The “Heart and Soul” of STTL: The Three Judgments: One Evaluation
If there is any one section of “Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship” to become very familiar with, it is this one, and for rather intriguing reasons.
Decisions, Decisions…Progressive Solemnity, and Who Gets to Decide?
The Mass is a sung prayer and our greatest prayer. As such, it is not our goal to “make” something happen in liturgy. Only God can do that. Any role we have is God’s gift of grace to us. The sooner we understand that, the better we will fulfill our ministry and mission.
Surprise! Musical Hierarchy in “Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship”
The priorities of what we should sing at mass are full of surprises for some. I hope in the end that the greater “surprise” will be in how our prayer is formed by what we sing. I hope this will be the most pleasant surprise of all.
What Is a “Performance” in Liturgy?
Seminarian Ryan G. Duns, writes, “…it’s not about me putting on a show, about making something happen. My Jesuit training and my musical training converge: I think I’ll be my best when I am noticed least, when I can get out of the way so that those who approach the Lord’s Table are treated, not to a dose of Duns, but to an encounter with the Risen One…”
English Setting of Pentecost Sequence | Free Download
VENI, SANCTE SPIRITUS, the Sequence for Pentecost Sunday is one of the great jewels of the Roman Rite. The text alone is a treasure—short, simple, profound, and transcendent.
Adversity Builds Strength
Church musicians carry “battle scars” of the profession. We can all tell “war stories.” But Thomas à Kempis writes in “The Imitation of Christ,” “…the measure of every man’s virtue is best revealed in time of adversity—adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is.”
So, Who Is the “Leader of Song” Anyway?
Is the cantor the “leader of song”? It may be surprising that there are a few answers to this question, but it leads towards one ideal.
Hope and Prayer in this Valley of Tears
In Boston we send up our sighs, our mourning, and our weeping in this valley of tears. Great suffering compels us to move towards Christ, and Christ in turn embraces us lovingly in his comforting embrace. Therefore, the sacred liturgy is essential at the time, more than ever.
Not a movie. This was real.
This attack happened within my parish. St. Cecilia Parish in the Back Bay section of Boston, is around the block from the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Several historic churches literally surround the finish line. So where is God in all of this?
Does Having Children Make Us Better at Our Jobs?
Working for the Church is often not conducive to family life. But, in my children, I found God. Children have helped me focus on what and who is important.
Say the Black. Do the Red—with Love.
The road to the ideal must travel through the hearts and minds of real flesh and blood. If in our ministry we are not teaching love, then we have failed.
The Power of Gregorian Chant
A crowd of nearly 1,000 people, many who don’t come to mass, many who may not prefer Gregorian Chant, many who know nothing about chant—fell silent.
Suffering, Death, and Children’s Questions
“Why the Cross?” Little children are rarely afraid to ask the questions that adults are afraid to ask.
A Personal Encounter with Pope Francis
While speaking to his secretary, the Holy Father came down the hall and I greeted him with the traditional kissing of his ring, and we spoke for a little over a minute.
Free Communion Propers for the Easter Season, Year C
Free download of Communion Propers for the Easter Season, Year C