Fall Semester
Classes start: Oct. 6, 2024
Fall break/no class: Nov. 17, 2024
Thanksgiving break/no class: Nov. 29, 2024
Christmas caroling: (time/location TBA)
Sing for Christmas Eve: Dec. 24 5:30pm English (arrive at 5:00)/Midnight Traditional Novus Ordo (arrive by 11:30)
Christmas break/no class: Dec. 27, 2024 and Jan. 3, 2024
Spring Semester
Epiphany party during class: Jan. 10, 2025
Good Friday/no class: April 18, 2025
Last day of regular classes: May 9, 2025 (party ends at 5:45; please bring a meatless snack or treat to share.)
May Crowning: May 11, 2025 10:15am (bring flowers and line up in vestibule). We will also sing the 9am Mass (arrive 8:45am) and the 11:15am prelude on May 11
Corpus Christi
(No classes May 16, May 23, June 6, or June 13)
Corpus Christi class/spring party during class: June 20, 2025
Corpus Christi procession: Jun. 22, 2025 1pm (line up at 12:55 behind back pew on St. Joseph side)
Children must be accompanied by a PARENT or ADULT guardian at all times while on the Basilica campus. This includes every visit to the restroom, the nursery, the parking lot, the sidewalk, and even walking to class and leaving class. Read policy here.
Adult volunteers must be certified under the Diocese's Safe Haven program.
A schola cantorum (i.e., “school of singers”) dedicated to the musical treasures of the Catholic Church, the Jubilate Deo Youth Schola was started during Lent of 2014 by a small group of families who desired that our children learn to sing the music of the Church. We began with a pilot project to learn the Gregorian chant, Regina Caeli, for Easter. During this project, the small group learned several songs, participated in two Basilica Masses, and sang at the May Crowning. The project was clearly worthwhile; thus, we decided to make it official. The Jubilate Deo Youth Schola joyfully resides at the beautiful Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and we welcome new members each year.
The Latin words “Jubilate Deo,” meaning give joy to God or shout joyfully to God, guide our efforts. Our mission is inspired by the long line of popes, from Pope St. Gregory the Great to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who have encouraged the preservation and singing of Gregorian chant and other truly sacred music in the Church universal throughout the centuries. Our name comes from the collection of chants entitled Jubilate Deo, which Pope Paul VI issued in 1974 as a personal gift to the Church, while encouraging that all the faithful make the effort to learn them. We aim to answer this call by discovering and embracing the chants from Jubilate Deo as our core repertoire and sharing them within our homes, our parish, and potentially other outreach venues, so that our families and the faithful in our community can know them, too. Beyond this core repertoire, we will continually adopt other beloved chants and songs in both English and Latin.
Initially, our focus is learning the essential skills of good unison singing of sacred music. As we grow and develop, we add harmony and sing classics by some of history’s great composers. We will eventually learn to sing sacred polyphony. Come join us as we embark on a journey to discover the musical treasures of the Catholic Church!
Jubilate Deo Youth Schola is open to girls and boys with unchanged voices in grades 2 - 12 who can read our song lyrics. Students with musical experience catch on more quickly; however, the essentials of singing the core songs are taught during the rehearsals. Younger, less experienced students can learn many of the songs by heart and will contribute to the group singing more as they increase their skills. Older, experienced students can make an immediate, valuable contribution to the group and will have the chance to study the music in-depth.
Much of the music we study is ancient and in the public domain, freely printable, and with free online recordings available to listen to, allowing us to minimize our costs. There is a small registration fee, currently $40 per child ($100 family cap), to participate in the youth schola each year. If this is a burden for your family, arrangements can be made for the parish to subsidize this fee. Additionally, we will sometimes recommend CD’s or other books that are worthwhile for you to purchase for home practice.
Participation in the Jubilate Deo Youth Schola is a musical enrichment experience closely integrated with the church. To browse our curriculum and other sacred music resources, and to see and listen to the songs in our repertory, simply download the information file shown below.
For more information or to register, click the Contact button below and send a message to the Schola Director, Maria Rist.
Our 2024-25 program will include in-person classes Fridays 4:45-5:45pm beginning October 4, 2024.
Register Here for Jubilate Deo Youth Schola and other Youth programs
Photo of Corpus Christi procession 2014 by Erin O. Smith
Photo of May Crowning 2015 by Michael Stradley
Photos in choir loft Passion Sunday and 125th Anniversary Mass 2015 by Stephen Golder
Photo on sanctuary steps September 2014 by Shannon Hinson
Photos of class in Varallo Hall and at Adoration on Sept. 4, 2015 by Fr. David Carter