Priest and teacher display singing talents in benefit concert for school

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Father Michael Magiera and high school teacher Ann Lewis perform together during a benefit for Lumen Christi Catholic School in Indianapolis on Oct. 7. (Submitted photo)

By Maureen Collins and Joseph Perry (Special to The Criterion)

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Father Michael Magiera and high school teacher Ann Lewis aren’t usually recognized for their singing, but the two classically trained vocalists recently returned to the stage in a benefit for Catholic education.

The priest and the teacher performed together on Oct. 7 during one of the events marking the 100th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Indianapolis. The performance benefited Lumen Christi Catholic School, a private, independent K-12 school at 580 Stevens St. in Indianapolis.

Now the associate pastor of Holy Rosary Parish, Father Magiera is a graduate of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts who began his career as an opera singer in 1976 with the Philadelphia Singers. Later in his career, he sang at German and Swiss theaters, and was a European finalist for the International Luciano Pavarotti Competition.

During the concert, Father Magiera sang works from operas, musicals and oratorios. One piece was particularly special to him. He performed a version of the Salve Regina that was composed by an anonymous Holy Rosary parishioner.

A teacher at Lumen Christi Catholic School, Lewis didn’t discover her talent for singing until she was 26 while attending a chorus audition in New Jersey with her sister. The director said she had a gifted voice.

“He told me, ‘You’ve got pipes so you’d better use them,’ ” she recalled before the concert.

After the concert, she said she enjoyed sharing the stage with Father Magiera.

“[Performing with him] definitely made me raise my game,” she said.

The two singers performed beautifully together, especially in the Domine Deus duet from Bach’s B minor Mass. But most notable was Lewis’s solo performance of “Till There Was You” from the Broadway musical The Music Man, which she chose to sing for her husband, Joseph.

The concert was part of the Holy Rosary Centennial Celebration, celebrating 100 years of the Italian parish in the archdiocese.

“This evening, we honor the glory of God. At the same time, we dedicate this concert to the countless past and present members of Holy Rosary,” said Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general of the archdiocese, pastor of Holy Rosary Parish and the emcee of the Centennial Celebration festivities.

The event took place at the Basile Opera Center on the north side of Indianapolis. More than 350 people attended the concert. The evening also included an Italian dinner and a silent auction.

“There is no question [that the event was successful] from a financial standpoint,” said Stephen Noone, the principal of Lumen Christi Catholic School. He said the event reached its goal of raising $70,000.

Recordings of the concert can be purchased by calling Marie Mascari at Lumen Christi Catholic School at 317-632-3174.

(Maureen Collins and Joseph Perry are high school seniors at Lumen Christi Catholic School in Indianapolis.) †