A living song for the Church

"Voice of Communion" Choir: has been singing for the Church for ten years

El coro en pleno el año 2000, en una jornada en Zapallar. The complete choir during a meeting in 2000, in Zapallar Der vollständige Chor bei einem Treffen im Jahr 2000 in Zapallar
Voz de Comunión ha grabado dos álbumes con canciones propias dedicadas a Dios y a la Mater. El primero fue Voz de Comunión (1999) y el segundo, Tan Cerca de mis manos (2001). “Voz de Comunión” has pubslished two albums with songs to God and the MTA; the first one was “Voz de Comunión”, and the secong “Tan Cerca de mis Manos” “Voz de Comunion” hat zwei Alben herausgebracht mit Liedern für Gott und die MTA; das erste, “Voz de Comunión“, 1999, das zweite, „Tan cerca de mis manos“, im Jahr 2001.
Los que ya están casados y sus hijos, los titulados, los que están en la universidad, los que van al colegio, los fundadores y los nuevos se reunieron en el Santuario a cantar y celebrar los diez años de vida del coro. Those already married, with theri chilares, university students, graduates, high schoolers, founders and new members united in the Shrine to sing and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the choir Ob schon verheriatet und mit Kindern, on Studenten, Akademiker, Schüler, Gründer oder neue Mitglieder, alle trafen sich zur Feier des 10. Jahrestags des Chors
Es una celebración It’s a celebration Es ist ein Fest!
El coro durante la grabación de Tan Cerca de mis Manos, en el año 2001. The choir during the recording of “Tan Cerca de mis Manos”, in 2001 Bei der Aufnahme von “Tan Cerca de mis Manos”, 2001 Fotos: Vinculo © 2005

CHILE, Maria de los Angeles Miranda B. Come Holy Spirit and transform, my whisper into a shout, my lukewarmness into passion, that will level your revolution.. "When a brother from my group went to the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt, the first thing he heard when he entered was ‘Come Holy Spirit and transform’ sung by a group of girls". Gonzalo Martinez is referring to a song of the Voice of Communion Choir, from Vina del Mar, that was composed in 1998, that has crossed all borders. "It was then that I realized that it was not a whim of some of us who like to sing, but, like everything that flourishes in Schoenstatt, it is a gift of God, and that it was his Love that allowed it to grow and to be what it is today…a community of hearts, that involves every person who comes into contact with it", he said emotionally.

This group has been in existence for ten years and strives to be: From you Shrine, bearers of a fire, your heroic instruments, as Voice of Communion, a living song for the Church, states their ideal. The choir celebrated its anniversary in the Shrine of Holy Water, uniting the different generations that have belonged to it and who dedicated themselves to singing and composing for God as an apostolate.

They fell in love singing

It began as something very small. In April 1995, a choir was needed to sing for a Journey of the Family and a group of Boys’ Youth and Girls’ Youth were recruited. Patricio Ilabaca – who is now a Schoenstatt Father – was doing his pastoral practice in Vina and he helped at the beginning with his musical talents. From then on, the choir was present at all the big celebrations of the Family, and also in festivals, weddings, First Communions, and liturgies in the Diocese of Valparaiso. Each year there were more enthusiastic voices and the choir began to bear fruit. In 1997, it was in charge of composing and performing the Holy Water Cantata, open vessel close to the sea, with which the 50^th Anniversary of the Movement in Chile was celebrated. In 1999, they recorded their first record, Voice of Communion, and two years later, the second one, So close to my hands.

There were also couples who met within the choir, there were religious vocations, like Sister Mary Carolina Miranda, who is now an Assessor in Concepcion, and who was one its first members. There is also Enrique Da Fonseca, one of the composers, who is now a seminarian doing his practice in Portugal and who has nourished the musical talents of the Institute of Priests, who have already recorded two records.

These vocations developed in a great part in the midst of singing, by giving of themselves, and by praising. "The choir accompanied me in a very important time of my life: the process of discerning the plans that God wanted me to follow, as well as during the good time of singing, the rehearsals, during Holy Mass, during Covenant of Love ceremonies, and wherever, the lyrics of the songs made me reflect on each of these things. Later when I decided to enter the community of the Schoenstatt Fathers and I was waiting for their response, that time became more profound through song, to be able to accept whatever came as God’s will. Now I am a postulant and my heart sings happily in the midst of all my brothers and sisters in the choir, as you can see, in communion, they are also part of this process", Claudio Lopez relates.

Many have come to Schoenstatt through the choir

The Youth Masses at 7:30 p.m. every Sunday, the weddings on Saturdays, the religious festivals of the region, the dawnbreakers, the months of Mary, and the rehearsal at night, have also marked the growth of a strong community. Many have come to Schoenstatt through the choir or they have deepened their commitment. "My life simultaneously began to grow in intensity when I joined the choir; perhaps it was a coincidence, but in God’s eyes, it was "Godincidence", Paula Valle reflects.

Maria Fernanda Zulueta relates: "I joined the choir during my second year of University, and during that period full of trials, discoveries, stumbles and getting up, the choir has been a constant source of grace; I define it in this manner, because, it demands loyalty; but not a heart rending loyalty, but rather a challenging one and yet it is joyful, enthusiastic, and full of life.

Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA

Taken from: Vinculo, Magazine of the Schoenstatt Family, with kind permission