDermotts, in addition to being alumni, have an additional reason to be so vested in the success of this fundraising concert; they have put three children through the two schools, Erin (DSHA class of ’04), Joe (MUHS class of ’06) and Jack (MUHS class of ’10). The McDermott family knows the value Catholic education provides and wanted to be part the fund-raising campaign. Of their involvement, John McDermott has said, "One of the top priorities of the Faith in our Future campaign is Catholic youth education and faith formation. Divine Savior Holy Angels and Marquette University High School are thrilled to be able to support the capital campaign through this joint Christmas concert."

With the backbone of support in place, 27 ladies from the DSHA chorus, 28 ladies from the DSHA orchestra and 26 young men from the MUHS chorus began rehearsing for their first joint concert event. They have been practicing under the direction of two very talented faculty members, Rebekah Wickert, DSHA Music Department Chair and Choral Director, and Sue Sajdak, MUHS Choral Director, Fine Arts Department Chair and Theology Teacher. Of this collaboration Sajdak said, "Considering the (troubled) world in which we live, it is our belief that music lifts us to a place of compassion, of understanding, and of genuine love for those we encounter in the world. Having the opportunity to sing with each other on this occasion calls all of us, young and old alike, to see God's vision in each of us -- to recognize that a loving God put all of us on this earth and calls us to share it together. I hope in music and in our common educational goals we can be a voice for this kind of loving possibility in the world."

The concert date has been set for December 14 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets range from $35 to $125.00. The latter includes a pre-concert reception with Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. O Come All Ye Faithful, a Premiere Christmas Concert will be held in the Robert and Marie Hansen Family Fine Arts Theatre located on the DSHA campus. All concert goers will be invited to join a festive holiday gathering following the performance. For more information or to order tickets, please visit the Archdiocesan website.

Article by Gillian Lester-George
Cover photo submitted by Toni Letizia
Inside photo submitted by Dan Quesnell