By Julie Kozaili
Our Lady of Lebanon Choir Director
Lombard – Chicago, IL
A Word of Appreciation:
When we come to church on a regular Sunday or some other occasion, we hear the choir sing different hymns throughout the year, the majority of which change from one week to another. But many of us ignore a crucial aspect that goes into making this possible; our organist for over twenty years, Richard Wozniak, helps make it all happen. Richard started with the choir of Our Lady of Lebanon Church from the very beginning, when the choir size fluctuated between one person and just a few, and has seen it grow, little by little to what it has become today. Richard was always there, teaching people new songs, to the best of his ability, considering most of the hymns are in Arabic and Richard does not know any Arabic! Richard is even ready to and can fill in and sing those hymns granted they are written in phonetics. The biggest appreciation though goes to the fact that Richard is always ready to take on new hymns, always flexible with the need of the church for change. Msgr. Alfred may give Richard the notes for a song, but Richard is the one who takes it, perfects it, adds to it, and makes it agreeable to hear as well as easier to sing for the choir. The choir director and the choir cannot perform in a comfortable and professional way without proper accompaniment. Therefore, we would like to thank Richard for his great dedication, first to our choir and second, to our church. His work and commitment is greatly appreciated and felt every step of the way in keeping with our Maronite values and upholding our traditions. May God bless him and keep him in good health.
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