CAZENOVIA — This coming Advent, St. James Roman Catholic Church in Cazenovia will present several events to engage its parishioners and the community.
Advent is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. This year, the season begins on Sunday, Nov. 27, and extends through Saturday, Dec. 24.
The Advent events are being organized by Missy Race of the St. James Parish Office, Choir Director and Soloist Joan Stoker, parishioner Susan Green, the St. James staff, and other members of the church.
“Advent is the time we use to prepare for the birth of Christ,” said Race. “Some of these events are not new to St. James, like our Advent wreath-making and the Christmas Play. [Others] are events we’re hosting to maybe give some [people] a better experience of Advent, thus making Christmas more meaningful for them.”
St. James will begin the season with its traditional Advent wreath-making event on Sunday, Nov. 27.
On Sunday, Dec. 4, Deacon Nathan Gunn will facilitate an Advent mini-retreat starting at 2 p.m. The retreat will focus on St. Nicholas, whose feast day is Dec. 6.
The annual Christmas Play will be performed on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. Earlier that day, St. James will host “Breakfast with St Nick” in the church hall from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Advent events will culminate with a concert on Dec. 18 at 4:30 p.m. featuring award-winning singers and composers Sarah Hart (sarahhart.com) and Steve Angrisano (steveangrisano.com).
“Sarah Hart and Steve Angrisano are prolific Christian composers,” said Stoker. “If you type either of their names into the search bar on YouTube, you will find dozens of songs that they have either written or co-written with other [Oregon Catholic Press] artists.”
Hart is an award-winning musician and songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. One of the leading figures in contemporary Catholic music today, Hart has written songs that have been recorded by Amy Grant, Celtic Woman, Matt Maher, Laura Story, Jason Crabb, Audrey Assad, and The Newsboys. Grant’s recording of “Better Than a Hallelujah” earned Hart a Best Gospel Song Grammy nomination. Hart has also had several song placements in film and television, and her songs appear in hymnals across the world. In Oct. 2013, she was invited to perform for Pope Francis and a crowd of 150,000 in St. Peter’s Square.
Angrisano is an internationally recognized Catholic composer, presenter, and music missionary. Based in Coppell, Texas, he has traveled around the world for over two decades sharing his unique blend of humor, story, song, and interaction.
“Steve is a beloved composer who is sought out worldwide to perform and work with youth using his music to deepen the faith of people young and old all over the world,” said Stoker.
According to Stoker, the performers have collaborated and co-written several pieces and performed together in the past.
In 2020, Hart, Angrisano, and Curtis Stephan released “Let Us All Rejoice,” which received first place for the Association of Catholic Publishers 2021 Excellence in Publishing Award.
Hart and Angrisano will visit St James as part of their “Comfort & Joy” tour. They will share not only their music but also their personal experiences and stories.
The St. James parish has been singing music written by Hart and Angrisano for years.
“They compose beautiful and moving pieces, so to hear what they will do for the Advent season will be wonderful,” said Race “. . . “Anyone familiar with their music will be excited to hear and see them perform.”
Stoker said she loves their music and has sung and directed choirs using their compositions for many years. She has also attended online music conferences that they have led.
When she saw an advertisement for the Comfort & Joy tour in the Oregon Catholic Press Newsletter, Stoker approached Father Kevin Corcoran with the idea of inviting them to St. James to perform.
“He thought that it would be a wonderful idea for us to host them for a concert, so we began the process of booking them,” Stoker recalled. “. . . They are inspiring, creative, and have such a deep devotion to our faith. I am so incredibly excited to meet them and hear their message through music in person. It should be a phenomenal afternoon to connect us all to the true heart of The Advent and Christmas Season.”
St. James is located at 6 Green St. For more information, visit stjamescaz.org.
