The Passion in Limerick

The Passion in Limerick. Pictured: Members of the Cantate Deo choir with their certificate of merit from the Limerick Choral Festival 2016

The Passion in Limerick

The Passion in Limerick performance at St. Mary’s Cathedral on April 8 is aiming to integrate Irish and Polish people through music. The Passion in Limerick is being organised in cooperation with a multi-person team associated with the “Polish Theatre in Limerick”, “Cantate Deo Choir”, Saturday Polish School of Janusz Korczak and the Polish Chaplaincy. 

The Cantate Deo Choir, who received a certificate of merit under the church choirs competition section in the 2016 Limerick Choral Festival, is a polish choir in the congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Limerick who have been singing together for the last two years. 

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Since they have been singing together they have been organising Christmas events. Their first Christmas event was held in St. Michael’s Church and last year they performed in St. John’s Cathedral.

The Cantate Deo choir perform a variety of choral anthems from the Renaissance through the well-known classics, and on up through the present, both accompanied and acapella. Every year the Cantate Deo choir sing with Irish soloists and musicians. Their last Christmas performance at St. John’s cathedral was very successful and gained many spectators.

The aim of the Cantate Deo choir’s performances is to integrate the Polish and Irish communities through music. Last year the Cantate Deo choir performed alongside the Limerick Gospel Choir, demonstrating the integration of people through music.

This year, the Cantate Deo choir decided to do something different. Along with the Polish Theatre in Limerick, they have organised a spectacle performance, “The Passion in Limerick” in St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Anna Banko Szumacher spoke about the performance stating “The Passion of Jesus Christ is a story we all know, but we want to tell a story about a normal, simple man who gave us himself to prove that love is stronger than anything else in the world”.

She added, “We want to tell a story not only for Catholics but to prove that this is for all nations and all different religions”.

St. Mary’s Cathedral was chosen as the venue for its wonderful medieval interior but more importantly, because it is not a catholic church, allowing for a more inclusive and open experience.

The Passion of Limerick will be a free of charge performance. All people involved in the performance such as actors, singers and musicians, are performing free of charge and no entrance fee is applied for the public.

Anna enthused “We just want as many people as possible to come and see the performance and to listen to the amazing music” 

For more on Cantate Deo choir click here

For more on the Polish community in Limerick click here

For more on The Passion in Limerick click here