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When the men of Our Lady of Hope parish in Whitehall read a story in The Evangelist's Feb. 6 issue about a men's choir in Herkimer County, they were quick to point out that Ss. Anthony and Joseph parish in Herkimer does not have the only men's choir in the Albany Diocese.

In fact, the men's choir at Our Lady of Hope parish has been in existence for 42 years, continuing through the merger of two parishes and a handful of different pastors and organists.

There are about a dozen members today, including four who have been members since the choir's inception. The men say the group has strengthened their own faith and given the parish community consistency - as well as an option for traditional music at Saturday-evening Masses.

Francis Putorti joined the choir a month after it was formed at then-Our Lady of Angels parish, which merged with Notre Dame des Victoires parish in 2000 to become Our Lady of Hope. "I enjoy doing the two-part music and harmony," he told The Evangelist. "He who sings prays twice, so I get extra credit."

The choir was founded by the late Rev. William Esmond, who had the men dress in ties and navy blazers emblazoned with a gold Our Lady of Angels logo. James Aiken, a charter member, has directed the group for most of its history.

"Father Esmond thought [a men's choir] would be a good idea," Mr. Aiken said. "There were a bunch of men who liked to sing and dance. [The goal is] to add to the liturgy."

The merger was a rough time for parishioners. During that period, Mr. Aiken said, the choir helped to unify the parish community.

The organ at the former Our Lady of Angels parish was refurbished and brought to Our Lady of Hope. The choir rehearses after they sing at vigil Masses; they also sing on holidays and for special events like confirmations. They used to sing for the Diocese's televised Table of the Lord Mass and at community events, even recording cassette tapes of their performances.

These days, the men sing hymns from an extensive repertoire, including songs like "By Your Cross" and "Send out Your Spirit," and chant liturgy responses. Different pastors have made different requests.

"Everybody has their own take on the music: what we can sing and what we can't sing," Mr. Putorti said. "It's a special group of guys. We always get along. I enjoy the sound that we make."

Mr. Aiken said they're not always as professional as they should be.

"It's not unusual for us to get all set up and ready to go and a stand gets knocked over and a keyboard falls down," he said with a laugh. "And the pastor goes, 'Shhh!'"

(Read about the Herkimer men's choir at www.evangelist.org.)[[In-content Ad]]

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