MANITOWOC, Wis.—Brother Juniper Bala isn't as strong or mobile as he used to be, but listen to his singing voice and no one would be the wiser.

Bala, 78, recently compiled a CD of seven religious songs with help from staff at St. Mary's Nursing Home at Felician Village, where he lives. He sings all of the songs a capella and from memory because he can no longer see.

"There are some songs I really would love to sing, but I can't read the words anymore and they're too long for me to remember," Bala said.

Songs on the CD include well-known songs such as "Ava Maria," "Our Father" and less common songs like "Mother Dear Oh Pray for Me" and "Bring Flowers of the Fairest (May Crowning)."

"Everyone is different, but all of them have a religious theme to them," Bala said. "They are old church songs, actually. We used to have a May crowning of the Blessed Mother, and the song that was sung usually for that May crowning was a very beautiful song. A lot of people have forgotten that song, because they don't have May crowning anymore in most places."

Bala's favorite song on the CD is the "Polish Christmas Carol," which he sings in Polish.

"I learned that as a child," he said. "Any person in the world that's of Polish decent, I think that's our favorite Christmas carol, because it's a lullaby. That's a very short one. It's a lullaby that the Blessed Mother sings to the baby Jesus when he is crying."

Bala, originally from Chicago, joined the Catholic Church about 60 years ago. He worked within his order as a cook and a tailor. Vicky Schneider, director of Spiritual Care & Mission Integration at Felician Village, said she shared Bala's music with staff members to help give them insight into their residents.

"For someone who is (that age) to have that strong of a voice is very good," she said. "The piece that I wanted to share with staff is that we don't always know what talents lie within our residents. So, we should never assume anything. They are very gifted individuals, and they have a lot to give still."

Schneider said other residents helped make about 25 CDs for Bala to share with family and friends. The CD isn't available to the public.

Paul Kersten, a social worker at Felician Village, said Bala frequently entertains other residents and staff with his voice.

"Brother is a very talented artist," Kersten said.

Bala's future goal is to create a second CD comprised mostly of Broadway songs.

"That's actually another thing I have to do, to get somebody to write the titles down before I start the second CD. I'm afraid I'll forget one or two that I had intentions of doing," Bala said.

The religious CD ends with "Good Night Sweet Jesus."

"The ending I think was a very simple song," Bala said.

"Good night sweet Jesus . dear gentle savior, good night, good night," Bala sang while sitting back in his chair. "Good night. Good night."


Information from: Herald Times Reporter,