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<p>Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm performed.</p>
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<p>A Swedish youth choir marked the feast of St. Lucy by singing at a Mass at the Vatican on Thursday, Dec. 11.</p>
<p>Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm performed traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of the Italian saint’s Dec. 13 feast day.</p>
<div class="embed-block"><img alt="Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News" class="img-fluid" src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/st.-lucia-19.jpg"/></p>
<p class="embed-block__description">Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. | Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News</p>
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<p>“It was just really amazing” singing in St. Peter’s Basilica, choir member Alfio Tota told EWTN News after the Dec. 11 Mass. “It’s so enormous … And the acoustics are very interesting.”</p>
<p>The student recalled that though Sweden is a very secular country, the tradition of St. Lucia, as they call her, is quite strong.</p>
<div class="embed-block"><img alt="Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News" class="img-fluid" src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/st.-lucia-09.jpg"/></p>
<p class="embed-block__description">Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. | Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News</p>
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<p>“I think everyone feels quite a lot of joy and nostalgia in singing” the St. Lucy hymns, he said.</p>
<p>Choir member Fabienne Glader told EWTN News that she always spends the feast of St. Lucy with her family.</p>
<div class="embed-block"><img alt="Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News" class="img-fluid" src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/st.-lucia-14.jpg"/></p>
<p class="embed-block__description">Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. | Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News</p>
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<p>St. Lucy “shows courage and patience and just to never [give up] on yourself,” Glader said. “Even if you’re not really religious in any way, you can look up to her as just a wonderful person.”</p>
<p>The choir’s conductor, Casimir Käfling, said as a Christian, the tradition of St. Lucy was always part of Christmas for his family.</p>
<div class="embed-block"><img alt="Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News" class="img-fluid" src="https://admin.catholicnewsagency.com/images/st.-lucia-15.jpg"/></p>
<p class="embed-block__description">Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News</p>
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<p>He called it “an incredible honor to be able to sing and conduct” her songs in St. Peter’s Basilica.</p>
<p>Käfling also recalled the darkness Sweden experiences during the winter, especially in the month of December, and said St. Lucy brings light into that darkness.</p>
<p>Tota said, “The story of St. Lucy really plays with these contrasts of light and dark, and most importantly, hope and despair.”</p>
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<br /><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/swedish-choir-honors-st-lucy-with-songs-in-st-peter-s-basilica">Source link </a></p>
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