Music
Archbishop James P. Lyke Memorial Mass Choir
The Archbishop James P. Lyke Memorial Mass Choir in performance at the "Let the Church Sing Amen" Ecumenical Choir Festival, held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on June 30, 2002
The Archdiocesan Choir was founded in 1992 under the leadership of the late Alphonso O. Nuckles and the sponsorship of the Secretariat for Black Catholic Ministry. The choir consists of singers and musicians from several parishes within the Archdiocese. The choir participates in many special Archdiocesan liturgies, conferences, and services. The purpose of the choir was and is to promote the integration of appropriate traditional and cultural aspects of Black African-American music into the celebration of the Roman Catholic Mass.
In 1994, the directorship of the choir was taken over by Jack Tilson and the group continued to grow in its music ministry. As a tribute to the late Archbishop James P. Lyke for his continuous support, the choir changed its name to the Archbishop James P. Lyke Memorial Mass Choir.
Dr. Kevin Johnson became director of the choir in 2000. Dr. Johnson is an assistant professor of music and Chair of the Department of Music at Spelman College and Choir Director of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Dr. Johnson is a member of the American Society of Composers and Publishers as well as an active member of the American Choral Directors Association.
It is the hope of the Archbishop James P. Lyke Memorial Mass Choir that its music will give all Christians a greater awareness of the contributions of African-Americans to the music ministry of the Roman Catholic Church. The intent is to promote Archbishop Lyke ’s strong message of inclusion and the universality of faith.
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Ecumenical Choir Festival
The "Let the Church Sing Amen" Ecumenical Choir festival is an inter-parish planned and executed praise and worship event.
At the 2002 debut of this Choir Festival, nine choirs were successfully recruited for participation in the event including three Catholic choirs and six Protestant choirs. The venue for the last two festivals was the Ebenezer Baptist church, Dr. King's church. There were over 1200 in attendees.
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