Public Concert this Friday, December 3 to Honor Family and Friends and Raise Funds for Home for Retired Priests
When Cordelia “Cordy” Foster was growing up, music was an important part of her life. Her mother, Esther Villarreal Heldt, sang at church and with popular local bands of her era. Now Foster is using this musical heritage to give special meaning to her mother’s life and to help others.
Since 2003, Foster and her lifelong friend Rose Mary Orsborn have organized The Padua Place Christmas Concert, in memory of Foster’s mother, Orsborn’s parents, Deacon Ignacio and Catalina Martinez and in honor of Foster’s father, Richard Heldt, 96, of San Antonio.
“As a child, I would sing with my mother, and I grew up thinking that all kids sang with their moms,” said Foster. “The ability to sing was something that my mom and I had in common. I loved being with her. When she died in January 2003, I was heartbroken. I lost my mother, my friend and my music partner.”
After attending a retreat with Orsborn and hearing one of the sisters who runs Padua Place speak, Foster decided that using her musical abilities to organize the concert would be a wonderful way to keep their parents’ memories alive and to honor the priests at Padua Place who have given their lives for others.
The one-hour concert is open to the public and held in the chapel at the Missionary Servants of St. Anthony Convent. Admission is a donation of $10 per person, though no one is ever turned away. Established in 1960, Padua Place provides full-time medical care for retired clerics.
Foster says that this has been a challenging year for her because some of the soloists and accompanists who have performed in the past were unavailable. Foster was able to find help through vocalist, Suzanne Ohlmann, a nurse at Methodist Healthcare, and Suzanne’s friend, Christopher Guzman, a pianist—both trained at Julliard.
“Christmas was my mother’s favorite season and children were one of her passions,” said Foster. “The Christmas concert is a wonderful way to celebrate my parent’s devotion to each other, to their children, and to the church.”
STORY IDEA: The concert begins at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Chapel of the Missionary Servants of St. Anthony Convent, 100 Peter Baque Road. Media are welcome to photograph and videotape during the concert.