All Roads Lead to Rome

An essential part of the Austin Prep Journey are those experiences that are not found in any book or classroom.  Experiences that are lived transcend written curriculum and will remain imprinted in heart and memory long after the lessons of formal instruction begin to fade.  In that spirit, I’m pleased to announce an extraordinary opportunity for Austin Prep students and families.

The Chorus of Austin Prep has been invited to travel to Vatican City and join a traveling choir that will perform for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica during the 2019 Christmas break.  Austin Prep’s chorus will join with three other school choirs from the United States to form the 6th Annual Youth and Adult Choir Festival.  The choir will have the opportunity to sing at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on December 29^th and at Mass in the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi on December 30th, offer a concert for the City of Rome at the Church of St. Ignatius on January 1st, and have an opportunity to visit the Sistine Chapel.

Ordinarily, school-sponsored travel abroad opportunities are reserved for exclusively for students, but given the unique nature of this occasion, Austin Prep, in the spirit of unitas, is extending an opportunity to all current students and family members – parents, grandparents, and extended family – to travel on this pilgrimage to Rome.  Father Patrick Armano will serve as Chaplain for Austin Prep’s visit to the Eternal City.  Our students and guests will have an opportunity experience the grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica and the 2,000-year-old religious heritage of the Roman Catholic Church.

If you are a student thinking about joining Austin Prep’s Chorus for the 2018-2019 school year, now seems as good a time as ever.  The dates of Austin Prep’s Christmas season Pilgrimage and Choir Tour of the Vatican is December 27, 2019 to January 3, 2020.