The group has been singing together for 50 years, so they decided to celebrate this milestone birthday in the Eternal City, singing in a place most only dream of, St. Peter's Basilica.
MANUEL ANGEL VIRO
Director, Ponteareas Chorus
'For us it is an important experience. The choir is 50 years old and the founders are no longer in it. The fact of coming to Rome is the culmination of all of our history.'
They have traveled from the town of Ponteareas and throughout their native country of Spain and abroad offering concerts. In Rome, they not only sang in St. Peter's but also in another emblematic basilica, St. Mary Major. There were greeted by an old friend, Jose Rodríguez Carballo, the secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life.
MSGR. JOSÉ RODRÍGUEZ CARBALLO
Secretary, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life
'I lived in Ponteareas for many years. It was there I spent perhaps some of the most beautiful years of my life. The choir was involved in some very important events for me. For example, they sang in my ordination as bishop in Santiago de Compostela.'
The Vatican employs people from every continent, so it is not uncommon to hear compositions from around the world in liturgical celebrations. ;
This choir was no exception and the Eternal City rang out with one of its most beloved popular songs: 'A Rianxeira.' It's a song the northern Spanish fisherman sing about Our Lady of Guadalupe.
JRB/MB
AA
SV
-PR
Up: JMB
