Anthem of Peace by Rostetter Szilveszter is presented by Vox Mirabilis Chamber Choir
The Pueri Cantores movement dates back to the early 20th century, when a group of university students led by Pierre Martin and Paul Bertier founded a boys’ choir („manécanterie”) in Paris called „the little singers of the cross.” Thanks to Father Fernand Maillet, from 1924 onwards this choir took part in numerous concert tours in America, Asia, Africa and Europe to promote peace through their singing, particularly in Europe, which was suffering from the tragic consequences of World War I. After World War II, the movement took on an international dimension. In November 1944, a concert was held at the Church of St. Eustache in Paris with the participation of more than 300 „little singers,” featuring Gregorian chants as well as choral works by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Johann Sebastian Bach. This concert marked the beginning of the international activities of Pueri Cantores.
The movement’s first international congress took place in Paris in 1947, with 90 choirs participating from France, Tunisia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and Switzerland. After the congress, the federation was approved by the French Bishops’ Conference (Conférence des évêques de France, CEF) as a „Catholic Action (Actio Catholica)” in church music. Following the first world choir meeting in Rome in April 1949, Father Fernand Maillet received a letter of encouragement from Pope Pius XII. The The International Federation of Pueri Cantores was officially founded in Paris in April 1950, when delegates from 38 countries voted to establish the federation and adopted its statutes. Cardinal Montini, Deputy Secretary of State of the Vatican, approved the statutes of the International Federation of Pueri Cantores in April 1951. On January 31, 1996, the Holy See granted the international federation the status of an International Association of the Faithful. Its headquarters are in the Vatican. Today, the International Federation of Pueri Cantores, under the same name, belongs to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.
The main goal of the international federation is to promote peace and reconciliation between nations through the language of song. It holds international choir congresses every two years, which have been held in Paris, Cologne, Lourdes, London, Tokyo, Vienna, Brussels, Maastricht, Salamanca, Montreal, Salzburg, Barcelona, Krakow, Stockholm, and Rome, among other cities. The international federation has more than 1,000 choirs and over 40,000 singers from more than 30 countries as members. Its patron saint is St. Dominic Savio.
Hungary’s participation in the Pueri Cantores movement began in 2012, when the choir of the John Paul II Institute of Church Music in Krakow visited Székesfehérvár and Veszprém. In the following years, Hungarian Catholic youth choirs from Kecskemét, Székesfehérvár, and Veszprém participated in Polish and Austrian Pueri Cantores events. Hungary’s international integration accelerated when the Archdiocese of Veszprém, with the support of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture program, organized a Catholic youth choir congress in 2023 under the theme of Pueri Cantores. The congress was attended by the President of the International Federation of Pueri Cantores, as well as guest choirs from Poland and Austria. As a result, the process of organizing the Hungarian federation, drafting its statutes, obtaining approval from the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and joining the international federation was launched.
On January 30, 2025, the inaugural general assembly voted to establish the Hungarian association and adopted its statutes. The association’s statutes and its establishment as an internal ecclesiastical legal entity were approved by the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and registered by the Prime Minister’s Office on April 2, 2025, under registration number 00001/2012-164.
International choir congress in the spirit of Pueri Cantores – Gala concert, Veszprém 2023
