By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
While crowding against the railings of St. Peter’s Square during a Dec. 31 blessing of the Vatican’s Nativity scene, students of Mary Immaculate Catholic School began to take up the tune of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” As they raised the hymn, the students were greatly surprised to discover the addition of a new voice: that of Pope Leo XIV, who had paused in his rounds to join in the festive song.
This serendipitous encounter with the Holy Father was one of many faith-formative moments to flow from the Mary Immaculate School Choir Jubilee Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage, which stretched from Dec. 29, 2025, to Jan. 5, 2026, offered 22 fourth through eighth grade students from the Farmers Branch school the opportunity to perform as a choir at holy sites within Rome and Assisi. Family members also accompanied the students, raising the tally of travelers to about 80.
“It [was] one of those grab it while you can, once in a lifetime opportunities,” reflected Claire Darr, who accompanied her fourth-grade daughter on the pilgrimage. She added, “When God gives you a talent and you want to share it with the world … great things can happen.”
Daring to wonder
At Mary Immaculate, Father Alfonse Nazzaro said, “mission is the boss;” and that mission is “to create wonder and excitement” among students. So, when the Mary Immaculate pastoral administrator conceived the idea of the musical pilgrimage for students — an opportunity to inspire awe while abroad — he and other community leaders leapt to make it a reality.
“The idea was: Let’s take them to Rome to be able to sing for the Holy Father,” said Father Nazzaro; he explained that the proposed trip would bring members of the school’s select choir inside St. Peter’s Basilica, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi to perform sacred music — all during the Jubilee Year of Hope. This pitch, he said, was met with enthusiasm from the school community.
“It turns out,” the priest remembered, “the excitement was more than we ever imagined!”
Preparations for the pilgrimage began in a flurry October 2025, just months before the trip was to take place: Members of the school began to arrange for the choir to participate in official Vatican celebrations; music teacher Jamie Bottomley started overseeing frequent practices with the select choir; and the Mary Immaculate community at large commenced the collection of funds for the pilgrimage.
“We actually started the fundraising effort in the hope that we could help offset some of the cost for the children,” said Darr, who serves as the MIS director of wonder and excitement, a newly established position meant to uphold the community’s commitment to awe in education. “We were able to raise enough money for every child in the choir to go for free. It was an incredible fundraising effort on behalf of the school and the parish and the community.”
‘In my heart forever’
As sixth-grade Mary Immaculate student Millie Grobe entered the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls Jan. 1 to sing a Mass with the Mary Immaculte choir, she immediately noticed the overwhelming physical beauty of the place; but, in true fashion, the 12-year-old singer said she was more struck by the reverberation of sound off the walls than the artistic flourishes on them.
“It was probably one of the best places I’ve ever sung in,” she said. “The echoes in it from our voices were amazing.”
Millie was joined on the pilgrimage by around 10 family members — including parents, grandparents, and even a great-aunt — who accompanied her as she toured historical and holy sites, walked through the Holy Doors, and, of course, performed alongside the other members of the Mary Immaculate choir inside multiple major basilicas. The experience was precious, she said; and her father, Daniel Grobe, concurred.
“How often do we get this chance to make a pilgrimage to Rome and to get our family together?” he said. “It’s the blessing of a lifetime.”
As Millie lifted her voice to sing “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” or “Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star” in some of the most prominent basilicas in the world, Daniel said, he was filled with profound gratitude for the opportunity to witness his child, along with the other choir members, forming lasting memories inside these beautiful, holy spaces.
“It’s just an experience that they’ll keep in their hearts forever,” he said.
For Daniel, the most memorable moment of the trip was the choir’s close musical encounter with the pope during the blessing of the Nativity scene. The group had been warned ahead of time that the Holy Father might not stop to say hello, he said; so, it was a big surprise when the pontiff paused, shook students’ hands, and joined the Mary Immaculate choir for a few lines of their song.
“A couple of kids, like, stopped in surprise!” Millie laughed, remembering the moment.
The encounter produced more than a few tears from the parents, Daniel said, adding that seeing the pope “smiling and sharing in the joy and God’s love” was “one of the most amazing blessings I’ve ever been a part of.”
“It’s just going to be in my heart forever,” Millie agreed.
Cutline for featured image: Members of Mary Immaculate Catholic School’s select choir pose for a picture in St. Peter’s Basilica during the Mary Immaculate School Choir Jubilee Pilgrimage to Rome, which took place from Dec. 29, 2025, to Jan. 5, 2026. (Mary Immaculate Catholic School photo)
