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Halfway through his stint on NBC's "The Voice", Eagan native Nicholas David got an email from the students at St. Joseph Catholic School in Rosemount, the musician's alma mater.

"It brought me to tears," Nicholas David recalled to an enraptured audience at the church on Thursday afternoon. "I saw that you guys were praying and knowing that’s where I came from; it really was a tremendous push to keep going."

The singer, who took third place in December on the televised musical competition, staged a homecoming performance in front of hundreds of students and community members at the church. The event included a Q&A session with St. Joseph students and a joint performance of "Over the Rainbow" with a school choir.

After watching Nicholas David progress on "The Voice"—and participating in viewing parties late last year—the St. Joseph Student Support Team, made up of 13 eighth-graders, decided to invite the singer back to the school for a performance.

The event was at times tongue-in-cheek, with staff members joking they would pay Nicholas David for his performance in cookies. Students also asked the singer a range of light-hearted questions, from "What's your favorite animal?" (a lion or beluga whale) to "If you were to have different mentor on 'The Voice', who would it be?" (Blake Shelton).

But the show had its fair share of heartfelt moments, too, including Nicholas David's greeting to his former teachers and the emotional conclusion to "Over the Rainbow", when the musician was backed by a student ensemble.

During the event, which was attended by hundreds, St. Joseph Principal Tom Joseph presented the singer with a plaque and declared Jan. 17 "Nicholas David Day" at the school.

“it’s a privilege and honor to be able to recognize and celebrate the musicality and God's gift in him," Father Paul Jarvis told the audience.