Ministry Monday

Today on the podcast we hear from Tom Kendzia, composer and chair of the Composers Interest Section. Tom is a liturgical musician whose music has been published since 1980. In 2020, he celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release of his first collection, “Light of the World.” Tom participated in the first NPM Convention in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the first NPM Composers’ Forum Competition a year later. After 40 years of composing, Tom continues to write and publish his music, while also being the Chair of the Composers Interest Section at NPM…and, of course, still ministering to his church community of 35 years.

This week is our first podcast episode during the Lenten season. We are walking our Lenten journey, and we are helping others alongside as well. From music to prayer services, to Triduum preparations and everything in between, we are truly engrossed and living this Lenten season.

Amidst all of our work, how much time have we committed to walking alongside the RCIA candidates in our parishes? That is the topic of our conversation today.

Today Bill & Lena Gokelman share some of the complications of working with so many young people in their program, and most importantly, they share some of the biggest lessons they’ve learned in their decades of working with youth in ministry. (Spoiler alert: the takeaways from this episode are actions you can take & use in your music program today.)

This week we sat down with theologian and liturgical composer Tony Alonso to discuss his new musical project, “Caminemos con Jesús”. “Caminemos con Jesús” is a collection of liturgical music that honors the Cuban musical heritage not often seen in its own right, liturgically. In this episode you’ll learn the inspiration behind “Caminemos con Jesús”, as well as the people, effort and heart from so many to make this project authentic, vibrant and full of the Spirit.

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Nieva, chair of the Asian Pacific Musicians Interest Section. I must share that I’ve always admired the sense of community in the Asian Pacific Musicians Interest Section. They are always so active at the National Conventions, attending events together and even eating meals together! It was a pleasure to hear from Maria about her interest section and what we can take away from their community, their culture and their musical heritage.

This month we’re celebrating the shortest month of the year- even with Leap Year- by having shorter, bite-sized episodes focusing on different topics. This week we’re easing into the month’s topics by digging into our Ministry Monday archives. Back in the fall when I took over the podcast, I had the chance to interview former Ministry Monday host Matt Reichert.

Today on the podcast we have NPM president Steve Petrunak. Steve and I sat down and talked about the State of the Union, if you will, for NPM, and not just about NPM 2.0. If you only listen to one podcast episode of the month, this should be it. And forward the podcast to other NPM members you know, because we’re proud to learn of some of these announcements firsthand on the podcast today. It is an episode you shouldn’t miss.

Did you know that both AGO and NPM work together to offer dual certificate opportunities? We’re very grateful for the mutual support we offer one others, so we can support you, our membership.

Both the Service Playing certificate and the Colleague (CAGO) certificate are excellent opportunities for continuing education and professional advancement. Today we’re going to dig more deeply into these two certificate opportunities, along with other options that NPM offers to its members.

This month on the podcast we are putting a focus on education. NPM is a continuing education opportunity for all pastoral musicians. It’s what we do. We offer formation so that we can form others.

How can we devote bite-sized pieces of time on a regular basis to our own formation, despite the context and level of ability we possess?

That’s where our conversation begins today.

Today we’re going to hear from two voices in the pastoral music field who came to music ministry in a circuitous route. Formation has been critical for both themselves and their music ministers. In fact, formation – both in person and digitally- has become something they value and continue to improve upon, because of their experiences with it.

The relationship between us, as music ministers, and the clergy which we serve is critical. Our clergy are our shepherds of our flock. They are our bosses, our administrators, and, in many cases, our spiritual advisors. But I hope I don’t ruffle too many feathers when I say that most clergy do not enter the seminary to become leaders in solely music for the Church. Their charisms span a different range, and music may or may not be one of them. Some priests and deacons love to sing, and some, truthfully, shy away from the opportunity. I can guess that most of us have experienced a liturgy in which the priest sung extraordinary parts of the Mass and the spirit of the liturgy was absolutely elevated as a result.

What can we do to support our clergy as they develop their own musical voice?

Today I speak to Nicholas Will, Director of Music for the North American Pontifical College, Vatican City State.