Known for her clear, sweet-sounding voice and prayerful lyrics, Catholic singer Danielle Rose will perform a concert at St. Stephen in Anoka Nov. 4 in support of the Venezuela mission sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
St. Stephen parishioners Jude and Kathy Currier have been working with the parish’s solidarity committee to organize the event. Jude visited the mission with fellow parishioners in years past, and he described the experience as one that has motivated him to do more.
“It’s a way for us to stay connected, especially with all the needs that there have been in Venezuela and all the issues [there],” Currier said about the event.
The Curriers invited Rose to give the concert because they’ve heard her music before and observed how she incorporates faith and human dignity into her music. Rose has performed around the world since graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2002.
“She has this great respect for life, for people and the poor,” Jude said.
Funds from the freewill offering event will support the work of Father Greg Schaffer and Father James Peterson, priests of the archdiocese who minister to the 65,000 people of Jesucristo Resucitado parish in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela. The archdiocese has served the mission since the early 1970s.
If you goCatholic musician Danielle Rose is in concert 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at St. Stephen, 525 Jackson St., Anoka.
A freewill offering will be taken to support the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Venezuelan mission and St. Stephen’s Latino community.
For more information about the concert, visit StStephenChurch.org.
For more information about the Venezuelan mission, visit Venezuela.archspm.org.
The country is in the fourth year of an economic crisis that has led to shortages of basic food products and medicines and the world’s highest inflation. One study showed that 75 percent of the population has lost an average of 19 pounds as a result. The country has also experienced political unrest, including violence, leading up to its Oct. 15 gubernatorial elections.
Besides supporting the Venezuelan mission, the event will also aid the Latino community at St. Stephen. Folk dancers from the Latino community will also perform at the event.
“There’s a great need within our own Latino community at St. Stephen’s here,” Kathy Currier said. “They are such kind, wonderful people.”
School Sister of Notre Dame Mary Anne Schaenzer, St. Stephen’s staff advisor to the peace and justice committee, said the event serves as an opportunity for the non-Latino and Latino communities to come together. With 4,325 households, the parish is one of the largest in the archdiocese and has a large Latino population.
“Everybody’s looking forward to where our community becomes more one,” said Sister Mary Anne, who serves as the director of pastoral care at St. Stephen.
— Catholic News Service contributed to this story.
