Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ Hosts Multi-Cultural Concert to Celebrate 175th Anniversary

The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ (PHJC) continued celebrations for the congregation’s 175th anniversary with an end-of-summer concert, inviting the public to convene for an uplifting selection of international music and dance.

Originally planned as a concert on the lawn, the rainy weekend meant that the concert had to be moved indoors to Cana Hall on The Center at Donaldson campus. Members of the public turned up to celebrate and honor the work of the congregation.

Sister Connie Bach, a member of the PHJC United States Province Leadership Team, served as the coordinator of the event. 

“I really thought, no pun intended, that it was going to be a washout with the downpours that we’ve had. We’re fortunate to have a really close-knit community,” Bach said. “They wanted to come out and support the Sisters, and we’re really grateful that they did.”

The concert featured multiple musicians, including gospel band Forever Praise, Mariachi Santa Maria, and polka duo Wil Smaka’s MusiConnection.

Bach highlighted the assembling of the bands, including her personal connection to Mariachi Santa Maria.

“We’re blessed because we have a lot of concerts here. We know a lot of different people—the mariachi band is from my home parish from when I was growing up in East Chicago,” Bach said. “The gospel band performs here quite often, and our seniors really like the music that they play, so we invited them.”

The concert also included performances from a few international Sisters, including acts from Sister Bindu Jose from India, Sister Emmanuella Emmanuel and Sister Salem Bisong from Nigeria, and Sister Teresa Chepchoge and Sister Leonida Katunge from Kenya. Each of the lead performers drew from their own cultures, opening first with context for the audience before moving to the performance. All three performances incorporated elements of traditional dance and music from their respective cultures, while also maintaining a focus on highlighting the connection between faith and artistic expression.

Bach shared more about the reasoning behind the international focus of the event.

“This is one of our particular events that we wanted to platform because of the work we do with so many different populations. We’ve worked with Hispanic and Polish populations, so we invited the mariachi and polka bands,” Bach said. “We have Sisters that are studying here from Kenya, Nigeria, and India, so we have them doing some cultural dances from their country. We do our best to make it a very intercultural concert.”

While the concert served as a way to highlight the important international focus of the congregation, it also served as a general way to allow the public to get to know the Poor Handmaids a bit better. 

“We try to bring the community together as often as we can. This event is helping us do that. Even though it’s a celebration of our 175th anniversary, it’s also a celebration of who we are as a community,” Bach said. “There are people I don’t even know who came just because they heard about the concert and wanted to come. Getting to network and meet more people means that hopefully they’ll come back more often.”

The concert represents a broader effort by the Poor Handmaids to emphasize a connection between both global and local issues. Behind the scenes, a planning committee of about 20 people work to ensure that these events are cohesive and reflect the broader worldview that the Church is known to carry. At its heart, the committee prioritizes events that are significant and meaningful, not only to members of the committee, but also to the people that come together to celebrate with the Poor Handmaids.

On Sunday, October 4, the congregation plans to host an event commemorating the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis, carrying out a water blessing at the campus’s lake. This celebration serves to close the season of creation and remind attendees of the responsibility humanity has for stewarding the earth.

“We play a major role as part of creation to take care of Earth and to treat her with respect and dignity, just like we do every other creature,” Bach said.

Beyond specific celebrations, the Poor Handmaids seek to continue their mission of outreach to the public through general acts of service. This includes feeding vulnerable populations, aiding with rent and utilities, and job preparation. The congregation also seeks to serve as a space for anyone who needs it. 

“In our world today, there are so many wars and conflicts. People need an opportunity to celebrate life, to come to a peaceful place, to know that they’re going to be safe, and that there are people here that are compassionate. That’s what we want to be as Poor Handmaids,” Bach said. “People are welcome here anytime—to walk our grounds, to come into our chapel and pray, to talk and be with the Sisters—whatever it might be. We really want to lift people up and give them a sense that they really matter and that God loves them and cares for them, and so do we.”

For more information about Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, you can visit the PHJC (church’s) website.