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St Peter & Paul's Church Concert Appreciation

7.8.06

Printed in the 'Thumbs Up' section of the Democrat & Chronicle Editorial page on July 8th, 2006:

For the Bill Welch Band, Eastman Youth Chamber Winds and Saints Peter & Paul Choir for a benefit concert on June 28 that raised more than $1,500 for St. Peter's Kitchen. The event showcased University of Rochester Kauffman Entrepreneurial Year Program student Andrew Slominski's concept to reuse Saints Peter & Paul Church and campus as a performing arts center. This donation will benefit the more than 200 people who receive meals from the kitchen every weekday. These musical groups and St. Peter's have done a great service to our community.

06.29.06

The following is a letter from John E. Curran, parishioner of St Peter & Paul's Church, where the Bill Welch Band performed after the community's last Mass in the building at 720 W Main Street, a building the parish community built 1911.

From: John E. Curran
Date: 06/29/06 07:46:43
To: t@billwelchband.com
Cc: Father Ray Fleming; Andrew Slominski; Ryan Watson; Deb Housel
Subject: With appreciation for church concert


Hello Musical Healers,

Recent popular culture terminology would call a stunning performance "the bomb!". Yours exceeded that. It was "the balm". Through music and words you soothed the pain of our church's impending closing. But more importantly, you made it a celebration. It was, after all, a commemoration of our 163rd year as a faith community.

You grasped fully that the evening was, as Bill Welch said, "bittersweet". You also were correct that the true importance is the people and not the building, no matter how beautiful it is. Our shared Christian belief helps us to appreciate that, after this period of pain, there will be a Resurrection as our Saints Peter & Paul church members participate fully in our new unified parish. We join with two recently-closed parishes and two current ones who chose collectively to become a single southwest Rochester Roman Catholic parish worshiping together at the St. Monica church.

Did you succeed in demonstrating that the church could serve as a performance hall? Let me simply say that when the duo first played during the celebration of the Mass the music was so evocative that I could feel the hair stand up on my arms. Piercing, penetrating and yet soothing.

One of the charisms of your group, in addition to the God-given talent developed through skill and artistry, is your incredible generosity. Your donation of 100% of the donations to Saint Peter's Kitchen comes at a needed time. The economic and labor resources to operate the Kitchen become strained severely during the summer months. You exceeded that further with the donation of the proceeds of the sale of your band's music CDs. Over fifteen hundred dollars raised last evening will now help ease the burden at St. Peter's Kitchen.

You already have the formula for continued success. . . you will do well as you continue to do good.

John E. Curran, parishioner
Saints Peter & Paul faith community

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