As the Church around the world observes the closing of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, a diocese in eastern Pennsylvania marked the occasion Dec. 28 with a powerful 11-movement choral presentation of Father Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria” in its cathedral, an hour of Confession availability, and Mass celebrated by the local bishop.
“My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today on this beautiful feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we gather to close our Jubilee year of Hope, a year of grace, renewal, healing, and deepened trust in God’s loving providence for our diocese of Allentown,” Bishop Alfred Schlert said in the homily for the Mass at the Cathedral Church of Saint Catharine of Siena.
He said it has been a gift to walk with the faithful of the diocese throughout the year, adding, “And what a fitting day to conclude this year of holy longing and holy confidence under the patronage of the family in Whom God’s hope took flesh.”
The Holy Family was sustained through hope, rooted in obedience to God, throughout the uncertainties, poverty, and danger they faced, the bishop said.
“In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we see the model for every Christian household and the pattern of the entire Church,” he said.
He said that throughout 2025, the diocese “has prayed, sacrificed, and renewed itself in hope,” praying for an increase in vocations, the return of those who have fallen away from the Church, healing for the world, confidence in God’s mercy, and Christian families to be strengthened.
“We have seen signs of that hope everywhere,” Bishop Schlert said: “New pastoral initiatives; deeper prayer in our parishes; quiet conversions, especially among young adults; renewed enthusiasm for the mission of Christ; and a growing desire to place the Holy Eucharist at the center of our lives and entrust ourselves more fully to our Blessed Mother Mary.”
Before the concert, Monsignor Don Cieniewicz, pastor of the cathedral, said that the choral presentation, which would fill the baroque-style church with beautiful music, offers “praise and thanks to God for the Lord’s gift of hope and for the life of Saint Catherine as the patroness of our diocesan cathedral.” The choral presentation was performed by singers from the cathedral and diocesan choirs, according to Msgr. Cieniewicz.
Msgr. Cieniewicz said that Fr. Vivaldi composed the “Gloria” in Venice in 1715 for a girls’ choir at an orphanage where he served as a chaplain and music teacher. He composed numerous sacred works for the girls’ orchestra, according to Msgr. Cieniewicz, who added, “This Gloria is his most famous choral piece, which presents the traditional Gloria from the Latin Mass.”
However, the piece was not discovered by the broader public until nearly 200 years after Fr. Vivaldi’s death, according to Msgr. Cieniewicz.
In the late 1920s, the composition “was found buried amidst a pile of forgotten manuscripts,” he said. “Following this discovery, it would be almost another 10 years until it was first performed in 1939 in the city of Siena, the hometown of Saint Catherine, the patroness of the cathedral parish.”
According to local news outlet WFMZ, as the diocese approaches 2026, it also looks to celebrate another major milestone: its 65th anniversary since its founding.
In between each movement of the piece, a commentary was read to provide insights on the history of the cathedral and the diocese of Allentown, according to Msgr. Cieniewicz. He also shared that the sacrament of Confession was also available in the cathedral during the hour-long choral presentation.
Speaking in light of the diocese’s elaborate and classical celebration, Bishop Schlert told WFMZ, “We've received a lot of blessings in this past year. So many different ways that God has blessed us, so we give a lot of thanks today.”
Bishop Schlert also indicated to the outlet that the diocese is looking ahead with joy, saying that while the Jubilee year is ending, “the hope that we have Jesus as our savior never ends.”