Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

The Maria Alonzo Goretti Group will present its Christmas concert, Prepare Ye, on November 10 at the Church of The Nativity,  Crystal Stream, Diego Martin. The concert will feature several guest artistes, including Sharlene Flores and the Legendary Flores De San Jose.

Group member Celia Scott said the concert is called Prepare Ye because it is a lead up to the Advent and Christmas Season. “In addition to being a preparation for these two important celebrations leading up to Christmas Day, we also started the programme with the song Prepare Ye last year and it will be the start of the programme this year, performed by tenor John Thomas.”

The programme features a mix of Christmas, parang and inspirational songs. Artistes include John Thomas, Neisha Smith, saxophonist Malcolm Boyce, the HNC Parang Group El Dulce Nombre de Jesus, Marcia Miranda, pannist Mikhail Salcedo, Sharlene Flores and the Legendary Flores De San Jose, past Group member Wendell Constantine and the Maria Alonzo Goretti Group. Musicians include Roy Edwards, Kemi Ible, Everard Rodriguez, Wayne Labastide, Joe Singh and Alicia Jaggasar.

Scott said the concert is free but there will be a collection taken up for the work and charities of the Maria Alonzo Goretti Group. This continues a tradition of charitable work by the Group, which Scott said always been a semi-apostolic group doing charitable work and spreading God’s message through song. It was restarted after a hiatus of 25 years just after Maria Alonzo’s death in August 2016.  “Last year the concert was held at Mt. St. Benedict and we decided we wanted to give back to the community. It was a free concert and we took up a collection during the show. Last year’s funds were able to assist the Monks up at Mt. St. Benedict, and we gave a contribution to Holy Name Convent as the group began there in 1967 and the school had been badly damaged during the earthquake. We also used some of the funds to host a children’s party for children from the Beetham and visited a senior citizen’s home in Toco.”

Scott made special mention of the Concert Committee. chaired by Lorraine Pouchet and assisted by Waveney Noreiga, past Goretti members June Sargeant and Jeannine Hassanali and herself. “Our Executive Committee which looks after the general running of the Youth Group is chaired by Barbara Crichlow-Shaw and includes Vice Chair Roxanne Cuffy, Secretary June Sargeant, Youth Liaison Officer Celia Scott and Lorraine Pouchet PRO.”

The Maria Alonzo Goretti Group was founded in 1967 by past Holy Name Convent past pupil and teacher Maria Teresa Alonzo and is named after Sr. Maria Goretti, the youngest canonized saint and patroness of youth. “Starting off with keep fit classes, visiting the sick in hospital and collecting food for the poor, Maria soon included singing as part of the Group’s activities and she approached Archbishop Anthony Pantin in order to commission the semi-apostolic group and to have the first Folk Mass to be held at Holy Name Convent Marian Hall.

Over the years, the group travelled to Tobago, St. Croix, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados, San Francisco, and  Canada as guests of the Laura Secord High School and Canadiana in St. Catharines. The group also performed at the United Nations in New York, where Maria was presented with a Peace Medal for her work with youth.

Apart from teaching Maria also performed as a singer at the Trinidad Hilton for many years with Denis De Souza and later at the Holiday Inn with the group Moods. Maria also accompanied the Texaco Dixieland Steel Orchestra on the inaugural trip to mark the twinning of St. Catharines, Canada with our city of Port of Spain. After this trip Maria teamed up with her group the Goretti Group, the Texaco Dixieland and the Holy Name Convent Choir to record the famous record ‘Sing Out My Soul’ of which Hear O Lord with soloist Maria Alonzo continues to be a favourite with listeners all over the world.” The concert is free, and a collection will be taken up for the work of the Maria Alonzo Goretti Group. The event begins at 5:30 pm and runs for approximately two hours.