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The 23 young singers wondered if something special was coming when their choir director kept selecting them for the biggest performances. A back to school mass for the entire parish. A televised diocesan mass. But nothing prepared them for what came next.
"The kids were like, oh my gosh," said Jamie Bottomley, director at Mary Immaculate School, recalling the moment students learned they'd been chosen to perform at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. "As soon as they found out, families were super excited. The children just wanted to tell everyone that had ears what they were doing."
The fourth through eighth graders will travel to Italy Dec. 29 through Jan. 5, singing masses at four historic churches including St. Peter's Basilica, St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. The timing makes the journey even more extraordinary. The trip coincides with a Jubilee Year, when the Vatican's Holy Doors open for the first time in 25 years.
"When you think of the Vatican, you're singing at the church within the Vatican," Bottomley said. "And then on top of that, it is a Jubilee Year, which is a symbol of hope and faithfulness."
The doors won't open again until 2050. "These are kids. So the next time they'll be able to go, they'll be in their thirties, forties, some of them," Bottomley said. For older family members joining the pilgrimage, this may be their only opportunity.
The trip came through Father Alfonse Nazaro, the school's priest, who envisioned taking a choir to Rome and secured the performance slots. It's the first time Mary Immaculate School, serving Farmers Branch since 1959, has attempted such a journey.
Bottomley selected students based on proven dedication. "These are the students that have shown their readiness and their ability to show up and do their best every time," she said.
That commitment has intensified in recent months as students learned to perform five hymns at each of four masses. The ordinary parts of the mass (the Gloria, Holy, Holy, Holy and Lamb of God) will be sung in Latin while hymns remain in English.
At St. Paul Outside the Walls, the choir will sing on the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, performing Marian hymns including "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above" and "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming."
Bottomley draws on experience programming these liturgies. At Mary Immaculate, every grade from kindergarten through eighth leads its own mass each year, a tradition running as deep as the school's 66 year history.
The students' excitement translated into community action. In just six weeks, the school raised enough through sponsors, bake sales, pancake breakfasts and a fundraising dinner at The Maple Leaf restaurant to ensure all 23 students could travel regardless of family finances.
"Kindness and generosity, really," Bottomley said.
Each student will be accompanied by at least one adult. The full group totals about 100 people.
Beyond performances, the pilgrimage will include daily mass, museum visits, and a chance to see the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the church's first millennial saint. The experience aligns with the school's motto of "Be the One."
For Bottomley, the trip represents something larger than music education. "I think it shows that dedication and hard work can get you places and that music isn't just something we sing in the classroom and sing at church," she said. "It can take you places."
Before leaving for Rome, local audiences have two chances to hear the choir. On Dec. 7, they'll perform at the Sound of Hope Christmas Festival from noon to 7:30 p.m. at The Sound of Cypress Waters. The free event, presented by Mary's Meals (a global charity providing school meals to 3 million children in 16 countries), will feature holiday activities, giving opportunities, live music, craft workshops, and a petting zoo.
On Dec. 21 at 10:45 a.m., the choir will perform a Latin mass open to the public at Mary Immaculate.
"We're all very excited to see our work and our efforts come to fruition," Bottomley said.
