Morinville Community Christmas Celebration packs SJB Church

minstrels-web

Photos By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Residents in the hundreds filled St. Jean Baptiste Church Dec. 20 for the 34th Annual Community Christmas Celebration, an evening of song and fellowship that drew local church and school choirs as well as soloists and singing groups to ring out the sounds of the season.

Former Morinville teacher, school board trustee, and Citizen of the Year John Unsworth started the annual celebration in the late 1970s. In its inaugural year, staff and students of École Georges P. Vanier School invited parents and the general public to a traditional Christmas concert in the school’s gymnasium. The response was so positive Unger organized the first full Community Christmas Celebration the following year at St. Jean Baptiste Church, inviting other Morinville churches to participate in the event. Over the next eight years the event evolved into what organizers say was the community’s most anticipated annual event. Unsworth moved to British Columbia in 1988, at which time the annual celebration was taken over by a small group of dedicated volunteers who wanted to see the event continue. It has done so for more than three decades.

The evening’s celebration included 17 performances of Christmas song. Below are some audio and imagery from the evening.

Anglican Minister Ron Horst-web
Anglican Minister Ron Horst Performs

Dalton Terhorst Conducts-web
Dalton Terhorst Conducts

Ed Bulger Sings An Original Number-web
Ed Bulger Sings An Original Number

Krista-Marie Lessard Sings From The Top Balcony-web
Krista-Marie Lessard Sings From The Top Balcony

Notre Dame Choir-web
Notre Dame Choir

Father Igancy-web
Father Ignacy Leads The Closing Prayer

Mayor Paul Krauskopf Emcees-web
Mayor Paul Krauskopf Emcees

The Congregation Sings Let There Be Peace On Earth-web
The Congregation Sings Let There Be Peace On Earth

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1 Comment

  1. You do such a good job of publishing current news. Keep it up. I look forward to your magazine every Wednesday.

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