Swedish choir honors St. Lucy with songs in St. Peter’s Basilica A Swedish youth choir marked the feast of St. Lucy by singing at a Mass at the Vatican on Thursday, Dec. 11. Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm performed traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of the Italian saint’s Dec. 13 feast day. “It was just really amazing” singing in St. Peter’s Basilica, choir member Alfio Tota told EWTN News after the Dec. 11 Mass. “It’s so enormous … And the acoustics are very interesting.” The student recalled that though Sweden is a very secular country, the tradition of St. Lucia, as they call her, is quite strong. “I think everyone feels quite a lot of joy and nostalgia in singing” the St. Lucy hymns, he said. Choir member Fabienne Glader told EWTN News that she always spends the feast of St. Lucy with her family. St. Lucy “shows courage and patience and just to never [give up] on yourself,” Glader said. “Even if you’re not really religious in any way, you can look up to her as just a wonderful person.” The choir’s conductor, Casimir Käfling, said as a Christian, the tradition of St. Lucy was always part of Christmas for his family. He called it “an incredible honor to be able to sing and conduct” her songs in St. Peter’s Basilica. Käfling also recalled the darkness Sweden experiences during the winter, especially in the month of December, and said St. Lucy brings light into that darkness. “The story of St. Lucy really plays with these contrasts of light and dark, and most importantly, hope and despair,” Tota said. This article was originally published by CNA. Bénédicte Cedergren contributed to this report. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Hannah Brockhaus Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article Benedict XVI’s final resting place decided: He will be buried in Vatican crypt Women Developing an Interreligious Network Pope Accepts Resignation Of Bishop Investigated For Ordinations With Pre-Vatican II Rite Cardinal Parolin: Europe Must Rediscover Itself to Face Major Challenges Here’s what Pope Francis said in his ‘60 Minutes’ interview ‘Charity doesn’t go on vacation’: Pope Leo XIV sends food to families in Ukraine
Source: https://ewtnvatican.com/articles/swedish-choir-st-lucy-vatican-mass
