Christmas concert at St John the Baptist Church

A fundraising Christmas concert was held at St. John the Baptist Church last Saturday night.

Among the performers were the St. Thomas of Villanova choir (photo above) and Carina Evon (Pictured here).

The Christmas spirit was alive and well at St. John the Baptist Church last Saturday night.

The Amherstburg-Harrow Catholic Family of Parishes hosted a Christmas Concert at St. John the Baptist Church, with four groups or individuals performing plus a singalong of Christmas music with the audience at the end. 

Among the groups or individuals that performed for the large crowd were St. Michael’s Schola, the St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School choir, Carina Evon and the Holy Harmonizers. The latter two are regular performers at St. John the Baptist Church.

“We have an outreach committee here,” explained Father Paul Kim. “We were discussing what to do here for the Christmas season.”

They came up with the idea of a fundraising concert to “bring people from around the area and join their voices.” Those who attended were encouraged to bring a canned good or non-perishable food item for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. A free-will donation was accepted at the door for the church’s building fund, with Father Paul noting that will be put towards ongoing maintenance of the building.

Members of the St. John the Baptist Church outreach committee include Sandi Villeneuve, Eleanor Renaud, Gabriella Marano and Lynn Bellefleur. Villeneuve was pleased with the turnout Saturday evening, stating it was “a very nice crowd.”

“We’re pretty blessed,” said Father Paul.

Villeneuve added other events the outreach committee puts on includes a tour of historic churches in the area. That takes place during Lent. This past year, it included St. John the Baptist Church, St. Clement Church in McGregor and St. Anthony Church in Harrow. They hope to expand to more churches, including those in the River Canard and LaSalle areas, with St. Joseph Church, Sacred Heart Church, St. Paul Church and Mount Carmel Church among those they are interested in visiting.

“It was really well received last year,” she said.

The outreach committee is also planning other events, such as a movie night and other family gatherings.

They also hope to make the Christmas Concert an annual occasion.

Christmas concert at St John the Baptist Church

By Ron Giofu