Students in the St. James School Choir sang during “Music Under the Dome” at St. James Church in Louisville on Dec. 6. The event brings about 3,000 people to the church each year. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Attendees of “Music Under the Dome” smiled as they listened to the St. James School Choir during St. James Church’s annual “Music Under the Dome” event, held Dec. 6 this year. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Students in the St. James School Choir sang at “Music Under the Dome” at St. James Church in Louisville on Dec. 6. The event brings about 3,000 attendees to the church each year. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Philip Hines, director of music at St. James Church in Louisville, gestured from the choir loft on Dec. 6 during the parish’s “Music Under the Dome” event. Hines, who has organized the event since 2015, is retiring after 51 years in music ministry for the archdiocese. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Philip Hines, director of music at St. James Church in Louisville, introduced a trombone ensemble during the parish’s “Music Under the Dome” event on Dec. 6. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
More than three dozen trombonists performed at St. James Church’s “Music Under the Dome” event on Dec. 6. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Attendees of “Music Under the Dome” stood as they visited St. James Church for its annual “Music Under the Dome” event Dec. 6. The annual event brings about 3,000 people to the church each year. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen)
As Louisvillians wandered from shop to shop during the Highlands’ “Bardstown Road Aglow” on Dec. 6, the sound of music — and the invitation to partake in free cider and home-baked cookies — beckoned individuals from the sidewalks of Bardstown Road through the doors of St. James Church.
Each December, St. James parishioners welcome more than 3,000 people to the parish’s “Music Under the Dome” event during “Bardstown Road Aglow.”
The parish, located at 1826 Edenside Avenue, hosts a full house throughout the evening as musicians sing and play a variety of sacred and secular Christmas music — ranging from “The Hallelujah Chorus” to “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” said Philip Hines, who organizes the musical performances as director of music for the parish.
The six hours of live music, which features a variety of artists and ensembles — from the gentle stringing of the harp to the booming fullness of dozens of trombones — are “timed out down to the minute,” said Hines. The St. James Singers Choir, St. James School Choir, Sacred Heart Academy’s Madrigal Choir and Bellarmine University’s Schola Cantorum are among a few of the ensembles that perform at the event each year.
“If they experience something where they are welcomed, where they see beauty, perhaps it changes their mind on what they perceive the Catholic Church is.”
— Father Gary Padgett
But the featured musicians aren’t all local, said Hines. Trombonists travel from surrounding cities, such as Cincinnati and Lexington, to participate in a trombone ensemble of 39 musicians for the event, said Hines. “There’s nothing like it anywhere else,” he said.
Some attendees sit in on the musical performances for 20 minutes; others stay for three or four hours, said Hines. For many, the yearly event is a Christmas tradition, he said.
“On this night, people can come here and sit in a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous space, and hear music of the season performed with so many different types of instruments, and so many different voices, and music that crosses over the centuries, to really bring them, I think, a real spirit of Christmas,” he said. “I’m pretty much convinced that this event would have converted both Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch to have the true spirit of Christmas.”
The event has grown throughout the years, said Mary Ann “Annie” McDonald, a longtime member of the St. James Singers Choir and a parishioner of St. James.
When it began more than 15 years ago, it was a small event that gathered “no more than 50 people in the church at a time,” she said. Now, “it’s our largest social outreach of the year.”
She credits the event’s growth to Hines, who has served as organist and director of music at the parish since 2015. Hines, who previously served at Holy Spirit Church for more than three decades, is retiring from St. James Church in January 2026, after a total of 51 years of music ministry in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
McDonald hopes the event shows the public that the parish is “welcoming” and inspires them to learn more about the parish and its offerings, she added.
The event is “evangelistic in nature,” said Father Gary Padgett, pastor, noting that parishioners intentionally greet guests from the sidewalk — offering home-baked cookies and cider — and welcome them to the church — a respite from the cold on a frigid December night.
“It’s a great way to get a lot of people to see and experience the church,” he said. He hopes the event creates a positive experience of the Catholic Church to those who may have preconceived notions about Catholicism, he said.
“If they experience something where they are welcomed, where they see beauty, perhaps it changes their mind on what they perceive the Catholic Church is,” he said.
Parishioners invite attendees to return to the parish for its Christmas Masses by distributing flyers with Mass times, he noted.
“People will come back and say, ‘I came here for ‘Bardstown Road Aglow,’ ” he said. “From top to bottom, it’s an evangelistic event.”
