Columbia
December 2001, pp. 20-22
(Knights of Columbus)
Making a Joyful Noise
Sons and Daughters of Knights add their
voices to the National Catholic Youth Choir
By Mary Zurolo
When Chrissy Kluczny heard the National Catholic Youth
Choir sing for the first time, she was impressed.
"I think most people felt what I felt. It was like
'Wow!'" said Kluczny, 17, of Austin, Minn. Kluczny participated
in the choir, a two-week summer program designed to help young Catholics
develop their musical talent and grow in their faith.
The choir got a similar reaction from audiences at each
of the concerts it performed last June. "My wife and I had the
opportunity to see the kids perform three times, and I was very, very
impressed," said John C. Kluczny, Chrissy's father and a member of Austin
(Minn.) Council 1201.
"The first few measures they sang I thought, 'Oh my
goodness, this isn't high school kids.' They sounded so polished."
The 51 members of the National Catholic Youth Choir are
indeed all high school students. For the past two years, selected
teenagers from throughout the United States have traveled to St. John's
Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., to participate in the program.
The teenagers are selected on the basis of a written application, letters of
recommendation and an audition tape. Benedictine Father Anthony Ruff
is founder of the National Catholic Youth Choir. This year he is also
serving as chaplain of St. John's University Council 5136 of Collegeville.
"This program brings together all of my interests --
liturgy, great music, the Catholic faith, evangelization and youth
ministry," said Father Ruff. The choir's motto is "Spreading the
Catholic Faith through Great Music." Its repertoire includes music of
many eras, from traditional sacred music such as Gregorian chant and
polyphony, to works by contemporary composers.
Choir members received good reviews from the U.S. bishops
who heard them perform at the June 16 Mass during the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops' meeting in Atlanta.
"I'd met my bishop before at different choirs and at my
church," said Jessica Jackson, 16, of Hutchinson, Kan. "He came up
right after Mass...and gave me a big hug and said he really enjoyed it."
Jessica's father, Joey, is a member of Holy Cross Council 7279 of
Hutchinson.
The choir also performed at the Cathedral of the Holy
Trinity in New Ulm, Minn., Sacred Heart Cathedral in Winona, Minn., and a
benefit concert at the Cathedral of St. Paul for an organization that
provides emergency housing.
"I think [this program] proves to people that young
Catholics can sing traditional music very well and be enthusiastic about
it," says Father Ruff, who teaches theology, liturgy, and liturgical music
at St. John's University and is also the choir's chaplain.
Sharing Spirit and Song
Parents of choir members are enthusiastic as well.
"I think one of the things that impressed me most, in
addition to the choir's musical focus, was that it brings in the faith
aspect," said Susan LeGault, of Stevens Point, Wis., mother of chorister
Laura LeGault, 16. "They are encouraged to think and participate and
use their faith as part of the choir experience." Laura's father,
Robert, belongs to Msgr. John R. McGinley Council 1170 in Stevens Point.
Choir members rehearsed four to six hours daily and
attended classes in music history and theory, and studied religious topics
such as the Eucharist, the Trinity, the liturgy and the Blessed Virgin.
"We accomplished a lot and had fun," says Jackson.
Swimming and sports, popcorn and parties, tours of churches and field trips
were part of the program.
Choir members harmonized not only musically but also
through a shared spirit of community fostered by frequent Mass attendance,
recreational and social activities and nightly recitation of the Liturgy of
the Hours. Many of the 20 choir members who returned this year report
that they kept in touch via e-mail and occasional visits to one another.
"What's better than spending two weeks of singing and
[learning] some theology on the side?" said Eric Becker, 16, of Dubuque,
Iowa, who has participated in the choir for the past two years. "I'm
glad to meet new people interested in the same thing I am."
From Fraternal Families
Their faith and an interest in music are not the only
things these students have in common. Thirteen of them, and most of
those interviewed for this article, have dads who are Knights of Columbus.
The K of C connection was "purely luck of the draw,"
according to Father Ruff. "We chose youth not only on their singing
ability. But this says something about the K of C and the kind of
child attracted to the choir -- that generally they are coming from the
heart of Catholicism."
The camp provided an opportunity to further strengthen an
already strong Catholic faith.
Joshua Curtice, 16, of Vernal, Utah, said he came away
with a better understanding of the Trinity and that a detailed talk about
the crucifixion also made a lasting impression. "It gave me new views
about what Jesus felt that day," Curtice said. Joshua's father,
Richard, belongs to Bishop Scanlon Council 7401 in Vernal.
Laura LeGault said she enjoyed discussing the Catholic
faith in a supportive environment. "It gives participants a chance to
develop their faith with people their own age without feeling awkward," she
said.
The National Catholic Youth Choir depends on individual
and corporate donations to sustain this environment each year, says Father
Ruff. Although the actual cost of the two weeks exceeds $1,000 per
student, Father Ruff said, the tuition is kept at $350 to make the program
affordable. Last year, Knights from Council 5136 and St. Cloud Council
961 donated a combined $2,500 to the choir.
If all goes as planned, the priest hopes even more
students will be able to join the group next summer. In its first year
in 2000, the choir comprised 40 participants. In 2002, Father Ruff
hopes to accept 60 talented teens. Compact disc recordings of the
groups 2000 and 2001 performances are available for $15 from the choir's Web
site,
www.CatholicYouthChoir.org.
Although the magnificent sounds of the National Catholic
Youth Choir are captured on the recordings, the camp proved too fleeting for
some high school seniors who are ineligible to return next year because they
will exceed the program's age limit.
Juanita Kostyk, mother of Valerie Kostyk, 15, of Ashland,
Va., echoed the sentiments of several students who wish they could return
next year. Myron Kostyk is a member of Joseph M. Johnson Council 7538
of Ashland.
"If somebody said to me what was the bad thing about [the
camp], the only bad thing would be that next year will be her last year,"
says Kostyk. "It was just such a happy experience, a spiritual
experience, but most of all a fun experience."
Mary Zurolo writes from Hamden, Conn.
Her last article for Columbia was "These 40 Days of Lent" (Feb. 2001).
Hymns Keep Focus on Him
Before attending the National Catholic Youth Choir camp,
a religious vocation was the furthest thing from Michael Stablein's mind.
"But after coming to St. John's, it's always on my mind,"
says Stablein, 14, of The Woodlands, Texas, who never met a nun or monk
before joining the choir.
"I called my parents to tell them that I think I might
want to join an order and I am going to investigate all the different
possibilities," Stablein wrote on a survey after attending this summer's
camp. "This campus, and being around people that have given their life
to God, have truly changed my life."
"There are like 190 monks at the campus and you can talk
to every one of them and see what their experience is," said Joshua Norman,
15, of Evan, Minn. His father, Mike, belongs to St. Mary's Council
3134 in Sleepy Eye, Minn.
Promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life
is among the choir's goals, according to Benedictine Father Anthony Ruff,
founder of the group.
Choir members attended a talk about vocational
discernment entitled "What is a Benedictine?" with the sisters and monks of
St. John's Abbey.
Father Gregory Mastey, chaplain of St. Gregory the Great
Council 12604 in Bowlus, Minn., also spoke with the young men about his
vocation to the diocesan priesthood. Benedictine monks from St. John's
and sisters from the neighboring St. Benedict's monastery taught religion
classes. The monks also talked with the students during socials.
A local Catholic couple spoke about Christian dating and the vocation to
marriage.
Based on comments from some choir members and responses
to a survey distributed at the end of the two-week camp, Father Ruff said
the vocations awareness talks were effective.
"This year a number of boys came up to talk seriously
with me about priesthood or monastic life," Father Ruff said. "My
theory had been that the best way of stimulating interest in vocations is a
whole environment of strong, shared commitment to the Catholic faith plus
positive role models. My experience with the choristers seems to
confirm that theory.
Father Mastey said about four boys stayed after his
hourlong talk to ask more questions about religious life.
Interest in a religious vocation was not quite as strong
among the girls, according to Father Ruff. But several female choir
members said they learned more about religious life through a presentation
by Benedictine Sister Pat Ruethner and a tour of the sisters' monastery in
St. Joseph, Minn.
Chorister Chrissy Kluczny said she had thought of a
religious vocation in the past but didn't know very much about it.
"With priests, it's easy to know what occupies their time, but the sisters
are kind of in the background," Kluczny said. "I wouldn't say I'm
considering it now more or less before but at least now I know what it would
be like."
"How do you know whether or not you have a religious
vocation?" was the most common question youths had according to Father
Mastey and Sister Pat.
"It was all kind of mysterious to them," Sister Pat said.
"The only kind of nun they knew was what they saw in the movies, and they
knew Whoopi Goldberg wasn't it."
To discern a vocation to religious life, Father Mastey
said he advised students to spend time in prayer, attend Eucharistic
adoration, participate in Mass and receive the sacraments frequently.
He also encourages parents to teach children about the Eucharist, encourage
a religious vocation as an option and pray, eat meals and attend mass
together.
Father Ruff says he is pleased with the vocations
awareness the National Catholic Youth Choir has fostered.
"Parents, teachers, and clergy need to work together in
forming young Catholics," he said. "There are plenty of good young
Catholics out there who are hungry for the fullness of the Catholic faith,
and we must tap into their idealism and generosity."
