Saint Who?
1. Gloria In Excelsis
2. O Hearken Ye
3. Rejoice And Sing
4. Do You Hear What I Hear
5. Bekite Ziurekit
6. Gloria In Excelsis Gieda Angelai
7. As With Gladness
8. My Shepherd Is The Lord
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. A Christmas Amen
11. An Acclamation For A Christmas Gospel
12. The Miraculous Star
13. Now Let Us All Praise God And Sing
14. The Heavens Declare
15. Marija, Marija
16. O Come, All Ye Faithful
17. Sveikas Jesau Maziausis
18. Sheep May Safely Graze
19. A Great Amen
2. O Hearken Ye
3. Rejoice And Sing
4. Do You Hear What I Hear
5. Bekite Ziurekit
6. Gloria In Excelsis Gieda Angelai
7. As With Gladness
8. My Shepherd Is The Lord
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. A Christmas Amen
11. An Acclamation For A Christmas Gospel
12. The Miraculous Star
13. Now Let Us All Praise God And Sing
14. The Heavens Declare
15. Marija, Marija
16. O Come, All Ye Faithful
17. Sveikas Jesau Maziausis
18. Sheep May Safely Graze
19. A Great Amen
A nice remembrance of an old church. I was struck by your note that the church folded into another that was so close the parishioners could walk between the two. Churches in the early 20th century were often tied to an ethnic group, as this one was. Other nationalities would have their own places of worship, often nearby. In cities like Cleveland, the back of one Catholic church property could even adjoin the back of another.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, I didn't even think about that. I looked up the building on Google street view and it's still there, neatly kept but devoid of any signage that it would have were it active. And you can see the other church building right down the street.
DeleteErnie, I once read about 4 different religious groups sharing the same religious space. One was Jewish and three were Christian. Maybe these two groups could not keep either of their places going, so they merged into one to afford just the one place.
ReplyDeleteI think it was just different buildings and congregations of the same religion & denomination. Perhaps Buster was right in that it was different ethnic groups.
DeleteI honestly do not know what to make of this album.
ReplyDeleteI just know they also have a lot of keys that do not fit the locks.
Give 'em a break, they're not professionals, just people who like to sing in church.
DeleteUntil I joined a choir and became a cantor, the music meant less, but when you enter this world, you learn that the music on this album was incredibly ambitious for a local ethnic choir in 1970 to attempt and that this choir did for decades, as confirmed by a Philadelphia transplanted, highly competent church organist, who was the parish's last official organist from around 2006-2008. From the album insert, "The photo you see was taken at the actual recording session on Sunday, November 22, 1970. The session took four hours and twenty minutes to complete. The recording includes twelve English arrangements, four Lithuanian songs, two brass ensembles, and one Bach composition for organ, flutes, and strings." It was a work of art blending modern styles with historical styles, orchestral arrangements (the pipe organ at this church was very orchestral in nature), and ethnic ones, too.
DeleteThis was my grandmother's church. Her funeral mass was held here, probably the year before they closed. When we would travel up that way each year for our family reunion we would go to a mass there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the story, King! It's always great to hear of some connection to a record I've shared. And it's even better when the connection is from someone I know!
DeleteI'd be interested to know how you got a copy of this album, Ernie. This was my home parish, and I was part of the heritage preservation subcommittee of the parish unity transition team that videotaped the last full year of events in 2007-2008, including the 2 hour ceremonial closing mass of St. Casimir. My parents, who were parishioners, and with whom I attended the church, have this exact album, and I published it to YouTube in 2012. Just Google search "Listen To A Christmas At St. Casimir's" and find the YouTube channel. It talks about the background in detail. St. Casimir had a well-known choir and director, Prof. Bronis Voveris, a locally renowned organist, and director of King's College Wilkes Barre PA Glee Club from 1947-1977. A statute of him is on their campus. This choir carried on the traditions of Lithuania for most of the 20th Century, performing the adapted choral and organ renditions of their homeland's music. The physical church was dedicated in 1910 after a fire destroyed the original wood church in 1909 (which was built in 1889). This album was produced by Voveris and Fr. Peter Madus. The choir was not comprised of professional vocalists (at least most weren't). The singers were St. Casimir's actual choir, either immigrants or descendants of immigrants, just average, local community members who knew their language, with musician accompanists brought in from different societies and ethnicities around the neighboring towns. For example, Ross Tarantino, obviously Italian, was the band director of the public Wyoming Area High School, and for a time, leader of the local Italian Band "Paci's Band," with which I briefly played. Also, regarding the YouTube channel, it also includes a video about the church pipe organ's transition (Moller Opus 3156, check the OHS Database) to a sister parish in Wilkes Barre, St. Nicholas, where Voveris was also organist, and who has an equally robust music ministry. The inaugural organ concert in 2014 was recorded, a CD was produced, and I have my own videos of that day. In 2008 St. Casimir (Lithuanian) was consolidated with St. John the Evangelist (Irish) along with St. John the Baptist Pittston (Slovak) .. across from St. John the Evangelist ... and St. Joseph Port Griffith/Pittston (Polish) as part of a 4-parish consolidation. Diocesan consolidations were part of a restructuring that is still ongoing today. Catholic Diocese of Scranton consolidated 240 parishes to less than 120 in the last 20 years starting around 2008. Maybe needed, but a huge loss of historical culture. Thanks for helping to preserve it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note and the great recollections from this historic church. I don't specifically remember purchasing this album, but most of my stuff comes from thrift stores and junk shops, often from the collections of people who have passed on their record collects are of no interest to someone in the family. I'm certain that was the case here. Not much market for a church choir recording from over fifty years ago, but I like to pick them up when I can. Thanks again for stopping by!
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