The Diocese of Pittsburgh, though based in a large city, has many small churches in rural areas of southwestern Pennsylvania with no music program. To help bring music to those congregations, a group of volunteer chorists, called the Cantate Usquam Pilgrim Singers, will travel to sing during weekend worship services for free.
“I think music is an incredibly important part of worship because it can help support the lessons of the week. …It adds a different kind of vibrancy to the text,” Michael Salmon, Cantate Usquam’s founder, told Episcopal News Service. “There’s an extraordinary feeling when it comes to singing together.”
Salmon, a parishioner and singer at Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, said he was inspired to form a traveling church choir after learning about a similar ministry in England. Cantate Usquam, meaning “singing anywhere” in Latin, was founded in December 2024 and has already served multiple churches throughout the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The choir also has served nearby Presbyterian and Lutheran churches. To read more, click here
