Today on Ministry Monday we return from our holiday break! Our first episode of 2025 features Steven Warner the founder and director emeritus of the Notre Dame Folk Choir, as well as founder of the Newman Vocare Ensemble. Like many pastoral musicians, the Holy Spirit clearly is working through Steve and his decades-long work in music and ministry. Steve is no stranger to the podcast: we spoke of his connection to Saint John Henry Newman while he taught at the Newman Centre for Faith and Reason in Dublin, and we also discussed the Catholic Church in Ireland on another episode. Today’s episode focuses on his most recent project, titled “The Contemplative Classroom.” If you know Steve’s music you know that many of his compositions are ostinato refrains within an accessible singing range for most singers. Steve has taken this idea and begun to make a curriculum for classrooms that cultivate healthy singing, mindfulness, and spirituality in a way that, I dare say, may not have ever been created quite like this. It’s a great start for this Catholic Schools week, and a great way to begin our podcast for the year.