Catholic, Mormon choirs unite
Dianna M. Náñez
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 9, 2006 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 9, 2006 12:00 AM
A relationship that began with a letter to Salt Lake City has united a Catholic and a Mormon church in Gilbert in song, spirit and mission.
A tradition symbolic of the relationship will play out onstage when members of Gilbert St. Anne's Catholic Church Choir and Gilbert Stake Center Choir perform together at the Mesa Arizona Temple Christmas Lights Display.
The choirs first joined in 1999 after Father Doug Lorig, who presided over St. Anne's at the time, and President John Lewis, of the Gilbert Stake, brought the churches together in a service project to help Guadalupe.
Lewis said the work completed in Guadalupe by more than 1,000 parishioners sparked friendships and a desire for lasting unity.
"It was a magical moment. We had one mission, to help the people of Guadalupe. All else was put aside," he said.
Lewis considers Lorig, 70, a cherished friend, and is thankful his Gilbert neighbor had the courage to reach out to a church and people he wanted to know better.
Father Lorig's letter was sparked by a combination of his mid-1990s visit to Glamoc, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the arrival of a White supremacist gang, known as the "Devil Dogs," to Gilbert.
In Glamoc, he saw the tragedy created when people went to war over religion.
"It was a town not different from Gilbert; beautiful homes and people used to providing for themselves," Lorig said. "A country . . . torn apart by religion and politics. Thinking of what I'd seen in Glamoc and what was happening with the Devil Dogs and our teens - it was too much."
The letter led to a meeting between Lewis and Lorig. The churches have since joined in numerous service projects. Since 1999, the choirs have performed together as a celebration of friendship.
A choir dress rehearsal was held Thursday at the Gilbert Stake Center in preparation for Sunday's third performance at the Mesa Temple.
Jan Gilyeat, Gilbert Stake choir director, said the rehearsal filled her with joy.
"The singers' faces glow," Gilyeat said. "It's like they know the power of the message they're sending."
As the parent of a teen enrolled at Gilbert's Mesquite High School, Trudy Sherman of St. Anne's Choir said she knows it can be difficult for youths of different faiths to become close. But the first step in forming friendships, Sherman said, is opening the door to a stranger.
"When you meet you realize you're more alike than different," she said. "It was the relationship, the friendships we'd made that brought about the Temple performances."
A tradition symbolic of the relationship will play out onstage when members of Gilbert St. Anne's Catholic Church Choir and Gilbert Stake Center Choir perform together at the Mesa Arizona Temple Christmas Lights Display.
The choirs first joined in 1999 after Father Doug Lorig, who presided over St. Anne's at the time, and President John Lewis, of the Gilbert Stake, brought the churches together in a service project to help Guadalupe.
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Lewis said the work completed in Guadalupe by more than 1,000 parishioners sparked friendships and a desire for lasting unity.
"It was a magical moment. We had one mission, to help the people of Guadalupe. All else was put aside," he said.
Lewis considers Lorig, 70, a cherished friend, and is thankful his Gilbert neighbor had the courage to reach out to a church and people he wanted to know better.
Father Lorig's letter was sparked by a combination of his mid-1990s visit to Glamoc, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the arrival of a White supremacist gang, known as the "Devil Dogs," to Gilbert.
In Glamoc, he saw the tragedy created when people went to war over religion.
"It was a town not different from Gilbert; beautiful homes and people used to providing for themselves," Lorig said. "A country . . . torn apart by religion and politics. Thinking of what I'd seen in Glamoc and what was happening with the Devil Dogs and our teens - it was too much."
The letter led to a meeting between Lewis and Lorig. The churches have since joined in numerous service projects. Since 1999, the choirs have performed together as a celebration of friendship.
A choir dress rehearsal was held Thursday at the Gilbert Stake Center in preparation for Sunday's third performance at the Mesa Temple.
Jan Gilyeat, Gilbert Stake choir director, said the rehearsal filled her with joy.
"The singers' faces glow," Gilyeat said. "It's like they know the power of the message they're sending."
As the parent of a teen enrolled at Gilbert's Mesquite High School, Trudy Sherman of St. Anne's Choir said she knows it can be difficult for youths of different faiths to become close. But the first step in forming friendships, Sherman said, is opening the door to a stranger.
"When you meet you realize you're more alike than different," she said. "It was the relationship, the friendships we'd made that brought about the Temple performances."
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