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The Amazing Grace Gospel Choir
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11 February 2010
Concert for Black History Month Raises Haiti Funds, February 11, 2010
On February 11 th, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See organized a gospel concert in honor of African-American History Month featuring the Amazing Grace Gospel Choir, directed by Maestro Timothy Martin. Following the tragic events in Haiti in January, the U.S. Embassy used the concert as an opportunity to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake. Caritas, the Catholic Church’s international relief and development organization, accepted the donations to support its ongoing emergency assistance, such as the provision of food, water, shelter and other basic needs, to Haitians affected by the earthquake. The concert drew a crowd of more than 400 people, including Vatican officials, diplomats, journalists, and members of religious congregations, filling the Basilica of Sant’Antonio da Padova in Rome to full capacity.
The Haitian Ambassador to the Holy See, Carl-Henri Guiteau, was on hand and warmly greeted Ambassador Díaz as the event came to a close. He thanked attendees for the show of solidarity with the Haitian people. “Linking Martin Luther King, Jr. and the month dedicated to African-Americans is a powerful symbol of solidarity of the American nation with the Haitian people,” he said.
“I thank especially my colleague, your Ambassador to the Holy See, [Miguel Díaz], who from the very first day after the earthquake, was by Haiti’s side,” Ambassador Guiteau added.
The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See thanks Maestro Timothy Martin and the Amazing Grace Gospel Choir for their generosity in donating their performance for Black History Month and to support this solemn cause. The Embassy expresses its thanks to the Antonianum Pontifical University for its great hospitality and cooperation in offering to host the event within their place of worship.
