Swedish choir honors St. Lucy with songs in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica A Swedish youth choir marked the feast of St. Lucy by singing at a Mass at the Vatican on Thursday, Dec. 11. Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet \u2014 The Nordic Music High School \u2014 in Stockholm performed traditional Swedish \u201cLucia songs\u201d during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica ahead of the Italian saint\u2019s Dec. 13 feast day. \u201cIt was just really amazing\u201d singing in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica, choir member Alfio Tota told EWTN News after the Dec. 11 Mass. \u201cIt\u2019s so enormous \u2026 And the acoustics are very interesting.\u201d The student recalled that though Sweden is a very secular country, the tradition of St. Lucia, as they call her, is quite strong. \u201cI think everyone feels quite a lot of joy and nostalgia in singing\u201d the St. Lucy hymns, he said. Choir member Fabienne Glader told EWTN News that she always spends the feast of St. Lucy with her family. St. Lucy \u201cshows courage and patience and just to never [give up] on yourself,\u201d Glader said. \u201cEven if you\u2019re not really religious in any way, you can look up to her as just a wonderful person.\u201d The choir\u2019s conductor, Casimir K\u00e4fling, said as a Christian, the tradition of St. Lucy was always part of Christmas for his family. He called it \u201can incredible honor to be able to sing and conduct\u201d her songs in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica. K\u00e4fling also recalled the darkness Sweden experiences during the winter, especially in the month of December, and said St. Lucy brings light into that darkness. \u201cThe story of St. Lucy really plays with these contrasts of light and dark, and most importantly, hope and despair,\u201d Tota said. This article was originally published by CNA. B\u00e9n\u00e9dicte Cedergren contributed to this report. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Hannah Brockhaus Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article Benedict XVI\u2019s final resting place decided: He will be buried in Vatican crypt Women Developing an Interreligious Network Pope Accepts Resignation Of Bishop Investigated For Ordinations With Pre-Vatican II Rite Cardinal Parolin: Europe Must Rediscover Itself to Face Major Challenges Here\u2019s what Pope Francis said in his \u201860 Minutes\u2019 interview \u2018Charity doesn\u2019t go on vacation\u2019: Pope Leo XIV sends food to families in Ukraine<\/p>\n