As an alumnus of the Choir School I was happy to have a chance to show Fr. Wallace Saint James the Less during our summer camp in 2010. And I was thrilled when he suggested that the boys from Saint Thomas should come to Philadelphia to help us raise money for the school in a benefit concert on March 11. Those of us who can witness to the impact of the Choir School in our lives know how invaluable those formative years are to our sense of personhood, the expansiveness of our dreams, and to our faith in God. The Choir School experience is unique and not easily replicated. But the transforming power of God's love, experienced in a church and in a school, is a flame that can be kindled wherever God's people care enough to bring kindling, to ignite it, shelter it, and fan it with oxygen.

Starting this school is a demanding project of faith and commitment, made all the more so, because tuition will not be a meaningful source of income in our school, and we will rely on the support of people who believe in this work to help make it happen – at a cost of at least $16,000 per student to begin with. The concert given by the boys of Saint Thomas at Saint Mark's on March 11 will be the first major fund-raising event for the school. We hope you'll join us on that evening and in our journey to make this work happen. For more information, please visit www.stjamesphila.org