The San Antonio Choral Society will fill the Chapel of the Incarnate Word with the sound of Handel's Messiah on Sunday, November 15, inviting the audience to sing along as part of its 12th Annual Charity Messiah, a fundraiser this year benefiting the Center for Refugee Services. The performance runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the historic chapel at 4503 Broadway, mixing professional soloists and orchestra with full-crowd participation on the Christmas portion of the oratorio.
The event, as detailed by CultureMap San Antonio, features soprano Megan Pachecano, mezzo-soprano Crystal Jarrell Johnson, tenor Anthony McCain, and bass Rob Saldaña, all performing under the direction of Artistic Director Jennifer Seighman. Tickets are priced at $30, and organizers note that details are subject to change due to weather or other concerns. Seighman holds a doctorate in sacred choral music from Catholic University of America and is leading the ensemble in her 16th season this year, according to the San Antonio Choral Society, having previously sung with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra before taking the podium in 2010.
The Choral Society itself carries deep roots in the city, founded in 1965 by Gwilym H. Isaac and marking its 60th anniversary during the 2024–2025 season, as reported by Texas Public Radio. Today it operates as a 100-voice auditioned community choir performing masterworks across the region. Each year the group designates a different local charity as beneficiary of a portion of ticket sales, a tradition that turned the 11th Annual Charity Messiah in November 2025 into the group's most successful fundraiser to date, benefiting ChildSafe, Bexar County's child abuse prevention center, per the choral society.
Why the Center for Refugee Services Needs the Boost
This year's designated beneficiary, the Center for Refugee Services, helps refugee children and families build new lives in San Antonio, and the timing of the concert lands amid mounting strain on the organization's resources. The nonprofit became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2010, growing out of a 2008 parent advocacy program launched by Communities In Schools of San Antonio to support refugee families in local public schools.
Operating without any direct government funding, the Center for Refugee Services now relies entirely on private grants and donations to support roughly 6,300 active clients, assisting between 30 and 50 people every day, according to Hoodline's earlier reporting on the organization. Before 2021, the center's caseload sat at around 900 people annually. That changed after thousands of Afghan refugees resettled in San Antonio following the August 2021 U.S. military withdrawal, dramatically expanding the population the center serves with English classes, maternity support, health referrals, and educational assistance.
The need has grown more urgent in recent weeks. The same reporting found that approximately 200 San Antonio refugee families lost federal SNAP food assistance in August due to administrative delays in processing their Lawful Permanent Resident green cards, after policy changes restricted noncitizen SNAP eligibility for refugees who do not yet hold physical green cards. Proceeds from the November sing-along are set to flow directly into an organization already stretched thin by that shortfall.
A Landmark Chapel With Its Own Preservation Story
The venue hosting the concert carries its own century-plus history. The Romanesque-style Chapel of the Incarnate Word was dedicated in May 1907 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and features stained-glass windows created by Emil Frei Studios in St. Louis, according to the Historical Marker Database. The chapel sits on Broadway near the headwaters of the San Antonio River.
In early 2025, the Sisters of Charity launched a $10 million fundraising campaign for major structural foundation repairs after severe Texas drought caused soil displacement and cracking throughout the 118-year-old landmark, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News. Initial stabilization work required installing 168 steel push piles beneath the structure. The chapel remains an active gathering place for the community even as that restoration effort continues.
For concertgoers, the November 15 event offers a chance to take part in a decades-old holiday tradition while supporting a local nonprofit navigating a difficult funding moment. Tickets are available through the San Antonio Choral Society ahead of the 2 p.m. performance.
