At St. Patrick – St. Anthony and the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, we recognize that all who walk through our doors have gifts and talents to share. Many of our ministries include our youngest parishioners as dedicated volunteers.
This year, we have a few dedicated, longtime, volunteers and staff members who have graduated from degree plans and we wanted to help share their news! Keep an eye on this page as we share “Graduate Spotlights” of these dedicated individuals. You will find many of their faces familiar since they have enriched our parish and community with their gifts over the years.
We share our gratitude to them for answering God’s call to be who they are, by sharing their gifts of time and talent with us.
Caroline Christopher
Caroline has been a familiar face in St. Patrick – St. Anthony’s Music Ministry since 2012 when she was in 5th grade. She began her service as a member of our seasonal children’s choir, then called the Songbirds, and grew to be a youth leader for the Songbirds throughout high school. She also served as a Youth Cantor throughout middle and high school during the summers under Pam Johnson’s mentorship.
During High School, Caroline joined the Treble Clef and then the Gallery Choirs as a youth volunteer, frequently being featured as a soloist throughout her high school years.
After she graduated from Manchester High School in 2019, Caroline attended the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford where she studied Vocal Performance and Music History. She was hired as a Section Leader in both the Treble Clef and Gallery Choirs, and cantored at times throughout her college years. She is also a regular on the roster of cantors and professionals at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford, St. Ann’s Church in Avon, and with Chorus Angelicus.
During her time at the Hartt School, Caroline performed as Sesto in Giulo Cesare in Italy in 2022, the Dew Ferry in Hansel and Gretal, and Cherubino in the Marriage of Figaro. She participated in Tafelmusik in Toronto in the summer of 2023, and toured in Ireland with Chorus Angelicus in 2023. She has been teaching private voice lessons for Market Square Music Academy in the 2023-24 school year.
In May of 2024, Caroline graduated Summa Cum Laude from University of Hartford, and will continue her studies at McGill’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal to earn her Master’s Degree in Early Music. We will miss seeing and hearing Caroline in our choirs and at the microphone but send her off with our prayers and hope to see her back in Hartford soon.