At the height of summer, 33 youngsters, age 8-14, mostly from Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest apostolates in various parts of the country, converged in Kentucky during the first week of August to participate in the Institute's first Children's Choir Camp. Amidst the tranquil surroundings of the Ursuline Sisters motherhouse, the children flourished in deepened friendship, serious study, and fun play—even with the oppressive, 100-degrees-plus temperatures!
For most of the children, the place of music in the Classical liturgy is already a familiar part of their young lives, having heard and sung sacred music as part of Holy Mass they attend with their families. The choir camp gave them a unique opportunity to understand and to practice in greater depth this beautiful component of the ageless Classical Liturgy.
Under the capable camp directorship of Mr. Nick Botkins, the Director of Sacred Music and Master of the Choirs at St. Francis de Sales Oratory, the Institute's apostolate in St. Louis, the rigorous curriculum was a balanced mixture of music theory, musicianship, vocal technique, and composition for advanced students taught by Mr. Botkins and composer Mr. Jacob Bancks, studies in Latin history, grammar, syntax and vocabulary with Byzantine scholar Mr. Joseph Reidy; and Gregorian Chant with Mr. Aristotle Esguerra.
A typical day at choir camp included several hours of rehearsal, core classes, prayers, meals, and plenty of fun and recreation. College-age camp counselors led campfire Rosaries, and dedicated choir mothers ensured that all felt comfortable in the week-long home away from home. Each day ended with chanting of the Litany of the Sacred Heart in the gorgeous chapel of the Ursuline Sisters.
On the final day of camp, the choir, now a cohesive ensemble, sang prayerfully and proficiently for the Solemn High Mass celebrated by Canon Michael Wiener, Rector of the St. Francis de Sales Oratory. Given the participants' own transformation over the course of the week, it seemed entirely appropriate that the camp should conclude with the Feast of Transfiguration of Our Lord—a miraculous encounter, as Canon Wiener reminded all those present, with the divinity of Christ the King.