Just about 300 persons rocked, stomped, sang and swayed at a January 8 benefit concert for the building of a parish church for the newest Catholic parish in Barbados , Sacred Heart in St Philip.

The concert, which was held at St Patrick's Cathedral, Bridgetown , featured performances by parish choirs and soloists. St Dominic's, Christ Church, parish choir, Our Lady Queen of the Universe choir, St Patrick's Cathedral parish choir and Chantez , a group which also ministers at the Cathedral's weekend liturgy, each lent their varied sounds to the evening.

From vibrant sing-a-long pieces that favoured clapping and stamping, to pieces that elicited elated silences, music-lovers hardly daring to breathe for fear of missing the sweetness of that delicate, elusive note.

Like those produced soloist Alex Santoriello. The sweet ease with which he dominated the performance space, during a technically brilliant delivery of the Ave Maria and a joint piece with St Dominic's choir, riveted every gaze to his simple gestures, leaving listeners spellbound even after his graceful departure.

Cavite Chorale, a group of past and present university students under the musical direction of Stephen Brathwaite, were equally guilty of drawing audiences into their soft, graceful world, their sharp, split-timed, a cappella performances leaving the audience begging.

At the very end of the programme, in answer to a request by master of ceremonies and Cathedral administrator, Fr Harcourt Blackett, they performed an impromptu final piece respectfully from the back of the Cathedral. Sadly, this hardly satisfied the musical hunger they had stirred in their listeners.

Brian Cole is a familiar face to many in the Charismatic renewal in Barbados , as the leader of Our Lady, Queen of Peace Prayer Group's music ministry. His comfortable presence and stirring performance helped the gathering make that transition from “viewing audience” to “people of praise”.

Host choir, Sacred Heart, performed Garth Hewitt's Light a Candle in the Darkness , and the early eighties youth ministry favourite, Too Much Hurt and Frustration by Paul Mulrain, more popularly known as “Youthquake”.

Sacred Heart guitarist and vocalist, Leon LeFebvre's, rendition of O Holy Night in French was a fresh, novel approach to a devotional favourite. DeVere Sealy, also from Sacred Heart, offered a different type of performance with a Christmas carol medley on harmonica. The choir's closing gospel Like a Rock , led by LeFebvre, allowed the audience the opportunity to rock, stomp and hum, remembering the God to whom this metaphorical rock is likened.

“This was more than we expected,” said committee member, Marina Dumas-Toppin, after the last note had been rendered. “My heart is full to overflowing. It was just a wonderful night!”

The Sacred Heart parish is located in St Philip, in the east of Barbados , and celebrated their second anniversary in June 2004. There is no church building, so Sunday Mass is held at Beulah Methodist Church , Six Roads.

A plot of land has been promised to the parish, so parishioners have embarked on various fund-raising activities toward building a church. These have included selling breakfast items twice monthly at Brighton Farmer's Market, St George, and encouraging parishioners to save 50 cents a day and turning in the total at the end of the year.

“We are grateful to the Methodist community for their assistance,” writes the committee, in a release at the back of the concert's programme, “However, our greatest desire is to have our own home.”

If you would like to help this parish community fund their “own home”, please contact parish priest, Fr Harcourt Blackett, St Patrick's Cathedral, Bridgetown , Barbados .