Currents News Staff
This is the choir of altar boys of Huancavelica, which consists of 50 children from various provinces in Peru. They are known for singing carols in Quechua, the ancestral language of the Incas, also known as the Gregorian chant of the Andes.
Every year they make a music video with the goal of recovering the traditional songs passed down since Christianity was introduced in the country.
“Pope Francis told us, ‘Do not forget you roots.’ That’s very important. We try to recover our past and share it with future generations, which are children,” said Father Carlos Lopez from the Diocese of Huancavelica.
The project was launched in 2016 when they published their first video. Their repertoire currently includes six Christmas carols in Quechua. This year they will sing at the unveiling of the Nativity scene at the Vatican on Dec. 10. But because of the pandemic, they will have to participate virtually from Peru, without traveling to Rome.
“We want to communicate the wealth of Huancavelica, in Chopcca, in Peru, and make it known from the heart of the Church, which is the Vatican,” said Father Lopez.
Father Lopez hopes that everyone can appreciate the cultural richness of Peru and show how traditional cultures continue being important tools for evangelization.