American Federation Pueri Cantores
PROGRAMS
2026 Pueri Cantores Regional Youth Choral Festivals
Each year, Pueri Cantores organizes choral festivals and Masses for thousands of children and youth from Catholic School and parish youth choirs in grades 4-12. In 2026, AFPC has organized 18 Festivals in different locations throughout the U.S.: https://www.pcchoirs.org/2026-pueri-cantores-festival-season At each Festival, hundreds of students from different Catholic schools, homeschools, and parishes unite as one combined choir to rehearse and sing for their Festival & Mass. The young singers are led by a nationally recognized Catholic conductor who engages and inspires the gathered choristers, bringing the sacred music to life in Cathedrals and architecturally inspiring churches throughout the country. The entire festival day lasts 7 hours with ample rehearsal time, lunch/snack breaks, and opportunities for children to interact with their peers. The Festival culminates with the host church’s Vigil Mass, where the singers’ families, friends, and congregation experience the transformational effect of hearing the combined young voices perform beautiful sacred music, in addition to some of the choirs performing pieces with their own choir individually during the Prelude. AFPC champions a choral repertoire which represents some of the finest Roman Catholic Church sacred music in history and the current age, from Gregorian chant and polyphony, to hymnody and sacred choral works of the present. AFPC provides the majority of the festival repertoire at no cost to our participating choirs, through our own Public Domain Choral Series, and through agreements with music publishers. We also have a music scholarship fund which allows us to cover the cost of festival music for students from impoverished communities or low-income households. In addition, we produce and provide no-cost rehearsal recordings of the Festival choral repertoire, bringing an essential teaching component directly into the classroom or parish rehearsal hall. We are committed to making these important choral works low-cost and accessible for young people. While the festival might seem like a one-day event, prior to the actual festival day, choir directors and music teachers spend months rehearsing the Festival repertoire with their school or church choirs in preparation for the day. For many choirs, their local Pueri Cantores Festival has become a staple in their choral programs and events, and the singers eagerly look forward to participating every year. The Festival repertoire is practical, accessible, and intentionally selected so that the music is usable beyond the festival day and can be incorporated into a choir's own repertoire programming for concerts, liturgies, and special performances.
These regional Festivals provide a unique opportunity to educate and engage these young singers in their faith and in the arts. While the mission of Pueri Cantores is artistic and cultural its preeminent purpose is one of evangelization. As has been documented most recently by the Pew Research Center's 2018 and 2019 surveys, young people are leaving the Catholic Church at an alarming rate, creating a generation of people more and more disconnected from Christ and the Church. Participation in AFPC festivals help keep the youth engaged in their Catholic faith. Singing in a choir with several hundred other voices, in a magnificent Cathedral building, accompanied by a masterful organist, led prayer by the local Cardinal or Bishop - these are the experiences that excite young Catholics and open their eyes to the beauty of our worship. For many of these students– and through them their families and communities – the exposure to sacred music when shared with others their age re-awakens in them an awareness of the Divine and, not infrequently, a renaissance of faith. The profound and transformational festival/liturgical experience reinforces the beauty of the Mass and the value of worship and encourages students to use their voices to give back to the Church and share the Word of God with others.
Participating singer in the 2026 Northern California Festival, Kaitlyn Brown, age 16, shared “I enjoyed the festival because I got to meet so many new people from schools both far and near. It was so fulfilling to finally hear everyone singing together the sacred songs that we all learned separately with our own choirs.” When asked what she likes about singing and being in choir, she said “It brings out the best in people. Being in my choir, it feels like we are all family. It also helps me stay on track and be productive in my academics and day-to-day life.” Andy Rubin, age 12, said he feels closer to God when he sings and “since we sing about God a lot of the time, I learn more about the meaning of the songs we sing to glorify Him. I feel [the songs] in my heart and I share my Catholic faith with my family and friends.”
2026 AFPC-NCEA Webinar Series
AFPC has a 10-year-long partnership with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) which allows us to reach all 6,000 nationwide Catholic Schools and their principals, music teachers, and choir directors. AFPC is a primary resource to Catholic School curriculum by supporting the "Religion" and "Arts" component of NCEA's STREAM educational initiative through the offering of professional development opportunities, three annual sacred music pedagogy webinars, and other free music resources. AFPC has hosted 28 webinars with NCEA over the past 10 years, and these AFPC-sponsored webinars are NCEA's best-attended webinars- reaching 300-400 music educators per webinar-reaffirming the need for the information AFPC is uniquely providing. In spring of 2026, we are offering our next 3-part webinar series entitled: "Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs: Rubrics, Repertory, and Rehearsals for Children's Choirs and Liturgy" A three-part webinar series for Conductors of Catholic Student Choirs, Worship Leaders, and Classroom Teachers, Elementary through High School St Paul urges us to “encourage one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with hearts full of thankfulness to God” (Colossians 3:16). In this 3-pard webinar series we will examine each of these categories through the lenses of useful repertory for children’s and youth choirs, rehearsal strategies and pedagogy, and liturgical use at children’s liturgies and school masses.
These webinars aim to equip Catholic school educators, choir directors, and music leaders with practical skills, deeper liturgical understanding, and confidence and competency in music pedagogy to effectively lead children’s and youth music programs. Through these sessions, educators gain practical strategies and tools they can immediately implement, with the majority of participants reporting improved rehearsal effectiveness, stronger student participation, and enhanced integration of music within school and parish liturgies.
CONTACT
American Federation Pueri Cantores
1188 N. Tustin St.
Orange, California 92867
Kathleen Prina
Phone: 714-633-7554