One Step Closer to Pope Francis!

Pope Francis is in the United States!  It's an exciting time for Catholics (and all Americans) to see him in our home.  PCSBC is even more excited because we are one step closer to seeing him in his home - Rome!

In only three short months, we will be on our way to the Vatican to sing for Pope Francis' New Year's Day Mass of Peace in Rome.  We are part of the International Congress of Pueri Cantores, the official youth choir of the Catholic Church.  With all the excitement of the Holy Father's visit to the United States, we realize we will be even closer to him on New Year's Day.  We will be joined by 5,000 children from all over the world singing in the Church's language - Latin.

We still have so much to do!  Our final payment for our 46 singers is due to the travel agency one month from now.  The cost for each child is $3,500 and we have raised enough money to make the payments so far.  However, we do not have enough money to make the last payment.  NOW is the time to get the word out about our trip.  We are the only choir from Arizona invited to sing at the International Congress and one of about 20 from the United States.  It is a chance of a lifetime.

Please help support our mission to Rome!  Go to our YouCaring page and donate whatever you can! All amounts are appreciated.  Click on the link to the right to get to our YouCaring page or just search for "Pueri Cantores".  People are already starting to notice!  Check out our rehearsal today with special guests from Fox10 Phoenix!

Official Kickoff a Huge Success!

Yesterday, we sat in the Parish Hall, listened to the children sing and ate fantastic gumbo (thank you, Brian Menard!). Bishop Nevares joined our day by celebrating 11am Mass then speaking at the luncheon.

After months of planning and hard work, it was amazing to sit back and remember what we are working so hard for. The children started singing. Kent, the director, smiled at them, and they sang like angels.



Thank you so much to all of our volunteers and the steering committee for their tireless effort!

Have a blessed week everyone!

Holidays Are Coming - Got Pictures??

It's getting to be that time of year again - when your personal calendar is getting heavier by the minute.  More appointments, parties, sports, rehearsals - and the fall/winter holidays are looming.  Getting stressed?  Here's a perfect opportunity to get one item done!

On Sunday, September 28 (that's two weeks from tomorrow!) Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux is having a fundraiser that will check off a big item on your holiday list.  Photography Day!!  For a $100 donation, you and your family can have 5 beautiful retouched photos taken by two professional photographers in Northsight Park in Scottsdale, perfect for Christmas cards, gifts or just that family portrait you have been needing for so long!  Your kids are growing and changing so fast - are you going to miss an opportunity to record this age?  Best part of this photo opportunity - you get your retouched digital photographs by the end of October for just $100.

Here's the details again:

Photography Day - September 28, 2014

3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Northsight Park, Scottsdale

Donation:  $100

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

To make your reservation or if you have questions, please contact Shannon Barrett at 480-219-8699 or tomshanb@cox.net. 

Thanks to our great photographers:

Kate Eschbach at Kate Eschbach Photography and

Jennie Wicker at Jennifer Wicker Photography

Get a head start on the Christmas pictures - make your appointment today and support the Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux Mission to Rome.

Back to School With Peter Piper

Last Sunday we met at Peter Piper Pizza for some great fun, fellowship and fundraising!

The people at Peter Piper were wonderful!  They were very accommodating to our needs and welcoming to our guests.  St. Bernard parishioners came in throughout the afternoon and even brought friends and family.  The food was great and the games weren't bad either!

 While we won't know for a couple of weeks exactly how much we raised for our Mission to Rome, everyone agreed it was a super way to start the school (and choir) year.

The kids had their fun and games at Peter Piper, but in October we have an event just for adults -

Kent and Friends on Friday, October 24

Thanks to everyone who came out to support Pueri Cantores!

What We're All About

What is Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux?  Simply put, PCSBC is the combined children and youth choirs at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church in Scottsdale, Arizona.  

• Cherub Choir, ages 4 through 1st Grade
• Choristers, 2nd through 8th Grades; 
• Teen Schola, 6th Grade through High School (middle schoolers by audition only).  

But we are so much more than parish children's choirs.

Pueri Cantores is the student choral organization of the Catholic Church.  It is an international federation, founded in 1944 in France.  It has been recognized as a Church movement since 1965.  It exists as "an element of musical beauty in the Church, as a work of Christian education and apostolic activity serving liturgy."

Likewise, PCSBC exists as a way to instill in our children an appreciation of sacred liturgical music.  Children are challenged with quality music that not only advances their musicianship, but also their understanding of Catholic liturgy.  Children learn a repertoire of traditional Latin liturgical and polyphonic classical music.  Children gain an appreciation of the uniquely sacred nature of this music and in turn become partners in the New Evangelization.  There is no better demonstration of the universality and unity of the Catholic Church than seeing children from every continent singing together in the common language of the Church - Latin.

It is with this vision in mind that we seek donors:

• to support the PCSBC mission to participate in regional and international festivals
• to continue their tours of local parochial schools and, in December 2015
• to attend the International Congress in Rome to sing in the New Year's Day mass with Pope Francis.  

These are tremendous opportunities to grow in faith through music and no child should be denied the opportunity based on financial constraints.

In a culture in which many young Catholics drift away from the Church due to a lack of understanding of the centrality of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, PCSBC seeks to instill a love of the sacredness of the mass.  This will keep our children close to the heart of Jesus and become a new generation of Catholics who can be part of the New Evangelization while appreciating the tradition of the Catholic Church.

If you would like to support our mission to propagate the faith and musicianship of our children, please visit our page on YouCare and make a donation.