The Met Gala surprise: Sistine Chapel Choir
As I was busy running some errands and driving all over town I tuned into Houston's Guadalupe Radio AM 1430 "Radio for your Soul". The most interesting broadcast today was from Al Kresta in the afternoon, where he had John Hale as his guest and they talked about the Met Gala. (You can here the whole audio clip in the EWTN Website here)
The 2018 Met Gala -- an extravagant and mundane event examined in a Catholic radio? Yes.
If you were out of the loop, yesterday was the annual Met Gala, a fundraising event put on by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City, which each year having a theme based on the artifacts and art collections on display. This year the theme was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination".
When I read about it yesterday while curiously reviewing some of the attendee's gowns and attires I was a little bit offended. I thought this was an opportunity for Hollywood to make fun and laugh about our Catholic faith. But I hadn't realized the opportunity and actually the respect that was present by the planning committee. Al Kresta and his guest cleared that up for me.
Cardinal Timothy Donal was present (mainly interested in the 42 pieces loaned by the Vatican that have never been exposed outside of Rome or to the public at all!). I liked his comments to the media prior to the event because it puts the Catholic presence there in perspective:
So, during Al Kresta's show John Hale, President of Corporate Travel and the US agent for the Sistine Chapel choir, highlighted the surprise -- the high point of the Met Ball: The Sistine Chapel Choir. This choir, also known as the Pope's choir, consists of 20 professional singers and 34 young boys ranging from 9 to 13 years old, or until their voice cracks (as commented by Maestro Massimo Palombella).
As Hale mentioned, the Met coordinators were serious in their request to have the choir perform, offering an opportunity to show case what we believe. He noted that Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue, commented that the choir performance was "absolutely enthralled."
"When we were here in New York last fall, we met with sponsors.. we quickly learned that the performance was done after dinner.. that wasn't appropriate [for a liturgical choir]. They immediately responded and they recreated the whole flow of the evening where they set aside an entire room [in a] different part of the museum... to just show-case the choir itself... introduced by Cardinal Dolan.. and [set] a gorgeous background of the Sistine Chapel. It was dramatic. The concern of course was [that] this was not a crowd who traditionally [will] stop and listen to the performance. They did last night.. and the enthusiastic clapping!" -Hale, guest on Kresta in the Afternoon. ""I really have the sense that God was in it... in the expression of beauty, we were invited.. where we normally wouldn't be invited.."
We are not of the world, but we live in it. We give our lives evangelizing so the world may be saved through Jesus. We preach Christ crucified (1 Co 1:23) for all humanity to witness the love that hangs on the cross in atonement for our sins, so that we may be one with our beloved, Jesus, and re-connect with our Heavenly Father to live in true freedom and joy.
So all in all, I am taken aback of how God works in the midst of society. Who would have imagined that many Hollywood celebrities and athletes and many of the A-list of who's who in the country would be treated to such a special event where their hearts would be touched by the soft and angelic, or "heavenly" to keep with the theme, voices that transcend? What a beautiful opportunity for all of the guests to have just 20 minutes of contemplation. Maybe some were able to, for the first time in a long time, contemplate on the beauty of our Creator, or feel a touch of love, or have a feeling of being forgiven for something... who knows?
I end my post with admiration on the Catholic Church -- for the beauty that it has embraced throughout the ages in architecture, music, and tradition because it sees God and is not afraid of expressing beauty for God. And, genuine awe at how our Lord moves the heart of our Church in order to allow for the art collections and artifacts to be on display while also approving the Sistine Chapel choir to perform and to bring with them, if anything, 20 minutes of peace and joy.
I pray that the Met guests were able to come out of it with appreciation for the Catholic Church in fostering and encouraging art throughout history. Beauty reflects the love that our Creator has for us, sharing with us the warmth of heaven shaped by the most skilled artist of all.
The 2018 Met Gala -- an extravagant and mundane event examined in a Catholic radio? Yes.
If you were out of the loop, yesterday was the annual Met Gala, a fundraising event put on by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City, which each year having a theme based on the artifacts and art collections on display. This year the theme was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination".
Cardinal Timothy Donal was present (mainly interested in the 42 pieces loaned by the Vatican that have never been exposed outside of Rome or to the public at all!). I liked his comments to the media prior to the event because it puts the Catholic presence there in perspective:
“You may be asking, what is the cardinal archbishop of New York doing here? I asked that when I was invited several months ago... But think about it just for a moment. It’s because the church and the Catholic imagination — the theme of this exhibit — are all about three things: truth, goodness and beauty. That’s why we’re into things such as art, culture, music, literature and, yes, even fashion.’’
So, during Al Kresta's show John Hale, President of Corporate Travel and the US agent for the Sistine Chapel choir, highlighted the surprise -- the high point of the Met Ball: The Sistine Chapel Choir. This choir, also known as the Pope's choir, consists of 20 professional singers and 34 young boys ranging from 9 to 13 years old, or until their voice cracks (as commented by Maestro Massimo Palombella).
As Hale mentioned, the Met coordinators were serious in their request to have the choir perform, offering an opportunity to show case what we believe. He noted that Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue, commented that the choir performance was "absolutely enthralled."
"When we were here in New York last fall, we met with sponsors.. we quickly learned that the performance was done after dinner.. that wasn't appropriate [for a liturgical choir]. They immediately responded and they recreated the whole flow of the evening where they set aside an entire room [in a] different part of the museum... to just show-case the choir itself... introduced by Cardinal Dolan.. and [set] a gorgeous background of the Sistine Chapel. It was dramatic. The concern of course was [that] this was not a crowd who traditionally [will] stop and listen to the performance. They did last night.. and the enthusiastic clapping!" -Hale, guest on Kresta in the Afternoon. ""I really have the sense that God was in it... in the expression of beauty, we were invited.. where we normally wouldn't be invited.."
The church came, and expressed beauty, and I saw an exchange of joy -John Hale
We are not of the world, but we live in it. We give our lives evangelizing so the world may be saved through Jesus. We preach Christ crucified (1 Co 1:23) for all humanity to witness the love that hangs on the cross in atonement for our sins, so that we may be one with our beloved, Jesus, and re-connect with our Heavenly Father to live in true freedom and joy.
So all in all, I am taken aback of how God works in the midst of society. Who would have imagined that many Hollywood celebrities and athletes and many of the A-list of who's who in the country would be treated to such a special event where their hearts would be touched by the soft and angelic, or "heavenly" to keep with the theme, voices that transcend? What a beautiful opportunity for all of the guests to have just 20 minutes of contemplation. Maybe some were able to, for the first time in a long time, contemplate on the beauty of our Creator, or feel a touch of love, or have a feeling of being forgiven for something... who knows?
I end my post with admiration on the Catholic Church -- for the beauty that it has embraced throughout the ages in architecture, music, and tradition because it sees God and is not afraid of expressing beauty for God. And, genuine awe at how our Lord moves the heart of our Church in order to allow for the art collections and artifacts to be on display while also approving the Sistine Chapel choir to perform and to bring with them, if anything, 20 minutes of peace and joy.
#MetHeavenlyBodies presents the “historic relationship between fashion, art, and religion inspiring one another and resulting in some of the most innovative creations in the history of fashion. “ —Daniel H. Weiss, The Met’s President and CEO
I pray that the Met guests were able to come out of it with appreciation for the Catholic Church in fostering and encouraging art throughout history. Beauty reflects the love that our Creator has for us, sharing with us the warmth of heaven shaped by the most skilled artist of all.
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