Sacred Heart Church at Divine Mercy hosts renowned choral group

Divine Mercy Parish in collaboration with St. Benedict the African Parish in Chicago will host a performance of the Spelman College Glee Club Saturday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church at Divine Mercy Parish, 1077 Tower Road, Winnetka, as part of the club’s spring 2023 tour. The Glee Club will also perform at St. Benedict the African Church, 340 W 66th St, Chicago on Sunday, March 19, at 3 p.m.

Under the direction of Dr. Kevin Johnson, associate professor of music, the historic Spelman College Glee Club has been known for choral excellence since 1924. Performance highlights include a 2016 concert at the White House for President Barack Obama and a March 2017 performance at the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Active in the local and national music community, the Glee Club has shared the stage with the Dance Theater of Harlem, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Kathleen Battle as well as an array of other African American celebrities.

The unique opportunity to host the renown Spelman College Glee Club came about after Dr. Kevin Johnson, who has a long and distinguished history as liturgist and church musician primarily in the Catholic Church, was commissioned by St. Benedict the African Parish (SBA) to compose a soulful style of African American musical arrangements commemorating the Easter season in 2018. That led to an ongoing conversation about liturgy, music and art in the church between Reverend David Jones, SBA pastor, and Dr. Johnson.

“The relationship began to have sort of a natural rhythm to it as we coordinated with Catholic parishes in other parts of the country. When Spelman was putting together its annual spring concert tour for this year and Chicago came up as a possible destination, I responded, ‘Yes, please,’” said Fr. Jones. “Since Divine Mercy is our partner parish, we asked if they would also like to host a performance.”

“As a parish we are honored that they would include us in their tour,” said Ron Vanasdlen, Director of Music and Liturgy at Divine Mercy Parish. “When Father Jones contacted us, we thought this would be a wonderful way to celebrate Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in the season of Lent, because traditionally, this Sunday has been a day of celebration, within the austere period of Lent,” he said, concluding that as an added bonus, it will be a great way to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Tickets or reservations are not required for the concert, but a free will offering is requested to help cover the costs of the tour. For more information, call Liz McGowan, Director of Pastoral Care, Outreach and Special Events, at 847.446.0856, ext. 108, or email her at lmcgowen@divinemercynorthshore.org.