Songs of hope filled St. Charles Borromeo Church as their choir – composed of 35 singers – sang from a selection of prayer songs they were scheduled to perform during their Holy Land Pilgrimage in late January. Their trip was canceled, however, due to the Israel-Hamas War, so they decided to pivot and hold a free concert for peace to raise donations for those directly affected by the war.
“Our hearts go out to all the innocent people whose lives have been decimated by this escalating situation,” James Drollinger, the church’s choir director, said in a news release. “Through our gift of prayer music, we hope to bring attention to the need for prayer and monetary contributions that will benefit those who have lost so much during this violent conflict.”
The “Concert for Peace” was held Sunday, Jan. 14, at the North Hollywood church with more than 50 people in attendance. The St. Charles Choir sang more than a dozen songs, including “Salve Montserratina,” “Wade in the Water,” “If Ye Love Me” and “I Will Greatly Rejoice.”
Those who came to the Catholic church or watched the concert via livestream were encouraged to donate money to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ) Humanitarian Fund. Contributions to the fund will be sent directly to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to distribute to the needy in Israel and Palestine.
The contributions will go towards certain areas of support that include humanitarian assistance for food and medical supplies; parishes, churches and community centers; convents, seminaries and seminarians; clinics and hospitals; and parish grade schools, high schools and Bethlehem University – the first higher education institution founded in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“We are facing a crisis that affects countless families from different religions and all our institutions including schools, hospitals and parishes,” Pizzaballa wrote in a November 2023 letter. “We share practically everything from food and water to medicines and supplies. We have learned in this difficult time that to rebuild the physical world we must build and protect trust between people.”
As of Jan. 14, the Palestinian Ministry of Health estimated that nearly 24,000 people, both civilians and combatants have been killed in Gaza – about 10,000 are children.
John Fu sings bass in the choir and has been a member for roughly a year. He said the choir was practicing for two months after a summer break before war began.
“The first thing that struck me was, ‘Well, are we going to be safe?’” Fu recalled. “But within days, the trip was called off.”
While he doesn’t have any relatives living in the Holy Land, Fu said, “I do know people who have families there. Like all conflicts, it’s never a good thing to have, so hopefully it will resolve itself soon.”
Jim Weiss, who heard about the event from a friend, had nothing but praise for the choir’s performance, and was similarly taken in by the “beautiful” church.
When asked about his thoughts on the lives lost in Gaza, he replied, “Of course I have thoughts, it’s terrible. Now we [the United States] are bombing Yemen. It’s terrible [and] it’s going to escalate further.”
“You can’t say that one side is 100 percent this or 100 percent that. It’s just got to stop.”
To donate to the EOHSJ Humanitarian Fund, go to https://www.eohsjwesternusa.org/ministries/humanitarian-fund/.