Concert in recognition of Mary Rose Shaughnessy part of Church’s 150th
Anniversary celebration St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church will host their Opera Gala Benefit Concert and Reception honoring Mary Rose Shaughnessy at the church, 5472 S. Kimbark Ave, on Saturday, October 20, 2018. The concert is one in a series of activities hosted in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of St. Thomas the Apostle. The benefit concert, under the direction of Luciano Laurentiu, will support the church’s Music Ministry. The event is open to the public and begins at 7:30 p.m. followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. Tickets for the event are $40 in advance and $50 at the door with discounts for students and clergy.
The eclectic program will feature arias, duets, operettas and musicals by Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Gershwin and others. Performing will be a host of well-known names in the Chicago music community including Kimberly Jones, Tina Beverly, Kirsten Leslie, Esther Rayo, Mira Topor, Viktoria Vizim, Leah Dexter, Cornelius Johnson, John Concepcion, Aaron Wardell, Dan Richardson, Moses Braxton, Jr. and Rodell Rosel.
The concert is in honor of St. Thomas parishioner Shaughnessy, a longtime educator who taught at the University of Chicago, and retired from Chicago State University where she was a full professor teaching a wide range of courses in the English Department. The lifelong Catholic was educated at St. Mary’s College and passed away in January of this year.
St. Thomas the Apostle began hosting events in conjunction with its 150th Anniversary in February of this year and the celebration will culminate with their Anniversary Gala in April of 2019. “We encourage the entire community to join us for this wonderful musical celebration,” said Fr. Elias O’Brien, O.Carm. “We could not think of a more joyous way to honor the life of Mary Rose, and we encourage the community to join us for this, and all the activities focused on our 150th Anniversary.”
Tickets may be purchased online at GiveCentral.org or at St. Thomas Parish Hall on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and weekdays at the Parish office from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
About St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish (God’s People in Extraordinary Variety) is a welcoming community of Christians from diverse social, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. We rise to the challenge of creating community in diversity through our shared commitment to Christ’s redeeming love.
Our mission is to worship God and serve him as he commands us. We do this primarily by promoting unity among our members through prayer, worship, the sacraments, Catholic education (in its various forms), and social service. We seek to express the gospel values not only within the parish, but also with the community around us, by sharing our gifts of time, treasure, and talent.
