American Federation Pueri Cantores

Encounters with sacred music can have a profound, transformational and lasting impact on the lives of young people. By bringing Catholic youth together to sing beautiful music from the Church's rich historical repertoire, the American Federation Pueri Cantores provides a unique opportunity to educate and engage these young singers in their faith and in the arts. In addition, Pueri Cantores offers resources and educational opportunities to conductors to assist with their knowledge and training.

The International Federation of Pueri Cantores, meaning “young singers,” arose from a divine calling to evangelize and serve. Founded in 1907 and quickly spread throughout Europe, our earliest mission was to bring joy and God’s peace to villages ravaged by World War I. These choirs of children singers spread faith and healing through sacred music. Today, there are national federations in 32 countries representing 70,000 young singers worldwide. Approved by every Pope since Pope Pius XII, the International Federation is the official student choral organization of the Catholic Church. In addition to performing in festivals in their home countries, nearly 5,000 singers gather in Rome on World Peace Day every five years to perform at a Papal Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. More than 1,000 Pueri Cantores singers and their families traveled to Rome December2023-January 2024 for the 44th Pueri Cantores International Congress! This extraordinary week-long celebration is part pilgrimage and part choral festival that traditionally occurs every five years, bringing together Pueri Cantores choirs from around the world to participate in many thrilling liturgies and concerts. The Congress culminates with thousands of Pueri Cantores choristers singing for the Papal Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on January 1st with the Holy Father presiding. It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime event for our young people and a huge triumph for the Church! The next Congress will take place December 2028-January 2029.

The American Federation of Pueri Cantores [AFPC], established in 1953, is a certified 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Orange, California with small staff, an all-volunteer board, and modest overhead. Our mission centers around educating, evangelizing, and catechizing young singers across the U.S through the medium of sacred music, aiding them in growing their faith and rooting them ever deeper to the Church. One of the main ways AFPC carries out our mission is through 18 annual Festivals for Catholic School and parish youth choirs (grades 4-12) in different locations across the country. Since 2003, AFPC has organized more than 220 regional festivals across the country, involving thousands of young Catholic singers in grade 4-12 from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses. In the 2026 Festival Season, over 3,000 young people across 66 archdioceses and dioceses participated- a record number for the American Federation of Pueri Cantores. Our outreach continues to grow, and we plan to expand by offering 20 Festivals in 2027.

Through our partnership with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), AFPC also offers free resources and professional development opportunities, including 3 annual pedagogic webinars to music teachers, choir directors, and worship leaders of Catholic Schools and Churches.

AFPC's primary mission is one of evangelization. Today's young people in our Catholic Schools are the future leaders of our Church. In order to keep these young students engaged in their Catholic faith -today and for years to come- we must nourish their souls and wellbeing through enriching experiences within the Church. Participation in Pueri Cantores helps build the foundation of a child's Catholic Identity, spread the teachings of the Catholic faith, and creates long-lasting relationships with the Church. Many of AFPC's alumni singers go on to pursue vocations within the Church.

In addition to promoting individual faith formation among youth, the festival experience also encourages them to become strong, moral leaders and exceptional students. Studies show that children engaged in music outperform their peers on every indicator: grade-point average, graduation rate, SAT scores (31 points above average in reading, 23 points in math, and 31 points higher in writing), class attendance, and discipline referrals. AFPC is investing in the future of children by providing much- needed music education opportunities and promoting choral excellence and evangelization in Catholic Schools.

A major goal of the regional annual festivals is to introduce young singers to the power and beauty of sacred music. Exposure to this type of music helps to elevate music education and choral excellence in Catholic Schools and can also be used in a choir’s own parish and school liturgies, concerts, and special performances. The festivals also provide the opportunity for singers to have the unique experience of being a part of a large combined choir, learn new music, and work with a skilled conductor. “I’ve learned so many new songs because of Pueri Cantores, and learning some pieces in Latin and Spanish has been challenging but also really rewarding. I don’t often get to sing with such a huge choir, and the way our voices come together on the festival day is just beautiful. Our conductor really brought out the best in us and I took away some new singing techniques from him too.” -Amelia, age 16

The gift of music, singing, and being in a choir enriches our lives in a myriad of ways. Not only is it a means to communicate, express our feelings, nourish our souls and wellbeing, and foster inclusion, friendship, and community, but it’s also an outlet to express creativity and experience beauty. “I have always loved Pueri Cantores because getting into choir at a young age and then participating in the annual festival took me from an enthusiastic but misguided singer into a developing soprano. It helps keep me grounded amid my other music lessons and remain focused on my faith. I feel really lucky to be in choir and share what I love with my friends.” – Asher, age 13

After a tumultuous few years due to COVID, we're thrilled to say that AFPC is finally graduating from a state of survival and moving toward a state of thriving. We are seeing a resurgence in the appreciation of sacred music, and young people are returning to choir with enthusiasm and a new-found appreciation for singing and being a part of a community. This year we added two new festival locations to our 2026 Festival Season, organizing a total of 18 regional festivals that spanned the county- from Orange County to Houston to Boston. More than 3,000 young singers from 200 different Catholic Schools and parishes across 66 archdioceses and dioceses participated in a Pueri Cantores Festival. Our goal to expand our services, festivals, and resources and reach more young people and educators across the U.S is becoming a reality!

Our objective is to increase the number of Festivals each year. Our hope is to eventually grow national participation to 10,000 singers which equals 1% of the 1 million students in U.S. Catholic schools in grades 4-12. It is also our mission to include outreach to rural and under-served populations. In this regard AFPC successfully organized an inaugural rural festival in Omaha, NE, in 2026, reaching farm communities in a 100-mile radius, and we look to partner with other dioceses in rural and underserved locations for 2027 and beyond.

Finally, we continue our partnership with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) to continue to be a primary resource for all 6,000 U.S. Catholic Schools by supporting the “Religion” and “Arts” component of the STREAM educational initiative and offering professional development opportunities, webinars, training, and free resources to music teachers, choir directors, and music educators.

AFPC's most pressing need is support of our annual budget. Our expenses for 2025-26 is $302,273, one half of which is designated for festival and program expenses. The AFPC currently has one full-time employee and the need to bring on additional support staff is critical, especially with the growth we are experiencing.

It is AFPC’s hope to triple the number of Festival Masses over the next five years, increasing our budget to $726,900. This increased budget would enable us a) to enhance our staffing, b) to develop further our outreach to schools and parishes across the nation, c) to strengthen our communications and media coverage, and d) to organize and sustain effective fundraising campaigns. The expanded budget would also include closer programmatic collaboration with the National Catholic Educational Association and other, new partners interested in supporting our mission.

Orange County and nationally.