Dear Friends,

As November draws to a close, we in the United States participate in a unique confluence of feasts, one sacred and one profane (though the latter is not without its sacred elements). 

We as Catholics are quite aware that this is the month of the Poor Souls, the time particularly set aside by Mother Church when the prayers and sacrifices of the Church Militant are focused on the relief of the Church Suffering in Purgatory. Moreover, we know that the souls we assist in joining the Church Triumphant, in gratitude and thanksgiving, will be our certain advocates in Heaven. 

The second feast is Thanksgiving, one that would not be celebrated at all without the providential action of the Church, and a certain Indian named Squanto (look up that story if you don’t know it!). And while our beautiful country grapples with many issues, there are even more things we may be thankful for both personally and as a nation. 

While St. Andrew’s is blessed daily by all of our spiritual and material benefactors, we would like to share with you one particular blessing we have recently received:

On the evening of November 10th, the students and staff prepared our school’s Great Room for an unusual yet much-anticipated event: a professional private cello concert. The guests invited, charcuterie prepared, and hearth ablaze, none could anticipate the performance that was about to unfold right in the middle of our home. Dr. Larissa Fedoryka Kuplack is a professional cellist who travels throughout the US performing her house concert series, Painting with Music. As Larissa states: 

“This touring concert series combines live performance with interactive music education, featuring cello and piano performances of works by Bach, Bruch, Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Dvořák, Elgar, and Shostakovich. Through guided listening techniques, audiences learn to identify musical elements that evoke imagery, emotion, and narrative, developing skills for lifelong classical music appreciation.”

Larissa did not simply play her instrument incredibly well, but left us all with a deep appreciation of classical music. She walked us through each piece, providing stories and imagery we would not have known to evoke. She helped us enter into the music, and instead of being passive listeners, we actively engaged with the music that night – witnessing a canvas of sound unfolding before us, and experiencing something like a foretaste of Heaven. All the students present considered this intimate and moving concert far superior to any mainstream professional show we have seen at Music Hall in Cincinnati, and while the boys may forget that they saw a Mozart Symphony in concert last Spring, they will never forget this experience.

The gift of beauty is one of the best gifts one human can give to another, and we are profoundly grateful for this gift – one that was made possible by the generous assistance of a benefactor who not only shares a love and sincere appreciation of beautiful music, but also its essential role in the formation of souls. Our benefactor wishes for anonymity, but they are not forgotten before God, and are certainly in our prayers. 

And so, with this foretaste of the heavenly banquet fresh in our memories and much to be thankful for, particularly this week, we cannot forget the faithful departed. They need our prayers, and will certainly pray for us in return when they reach their heavenly home.

Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless all of you!

Patrick Kuplack

Download a Free Classical Music Listening Guide from Larissa Kuplack