The remarkable story of five priests who gave their own lives for strangers in the 1873 Yellow Fever Epidemic bears abundant witness to the transcendence of virtue and sacrifice. Long the subject of piety and devotion, visual art and literature, their heroism is now immortalized again in music.
The Angels Gathered Symphony ~ Holy Trinity Church, Sunday, October 8, 2023
Honoring our Shreveport Martyrs
The Details:
How Can You Show Your Support of this Amazing Symphony Remembering the Life and Death of the Five Servants of God Priests Serving Shreveport Residents During the 1873 Yellow Fever Epidemic?
The Angels Gathered Symphony is composed by Kermit Poling along with the Mr. Aaron D. Wilson and the St. Ceceilia Choral Music Ministry and Leonard Kacenjar and the Shreveport Summer Music Festival, Inc.
Inspiration for The Angels Gathered comes directly from the original letters and papers that survive from 1873 recounting the heroic deeds of these five priests. Bishop Auguste Martin of the (then) Diocese of Natchitoches eulogized these fallen priests in a letter of late 1873 from which the title of this symphony is drawn. There are also surviving eyewitness details reported in other letters and newspaper accounts, as well as the memory of their sacrifice that has been imprinted on our community for 150 years.
The 40 minute symphony is inspired by the sources referred to above, with 5 sections dedicated to each of the Priests, and the 3 other sections taken from John 15:13, Psalm 23, and the Bishop’s letter. It will be performed by a full symphony, a choir of nearly 100 singers, and 4 solo opera singers, all in the historic and stunning Holy Trinity Catholic Church. It will also be delayed broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) for an international audience.