schmitzd04

On a tree-lined parkway in St. Paul, Minn., stands the Church of the Holy Childhood. Father John Buchanan (1910–1998) founded the parish upon returning to the States after serving as a chaplain in World War II. While in the service, he met chaplain's assistant and organist Bruce A. Larsen (1922–1996), whose dream was to create a school of singing—a Schola Cantorum. From the start, the church boasted a Boys Choir and Mens Choir. In the '80s, girls and a Women's Choir were added to create a combined choir—sometimes more than 75 singers ranging in age from 10 to 80. By the early '90s, Mr. Larsen had passed the torch to Stephen Schmall and Robert Vickery. The small parish has contracted now, and the grade school closed in 2009.

Most of the music on this channel was recorded at Sunday high mass on cassette tapes. For a church choir, the Schola did well and performed unique music that deserves to be heard. I hope these videos can be a memorial to the vision of Fr. Buchanan and Mr. Larsen.