Christmas Concert Touches Hearts in Memphis and Afghanistan | Events

The image of a bearded man projected on to Cannon Center's massive screen looked vaguely like the Lord himself. Instead, it was Jamie Danielik, a Memphian disguised in deep cover on active duty in Afghanistan. Through a live connection via Skype, a massive choir---including Danielik's wife, Susan---serenaded the U.S. contractor with "Silent Night for the Troops." "I blubbered like a five year old and couldn't take my eyes off him the whole time he was on screen," said Jamie's wife Susan. "It was very, very moving for me," Susan Danielik said. The couple attends Holy Spirit  Catholic Church in East Memphis and had planned to attend concert together as the 30 year U.S. Air Force veteran was supposed to have arrived home from Afghanistan on December 1st. Instead, Danielik, now a contractor serving U.S. Forces in a remote section of Afghanistan, signed up for another six months of active duty. Susan Danielik says she contacted concert headliner John Angotti after she realized her husband wouldn't be home for the concert. Susan says she asked the Christian recording artist to sing something special for the countless families would are unable to have their loved ones close at hand during the holidays. "John called me on Thanksgiving Day and asked what do you think of this?"," said Susan, referring to Angotti's rearrangement of the classic Christmas hymn, "Silent Night."  Angotti created a tribute song he calls "Silent Night for the Troops" that incorporates the traditional hymn and adds lyrics to honor all those serving in the military. Susan Daneilik says she visits with her husband in far flung Afghanistan via Skype twice a day. "It really makes a difference to have eye contact," she said. So at the last minute, John Angotti managed to have the team at Cannon Center connect a live Skype feed to the big screen behind a 100 member choir that included Susan.  Jamie sang the familiar lyrics of Silent Night on screen and so did the concert audience of nearly 1,500."There was not a dry eye in the house," said Mike Allen, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of West Tennessee, one of the beneficiaries of the charity concert. As his wife watched from the choir, Jamie placed his hands in a prayerful position and listened to an orchestra, choir and Angotti perform the song with powerful and sincere emotion.

This is the second straight year for Angotti's "Extraordinary Love"  charity Christmas concert at Cannon Center. The Memphis based Christian recording artist, a self described "musical missionary"johnangotti.com/, invited singers from St. Benedict at Auburndale High School's award winning  "Celebration Show Choir" to perform with "Ladies First," a singing group from  St. Agnes Academy. Angotti invited congregations from across the Catholic Diocese of Memphis to send their choir members to perform with the enthusiastic high school singers. More than 100 voices united to make a joyful noise! Kevin and Bethany Paige, a dynamic husband and wife duo, brought excitement and energy to the concert after a brief intermission as well as their daughter Stevie who performed a rocking "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with her parents live on stage. Angotti invited his daughter, Dominica, to perform as well. The father and daughter performed a duet to the beloved hymn, "Ave Maria." Angotti brought his Christmas concert to more than a dozen audiences all over the country. A musical evangelist, Angotti encouraged his Memphis listeners to make room for the birth of Jesus Christ in their hearts in the coming Christmas season. 

Another moving moment in the nearly three hour concert featured a student from Madonna Learning Center, a Germantown school that serves children with disabilities. Young Elizabeth Ann Neel appeared on stage with the huge choir, orchestra, hand bell choir as well as John Angotti and his band. Every eye was riveted on Elizabeth as she joyfully used sign language to interpret the sweet Christmas hymn, "O Holy Night." The child stole the show. In addition to raising funds to help homeless persons via the ministries of Catholic Charities of West Tennessee www.ccwtn.org/, Angotti's concert raised money and awareness for St. Martin De Porres Shrine and Center located at St. Peter Catholic Church in Downtown Memphis http://www.stmartinshrine.org/. 

Susan Danielik says more than one person has mentioned that the Skype image of her bearded husband resembled a likeness to the Lord. Susan works as a concierge chief for the luxury box clients at FedEx Forum. She says one of her co-workers mentioned the resemblance the day after the Angotti concert. Jamie kept a clean cut military appearance while serving 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Colonel. The Special Operations expert went on to become a contractor serving the U.S. military first in Iraq and now Afghanistan. His mission has the acronym ODIN: Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize. You can learn more about Danielik's military career  and order his book, "The Raven and the Hawk" by visiting his website, www.jamesdanielik.com. Working in deep cover in Afghanistan now, the bearded Memphis military man appeared to savor the words and melody of Silent Night from half a world away. The technology united Memphis and war torn Afghanistan, and for a few minutes anyway,   all was calm.