Church choirs to present string of free musical events

Churches will become concert halls for free musical events coming soon.

» Central Union Church, 1660 S. Beretania St. The annual Spring Choral Concert at 4 p.m. tomorrow will be hosted by the church's Oratorio Choir, Chancel Choir and soloists directed by Sangeet Gellhorn. They will be joined by the Kawaiahao Church Choir and Kawaiolaonapukanileo, directed by Nola Nahulu, and the Church of the Crossroads Choir, directed by Donald Conover. Compositions to be performed include Puccini's “;Messa di Gloria”; and arrangements by Charles Villiers Stanford and Conover.

» St. Andrew's Church, Queen Emma Square. A 5:30 p.m. program tomorrow “;In Praise of Song”; will feature the Honolulu Chamber Choir directed by Esther Yoo and the Cathedral Choir directed by John Renke with songs from the 16th century to modern times.

» Church of the Crossroads, 1212 University Ave. Ernest Harada will be guest soloist in the annual “;Gift of Love”; concert at 7 p.m. May 3. Harada, who has appeared in movies and television series, and the Crossroads Choir and RYCE Women's Ensemble will perform popular music, Broadway classics, spirituals and Hawaiian songs. Donations will be accepted to support the church music scholarship program.

'Unity walk' will support Chinatown homeless project

An interfaith prayer service at Our Lady of Peace Cathedral tomorrow will be followed by a “;Unity Walk of Hope”; to the Chinatown site of a proposed homeless housing project.

The 1 p.m. service hosted by the Catholic diocese is a continuation of an initiative by clergy members of several churches who launched a petition drive in support of the River Street Residences project proposed early this year by Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

The project stalled in the City Council because of opposition from the Downtown Neighborhood Board and Concerned Citizens of River Street Housing, a coalition of Chinatown businesses and residents.

Participants will walk tomorrow from the Fort Street cathedral, along Beretania Street to the proposed housing site on city land at River and Kukui streets. Organizers billed the event as a “;prayerful time of reconciliation and peaceful unity,”; according to an announcement from the Interfaith Alliance of Hawaii.

White House will appeal ruling against prayer day

MADISON, Wis. » The Obama administration said Thursday it will appeal a court decision that found the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in Madison ruled last week the National Day of Prayer that Congress established 58 years ago amounts to a call for religious action.

In a notice filed Thursday, the Justice Department said it will challenge the decision in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. About two dozen members of Congress condemned the ruling and pressed for an appeal.

The case was brought by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a Madison-based group of atheists and agnostics who argue the National Day of Prayer violates the separation of church and state. Its co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said she was disappointed in the decision to appeal.

“;I would have expected something better from a legal scholar,”; she said, referring to President Barack Obama's background as a law professor.

The administration had argued the law simply acknowledges the role of religion in the United States.

Congress established the day in 1952 and in 1988 set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray. An Obama spokesman has said the president plans to issue a proclamation for the upcoming prayer day, May 6.