Welcome

"This is the task: in the darkest night to be certain of the dawn, certain of the power to turn a curse into a blessing, agony into song. To know the monster's rage and, in spite of it, proclaim to its face (even a monster will be transfigured into an angel); to go through Hell and to continue to trust in the goodness of God-this is the challenge and the way."
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

In 2001, Rev. Michael J. O'Connell, Rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, commissioned a sacred Holocaust memorial oratorio, to be rooted in themes and subjects of mutual interest to the Jewish and Christian faith communities the world premiere was at the Basilica of Saint Mary in November 2005.

Partnering with Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman and Temple Israel (Minneapolis, Minnesota), the piece celebrated two important anniversaries: the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the death camps at the end of World War II and the 40th anniversary of the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate (Latin for "In Our Times"), which condemned blaming Jews for the death of Christ. The world premiere was also within a week of the annual commemoration of Kristallnacht, the beginning of open hostility to Jews in Germany.

Created by composer Stephen Paulus and librettist Michael Dennis Browne, To Be Certain of the Dawn is a stirring and deeply moving piece. It pays tribute to the six million Jews where were murdered during the Holocaust, and honors Holocaust survivors and their descendants. It also invites us all to dedicate our selves again and again to pray for and work for peace and mutual understanding. The power of music and the creative spirit perfectly carries messages of healing and of hope.

Fr. O'Connell shares, "The faces and voices of the children's choir and the words of the oratorio reminds us that history's future is always about what we teach our children about love and hate, especially by our own example. It helps us understand that 2,000 years of Christians teaching and preaching contempt against Jews has wrought devastating effects. The Holocaust, the Shoah, could never have happened without this Christian history. It is also intended to be a challenge, especially to children of the 21st century, to not discriminate anyone because of their beliefs, ethnicity or color."