Joncas to speak at Dec. 2 Christmas luncheon
University of St. Thomas alumni, family and friends gather each year for a holiday season luncheon in St. Paul. This year, the event will combine the annual Alumni Christmas Luncheon and the St. Thomas Alumni Association’s monthly First Friday Luncheon.
Father Jan Michael Joncas, a 1978 St. Thomas alumnus, professor, author and internationally known composer and musician, will speak on “The Art of Christmas” at the event, which will be held Friday, Dec. 2, at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd. An 11 a.m. reception precedes the noon luncheon.
With an artistic and theological eye, Joncas will interpret the meaning of the Incarnation by sharing various forms of art, including icons, poems and songs.
An associate professor of theology and Catholic studies at St. Thomas, Joncas is the author of three books and more than 100 articles. He has composed and arranged more than 200 pieces of liturgical music. He also has served as a parish priest and a campus minister.
An octet from St. Thomas’ Liturgical Choir also will sing at the luncheon. The choir, which sings at Sunday Masses in the university’s Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, has made eight international tours and was the recording choir for many of Joncas’ early collections published by the Gregorian Institute of America.
A CD collection of Joncas’ Advent songs will be available for purchase after the luncheon.
St. Thomas alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends, along with the general public, are invited. Cost of each luncheon and presentation is $25. A limited number of $10 student tickets are available at the St. Thomas Box Office.
Reservations for the Dec. 2 luncheon are due Wednesday, Nov. 23. Early reservations are recommended as these events fill quickly. For nonstudent reservations and more information, call the St. Thomas Alumni Association, (651) 962-6430, or register online via the Alumni Association’s Web site.
