JERUSALEM – On Wednesday, September 12, 2018, the German choir Regensburger Domspatzen held a choral service in the Co-Cathedral of Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It was their last Mass in the Holy Land before returning to Germany.

On the last day of their journey in the Holy Land, the Regensburger Domspatzen choir held a choral service in the Co-Cathedral of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem under the direction of the choirmaster Roland Büchner. The Mass was presided by H.E. Bishop Boulos Marcuzzo, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg in Germany. After the Mass, Bishop Marcuzzo presented his German colleague and choirmaster Büchner pilgrim shells from Jerusalem. He also told the German guests about the situation of Christians in the Holy Land. The choir sang “Jubilate Deo”, the “Missa Di Angelis” and “Laudate Dominum”.

For a week the Regensburger Domspatzen choir from Bavaria in Germany were traveling in the Holy land. A total of 90 choir singers between the ages of 10 to 19 and 135 pilgrims set off from Germany on Wednesday, September 5th. This led them among other places to the Sea of ​​Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, Bethlehem and also to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. They also visited two schools; one in Jerusalem and the other in Nazareth, and thus came together with young people and children of the same age. The trip to the Holy Land was the first of the choir in its more than 1000 years of history. Choirmaster Roland Büchner has been dreaming of this for 25 years. Now, it has finally come true.

The 19-year-old choral prefect Simon concluded that the trip was “totally beautiful and impressive”. He has already made several concert tours with the choir, but none is comparable to this year’s. Especially remembered will be the visit to Yad Vashem and the Mass in the Nativity Church, but he will never forget the many other places and experiences he lived. For the younger ones it was “partly exhausting, but very eventful”. They were certainly happy that they did not have to go to school during this trip.

After living so many new and unique experiences in the Holy Land, the members of the Regensburger Domspatzen choir will now start their journey back home.

By: Fabian Klinger

Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem