Romantics in search of a Valentine's Day gift can turn to the upcoming fundraising event at Paroisse Saint-Joseph in Saint-Lazare to delight their loved one.  A candlelight concert will be held on Friday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the heart of the church at 1980 Chemin Sainte-Angélique. 

The Cupid Concert will feature a string quartet that has been touring churches across the province for the past 20 years, offering emotionally-charged evenings. 

On its website, the group describes the show as follows:

Under the romantic glow of candlelight, an exceptional concert celebrating Valentine's Day comes to life, featuring a talented string quartet. In this week dedicated to love, the atmosphere is tinged with soft magic in a hushed ambience.

Carefully selected, the repertoire enchants the ardors by highlighting the sweetness and harmony of melodies imbued with passion and emotion.

We celebrate love in all its nuances through a musical journey of attractive pieces. Candles, symbols of affection and warmth, create an intimate and enchanting atmosphere, where the perfect symbiosis of visual and auditory art reaches its apogee. And hearts intertwine in unison with music, thanks to the Ambitus quartet's perfect mastery of the art. 

On this day of love, this charming concert becomes a musical declaration of affection, paying tribute to the power and beauty of the emotions that unite souls.

The evening's program includes songs by Barbara Streisand, Édith Piaf, Un homme et son péché, Unchained Mélody, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel and many more.

A benefit evening for the Parish 

Tickets are already on sale for $35 per adult and $25 per child.Tickets will also be available at the door that evening, at a cost of $45 per adult and $30 per child. All proceeds from the evening will go towards preserving the Saint-Lazare church. 

" Since last July, we've been running fundraising campaigns for the Cedars and Saint-Lazare churches. Over the next few years, we'll be holding a number of activities to raise the money we need to maintain these churches, which are less and less frequented.For the Saint-Lazare church, the government will oblige us, in about a year and a half, to change our oil-fired heating system for an electric one. Simply removing the oil tank, which is buried in the ground, will cost us $30,000. This amount does not include the cost of removing the wiring and other work required for this task ", explains Lucie Bettez, who is in charge of pastoral and social activities at the parish.

The biggest expenses in maintaining these religious buildings are electricity, heating and general maintenance.

Ms. Bettez points out that church attendance has dropped since the pandemic, which is having an impact on the parish's finances. "Many worshippers didn't come back after the health crisis.Since we depend on the money raised at Mass, it hurt.So we had to turn to the government for financial assistance.Fortunately, we were able to reimburse the government for this year. Our activities enable us to continue raising funds to maintain our churches. The Cedars church dates back a very long time and has heritage status.This means that we receive funds to carry out some work, but it's not enough for everything that needs to be done.Volunteers are also in short supply.At Cedars, there's no shortage of them. They take care of exterior maintenance, but at Saint-Lazare, we have to hire people to do it. It's an extra cost", she says. 

Several other activities are planned for the coming months, including a spaghetti supper, a bazaar and bingo. 

For more information on the Cupid Concert, or to purchase presale tickets, call (450) 455-0595 now.