Ministry Monday

Today on Ministry Monday we are thrilled to offer an episode from Meet Father Rivers, a podcast celebrating the life and legacy of Father Clarence Joseph Rivers. Father Rivers - a little-known but essential figure in American Catholic history - was a composer of liturgical music as well as an author on music and spirituality.

Today we hear from the hosts of Meet Father Rivers, Emily Strand and Eric Styles. They interview pianist, pastoral musician, liturgist, workshop presenter and composer Mr. Ronald (Rawn) Harbor. Rawn met Fr. Rivers in 1973 and became his primary accompanist and eventually a liturgist in his own right under Fr. Clarence’s careful mentorship. Rawn discusses his own approaches to composition and even shares a recording of a psalm arrangement that he’s particularly proud of: Psalm 63 “My Soul is Thirsting,” on this special, most musical episode of Meet Father Rivers to date.

This week's episode of Ministry Monday features composer and NPM member Luke Rosen. 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 we go to the Ministry Monday archives and re-discover one of the most popular episodes. We speak to Brother John Glasenapp, a Benedictine monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana, where he currently serves as the Director of the newly-formed Saint Meinrad Institute for Sacred Music.

Today we speak to Irish Catholic singer DANA. Her story begins in Northern Ireland, representing Ireland in the world-famous Eurovision contest. After winning this prestigious competition, her career carried her through both pop music and Catholic music, listening to the Lord's voice throughout each step. Her story is a decades-long testament to her spirituality and openness, and the music she has created to guide and inspire so many others.

Ministry Monday is happy to offer a 2-part series on Lessons and Carols! Today's episode features NPM member Timothy Lewicki, Director of Music at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Virginia. Timothy shares his best practices for Lessons and Carols at his parish and provides some takeaways for recruitment, engagement, and musicality, whether it's your parish's tenth Lessons and Carols or your first time offering the service. It's a great conversation to round out our discussion on Lessons and Carols.

Ministry Monday is happy to offer a 2-part series on Lessons and Carols!

Our first part of the series features Jennifer Runge, NPM member and Director of Sacred Music at Parish of the Holy Eucharist (Diocese of Portland, Maine). On this episode, Jennifer shares her best practices and suggestions on how to offer Lessons and Carols, both musically and considering the needs of a merged/clustered parish.

Choir season is quickly approaching. We know that you’re planning which choir anthems to use, the rehearsal schedule and the plans for each rehearsal, but in this episode, we encourage you to pause and think about the needs of a choir a little bit differently this fall.  

Today’s guest is Steven C. Warner. Steven Warner is the founder of the Notre Dame Folk Choir and, until recently, worked for the Notre Dame Newman Center for Faith and Reason in Dublin, Ireland. One of Steve’s many gifts lies in his ability to foster true inclusion and listening in his ensembles. Today we focus on the special qualities that elevate ensembleship within a choir, most of which are not actually music.

I’m happy to be back after a brief summer hiatus from Ministry Monday. It was great to meet many of you at the convention, both in person and virtually!

And now we’re back. Today on Ministry Monday we speak to Daniel Ladner and Beth Shaver, two pastoral musicians, NPM members, and father and daughter. While both have served in music ministry for decades, Daniel himself has served in music ministry for 72 years- at the same church! Today we get the chance to hear both Beth and Dan’s stories in music ministry, and the impact NPM has had in their lives.

We are ramping up our summer schedules here in the Ministry Monday studio! This means plenty of preparation for our summer Ordinary Time liturgies, planning our summer formation opportunities, and of course, carving out some time to enjoy the summer sunshine as well.

We found ourselves gravitating to an episode from the Ministry Monday archives, which was also a reflection from the 2021 National Convention by Kate Basi. Her Key Change presentation, named, “How to Pray While I’m Working,” reflects on the nuances we as pastoral ministers experience while participating in the Mass. I myself have found that I experience the Mass differently when I’m ministering versus when I (rarely) simply sit in the pew. How can we set our work mindset aside, or at least, pray alongside that mindset?

I’d like to mention that after this episode, Ministry Monday will be taking a short break as we prepare for both the in person and virtual NPM conventions. We will return with new episodes on July 31. In the meantime, if you’re participating in either the in person NPM convention in Reno or the virtual convention online the week afterward, please reach out and say hello to me. I always love meeting fellow listeners of the podcast!

Today's episode of Ministry Monday celebrates Taizé in both the small village and the music it offers in contemplation and prayer. Today we speak to David Anderson, Editor-at-Large for GIA Publications and Director of Music and Liturgy at Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park, Illinois.

David has visited Taizé, France, several times, and has led monthly Taizé services for years in his parish. He reflects about the depth and beauty of Taizé and how you can implement its music and spirituality in your parish.