The choirs of St. Bridget and St. Stanislaus Kostka Churches are made up of individuals of all ages and ability levels. We come together to share our love of music and to praise God through song. People of all ages are welcome to join at any time of the year. The ability to read music is not required to sing. The SSK Choir does sing in Polish, but even those who cannot speak or read Polish are welcome to join the choir. For anyone interested in joining either choir, please speak to Angela or Olivia.
One of the ways that the St Bridget and St Stanislaus Kostka communities give back to others is through the annual Variety Show. In 2010, as a response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, St. Bridget Church hosted a Variety Show to benefit relief efforts there, with Terry Jaye from WJJR as Master of Ceremonies, and in 2011 the benefit was for Japan, after the devastating tsunami the country experienced. The 2012 Variety Show enabled the construction of a well for orphaned children in Kampala, Uganda. In 2013, the money raised went to a local organization, the Rutland Dismas House, to support its important work with former prisoners. In 2014 the money was donated to Pure Water for the World, helping impoverished communities in Haiti and Honduras attain water filtration systems and this year it was donated to The Mentor Connector. The Mentor Connector connects area youth with positive mentors. The purpose of the Variety Show is to unite members of the local community in celebration of individual talents to fulfill a critical need in the global and local communities.
As an annual tradition, St. Bridget and St. Stanislaus Kostka Church communities host a special Christmas event. In 2009, St. Bridget hosted a concert and nativity play, featuring full costumes and lighting, which was donated by Castleton State College. The following year, in 2010, St. Bridget hosted “Scripture, Story, and Song,” a combination of lessons and carols with a mimed scenes by our religious education students. 2011’s presentation featured a concert-style performance by the vocal ensemble Golden Harmony, and concluded with “The Story of Christmas in Song,” which featured the St. Bridget choir and our religious education students. In 2012, the religious education students presented the Christmas story in a different way by featuring a look at the way other cultures celebrate the birth of Christ. The pageant, in which children from both West Rutland parishes participated, offered a chance to glimpse how cultures around the world, while having unique traditions, all share the same commonality at Christmas: celebrating the birth of Jesus. To further emphasize the Polish heritage of West Rutland, the children performed Silent Night in the Polish language. For the Advent season of 2013, the parishes presented a program at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, which highlighted the meaning of the Advent season—the season of Light—and the journey of preparation for the birth of Christ. In 2014 we went on a "Journey to Bethlehem" where we recalled the joy of Christ's birth through song.
Hymns for Hunger is a Concert and Hymn Sing to benefit the West Rutland Food Shelf. The concert concludes a weekend of food gathering as it follows the annual Stuff-a-Truck and Kostka Walk. The concert features performances by the St. Bridget and St. Stanislaus Kostka church choirs, youth from the parishes, and soloists. The audience also has the chance to participate in an informal sing-along of favorite, well-known hymns. Admission is free, but attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to benefit the Food Shelf.