In this episode of Ministry Monday we speak to Jennifer Kluge, Executive Director of NPM. Jennifer shares takeaways from all 5 locations of NPM On the Road this summer, the financial impact from the events, and what to expect at the 2026 National Convention next summer in Washington, DC.

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For more information about the 2026 Convention, click here.

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by Reverend J. Ronald Knott from Louisville, KY.

Fr. Knott has written 40 books including his homily series called An Encouraging Word, books for clergy and books on spirituality. He has taught at seminaries and lectured all over the world on topics such as how to develop a united parish staff and how to grow successful parishes.   

Consider beginning your Fall Ordinary Time with your parish team by reading "THE SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP OF A PRIEST", available on amazon in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Visit www.ronknottbooks.com for more information.

Today’s episode features Peter Kolar, Editor for Spanish and Bilingual Resources at GIA Publications. Peter shares both liturgical and personal viewpoints for the Quinceañera celebration: how is it implemented in both a sacred and secular context? What music best supports a quinceañera? and more.

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Bio: Peter Kolar

Peter Kolar is a bilingual composer of Salvadoran-Polish heritage who has contributed much to the liturgical music landscape of the U.S. Named NPM’s 2022 Pastoral Musician of the Year, his numerous works reflect a fluency in classical, folkloric and pop idioms. Peter holds the position of Editor for Spanish and Bilingual Resources at GIA Publications, Inc., and was the founding editor of the bilingual missalette “Celebremos/Let Us Celebrate.” His compositions include the Mass settings “Misa Luna” and “Mass of the Sun of Justice,” both winners of ACP’s Distinguished Mass Setting Award, and a solo piano CD titled “Variations.” A respected clinician, Peter presents frequently in the area of multicultural worship and was a consultant to the USCCB on the chants of the U.S. Misal Romano, tercera edición. In 2024, he received the SWLC's Mary Frances Reza Award for outstanding musical contribution to the Hispanic Church. Peter holds a Masters degree in music composition from Northwestern University and resides in El Paso, TX, where he directs the El Paso Diocesan Choir.

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

The musical world (both in music education, technology, and music ministry) has been adjusting to the reality of a world without Finale. It’s been a guiding post in music notation software for many musicians. It’s the software I learned on in music school. But sadly, after announcing last year that MakeMusic (Finale’s parent company) would no longer support new software updates, it was time to begin shopping for another option.

Today’s episode of Ministry Monday features the prelude to a 4-part series on music notation software that NPM offered in the spring of 2024. While we invite you to watch all sessions if you’re an NPM member (as it is a membership benefit), we offer a segment of the first episode which featured a discussion on copyright licensing within the paradigm of music notation software. To put it bluntly, we ask: are we allowed to re-engrave on music notation software, for the sake of a unified worship aid? If so, how do we report? And many more questions.

For more information on Dorico, a music notation software which has become the frontrunner for Finale’s replacement, check out the article written by Tony Ward in the July edition of Pastoral Music magazine. It’s a resource that’s yet another benefit of an NPM membership. (Have I sold you on renewing your membership yet?)

This week's episode of Ministry Monday features composer and NPM member Luke Rosen. In this replay episode from October 2023, Luke shares his reflections on the many things a pastoral musician can consider as they compose music, whether it's for a parish music ministry or just for personal enjoyment.

Today on Ministry Monday we speak with Kathleen Pluth, hymn text author and translator whose work frequently appears in the prayer guide Magnificat, GIA Publications, and CanticaNova. Her hymn text, "Let the Earth Acclaim Christ Jesus," was chosen as the official hymn for the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress. She also wrote a hymn titled, "Hymn for the Soul of a Pope", which she offered for free during the month of May as many parishes honored the life of Pope Francis. Today Kathleen and I talk about all things hymnody: What is "hymnody"? Are there guiding documents that help us to discern the considerations of hymnody? And more.

Wedding season is well upon us, and with it always comes with a story. Many of you may already know that prior to working full-time for NPM, I was a full-time DIrector of Music at a Catholic church, which was set in a very beautiful, very visible, and also very tourist-laden area of my city. For 13 years I played 60-70 weddings annually, half of which were non-parishioners. The experiences came with a sense of excitement and joy…but also a time for catechesis for the bride and groom. We’ve probably all had the couple who needed a bit more clarification on why their favorite secular tune cannot be a part of the music at their Catholic wedding, and honestly, I’m sure we could compile our best wedding stories into a book! (I’ve heard it said, “I could write a book” many times…)

I’ve often heard a dreadful saying by pastoral musicians that “I’d rather play three funerals versus one wedding.” While this has always bothered me, I think the roots lie in a mutual misunderstanding of young couples being married, and the pastoral musicians who serve them. The beauty of the Sacrament of Marriage can often be eclipsed by the secular aesthetic that couples mostly worry about, from the flowers to the bridal party to, of course, the bride and groom’s ensembles. But just because a couple may not fully grasp the Sacrament does not mean that they cannot enter into a paradigm of catechesis prior to their wedding day. And in fact, I think we shortchange many couples by assuming they do not grasp a general understanding of the liturgy and how it will relate to their wedding. Why not take it as an opportunity to bridge that gap of understanding, even if only to help them more deeply understand their wedding?

Today on Ministry Monday we speak to Paul Radkowski, Director of Music at the Church of St. Edward the Confessor in Granville, Ohio. Paul discusses the ways that pastoral musicians can support couples as they prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage: how can they best plan their ceremony music? what if a loved one wants to sing in the wedding? What if the couple wants to include secular music in the wedding? Paul addresses these questions and more.

This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry (CSTM). Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry (CSTM) is accepting applications for Courage to Preach: A Post-Master’s Certificate. Courage to Preach trains participants to read and interpret Scripture and use it as a foundational collection to preach on contemporary issues, such as racial, economic, and environmental justice. The certificate is completed over 12 months. Learn more at bc.edu/preach.

NPM is blessed with a rich community of Asian/Pacific American pastoral musicians that support their parishes and the NPM community at large. Ariel Mayormita, Jose Gallardo and Maria Nieva are all pastoral musicians across the United States. They each demonstrate hospitality, kindness, and a deep Catholic faith in their lives. Today's episode highlights the deep faith and profound hospitality found in AAPI culture, from 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines to today. Our presenters to reflect on this topic today are Ariel Mayormita, Jose Gallardo and Maria Nieva, joining us from New Jersey, Texas, and the Philippines!

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For more resources celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, visit npm.org.

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

Growing up in the Catholic Church I was familiar with the poster of the liturgical calendar. You know the one: its circular design reflects the changing colors and seasons in the Church calendar. I always found this poster to be fascinating, even as a very young person: What did it mean? How did the The Church decide these things? Why do the colors change? As a young adult I asked myself questions about the saints on the calendar, the nuances of Holy Days of Obligation, and more. The practical and historical contexts of our Church calendar have always fascinated me.

Which brings me to our episode today. I recently came across Fr. Paul Turner’s new book, Sacred Times, which is described as “A Guide to the General Roman Calendar and the Table of Liturgical Days.” The book reads like a story you’d find at a sacred bookstore, but is so full of information it’s as indespensible as an encyclopedia at times. I reached out to Fr. Paul and asked to interview him for the podcast, of which he obliged, thankfully. In preparation for my interview I read the book. I quickly realized that this could be a series of episodes, simply to capture the full breadth and depth of the book. And so consider the following interview as an introductory course on the book, Sacred Times, published by Liturgical Press. Our chat addresses many questions about the Church’s observances, such as: What is the Proper of Time versus the Proper of Saints? Why does Easter move each year, versus being on one set date? How are Holy Days of Obligation chosen? and more.

This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by Ministry Scheduler Pro. Take the pain out of scheduling church volunteers with easy-to-use software designed just for ministries. Free up your time, and make it easy for your volunteers to answer the call to serve. Start your free trial today at MinistrySchedulerPro.com.

We are back from a brief Easter hiatus, and while we are happy to be back, our hearts are heavy here in the NPM National Office at the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. I recently read his autobiography, “Hope,” and it gave me the chance to learn more about Pope Francis and his life as Jorge Bergoglio as well. If you haven’t read it, I strongly encourage that you do, especially in this Jubilee Year of Hope.

As we collectively mourn the loss of Pope Francis, our Holy Father, NPM has offered a compilation of resources for personal and ministerial use. They can be found at www.npm.org, and they will be linked int the show notes of this episode. We pray that they provide solace, comfort, and hope in the Resurrection.

Today we continue the topic of sequences. Fr. Michael Joncas began our examination of the Church’s current use of sequences before we journeyed through Holy Week, and today Fr. Roc O’Connor continues this conversation. Roc O’Connor, SJ has been a member the Society of Jesus for over fifty years. He served in pastoral settings for most of his ministerial life – parishes, college and universities, and Jesuit formation. He is a founding member of the St. Louis Jesuits, a group that has shaped pastoral music for all of us today and has earned worldwide recognition.

Roc helps us with a primer of sorts on the sequences for Easter Sunday, Pentecost, and Corpus Christi. This particular episode is very beneficial when viewed as a video episode. You can find it in the show notes of this episode, as well as on NPM’s youtube channel, youtube.com/NPMlivestream. If you can’t access the video version of this episode, keep in mind that Roc allows us to flow between the Latin text, the ICEL translation, and the Roman Missal translation freely, examining how they work together and help to bring forth the sacred in some of the holiest days in our Church calendar.

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Bio: Bio: Roc O’ Connor, SJ

Roc O’Connor, SJ has been a member the Society of Jesus for over fifty years. He served in pastoral settings for most of his ministerial life – parishes, college and universities, and Jesuit formation. This includes thirteen years as Adjunct Professor of Theology at Creighton University (2000-2013).

He earned an MDiv and STM from the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley (1983), an STL from the Weston School of Theology, Cambridge (1993), and an MA in Liturgical Studies from The Catholic University of America (2003).

As a founding member of the St. Louis Jesuits, he contributed songs to six recordings and has produced three solo recordings. The SLJs have been recognized with honorary doctorates at the University of Scranton (1978), Creighton University (2006), and St. Louis University (August, 2022).

In October 2021, his provincial assigned him to address serve on the staff at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, Barrington, IL.

His work include over a dozen articles plus: 

– In the Midst of Our Storms (LTP, 2015). Here, Roc proposes a way to pray with and from our resistance to the intrusion of God in our lives whom we meet in liturgical Word, gesture, & symbol. Exploring our resistance opens up depths we previously disregarded.

– I Want to See (23rd publications, 2017) Roc offers an intense study of the Bartimaeus story with three basic points: a) we follow Jesus as blind disciples; b) the scribes, Pharisees, chief priests, elders, disciples, & the Twelve mirror for us what we don’t want to see in ourselves; c) whatever we avoid can, through the working of the Holy Spirit, become our Best Friends Forever on our walk with Christ. The Association of Catholic Publishers recognized I Want to See with the 2018 Excellence in Publishing Award – Prayer and Spirituality Second Place.

– All Shall Be Well: The Hand of God (OCP, 2020) His collection of eight new songs was released in June, 2020. Six of the eight pieces explore very slow tempos as a help make room for breathing and presence. Another collection of fifteen songs based in gospel and blues awaits completion.

– Long Division Ever Divisive: A Lament was published in Worship July 2021.

All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.

Today is the last episode Ministry Monday will be airing before a brief Holy Week and Easter hiatus. We wanted to leave you with an episode that would provide a prayerful pause as you wrap up the last rehearsals, make the last binders, and write the last “thank you” notes to your Holy Week musicians. Today we begin a conversation focusing on the sequences and hear from Fr. J. Michael Joncas. What is the history of a sequence’s form? What terminology predates the sequences? How can we most effectively employ sequences in our parishes? It is a great episode from which to prepare the Sequence for Easter Sunday.