St. Wendelin Christmas concert celebrates the season
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Jackson Bishop high-fives Father Al-Morris at the end of St. Wendelin School’s Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Finnian Mooney talks about the Night Before Christmas during the St. Wendelin School’s Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Father Al Morris high-fives students at the end of St. Wendelin School’s Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Abigail Hoelzer plays a trumpet during the St. Wendelin School’s Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Santa Claus and baby Jesus visit the parents, students, and faculty during the St. Wendelin School’s Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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St. Wendelin held its annual Christmas concert in Butler on Friday Dec. 20, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
Through Christmas cheer and joy, St. Wendelin School students brought the house down at their annual Christmas concert.
St. Wendelin Catholic church was completely filled Friday, Dec. 20, to watch their children perform holiday-season tunes with the St. Wendelin chorus and instrumental music band.
Led by Katherine Groves, St. Wendelin’s instrumental and choral director, and eighth-grader Braden Wojno serving as the student leader of the concert, the St. Wendelin students played a range of songs with upbeat Christmas joy.
“It’s the joy of seeing music come through the kids’ eyes. And it’s the joy of the kids understanding and seeing that they get it. It’s the joy of music,” Groves said. “Music is emotion, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s bringing the emotion out of people during the concert.”
The crowd’s energy was high from the start, when fourth-graders Gavin Bowser, Finnian Mooney and Penelope Scardina played “Hot Cross Buns,” “Jingle Bells” and “The Dreidel Song.” The three beginners at french horn, saxophone and the flute will join the main middle school band in the spring.
Meanwhile, the band of fifth- through eighth-graders performed “Up on the Housetop” and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” with trumpets, french horns, oboes, clarinets and various percussion instruments filled the church with Christmas music.
The chorus split up between the kindergarten through second-grade students, and the third- through seventh graders. The younger group sang “It’s Santa-Again,” while the older children sang “I believe in Father Christmas,” and “Shine.”
The crowd was caught by surprise when the chorus and band students combined to play “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” a performance the parents applauded loudly.
But the most popular act of the Christmas show was the preschool chorus’ rendition of “Must be Santa” and “Little Snowflake.”
The school closed out the show with students in kindergarten through eighth grades doing a procession to the front stage while singing along to “Christmas Cannon,” “Silent Night,” and “Joy to the World.” During the final song, as Santa Claus stood at the front of the room, waving to the crowd while holding baby “Jesus.”
“I just love the Christmas Cannon,” Groves said. “And I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be gorgeous if the kids all processed while holding a candle. And it brought tears to my eyes when we practiced it today with them lit.’”
Father Matt McClain, a pastor at St. Wendelin, told the crowd after the show he hoped the parents’ hearts were filled “with love for Jesus, and by the voices of our kids.”
