Ministry Monday

There are so many ways to involve a parish community in its music ministry, and not all of them, of course, include singing. Haven’t we all heard the parishioner who says, “I can’t join the music ministry - I can’t sing!” Luckily for us, music ministry today can include instrumental assistance, including a handbell choir.

In many instances, handbell choirs were the only choirs allowed in a parish setting during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a choir setting that can be accomplished without projecting the human voice. It can also be done with plenty of social distancing, if space allows. And more than anything, it provides the community of a choir without singing- a perfect option for those who want to use their musical gifts without singing.

Handbell choirs are a great option in a music ministry program, but some music ministers may not know where to start: how can I afford handbells? Who do I purchase them from? How do I teach (and direct) a handbell choir? These questions and many more are addressed in my conversation today.

Donna Kinsey has served for over 50 years as the pastoral musician for St. Francis De Sales Parish. She has taught music for public and Catholic schools in both Morgantown, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. She is also a handbell clinician and has spearheaded the National Catholic Handbell Festivals with the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

This episode is truly a primer on starting a handbell choir. Not only that, Donna has provided a handout in the “show notes” of this episode for additional tips. If you’ve ever considered starting a handbell choir, this is the episode for you.

Today we speak to Jose Gallardo, Ariel Mayormita, and Maria Nieva, members of the NPM Asian Pacific community. They share their devotional practices to the Blessed Virgin Mary and how they are inextricably woven into Filipino culture. We also speak about the importance of Saint Pedro Calungsod and his importance in Filipino spirituality as well. We encourage you to check out the show notes of this episode, as well as the video version of this episode, at ministrymonday.org.

Today’s episode explores the world of pipe organ repertoire. I so often hear discussions of high-level performance pieces fit for excellent organ concerts, but so often we may not take the time to discuss an organ repertoire that’s manageable and attainable for all levels of skill, and on a pastoral musician’s available time frame for learning. Organists who may have started as pianists and are learning how to play organ, or maybe organists who are, quite frankly, overcommitted to other tasks, can find beautiful, accessible organ music that supports the Mass each week.

That is the starting point from which I begin my conversation today. Today I speak with Joel Kumro, the Choirmaster and Organist at Saint Benedict Catholic Church in Richmond, VA. Joel is also director of his parish’s concert series and is the instructor of Liturgical Music at Saint Benedict Catholic School. Joel, originally a trained classical singer, shares how he developed a regularly-rotating repertoire of organ music as he learned “the king of instruments” and how he’s come to use it well today.

The marriage of melody to text is the essence of hymnody at its core. Both play a critical part in a hymn’s efficacy, both in conveying a message and encouraging a full participation by the worshipping assembly singing it. Today we focus on the text of a hymn: what is the genesis of a hymn text? How important is the relationship to text and a common hymn tune? What are some of the things we, as composers, or we as pastoral ministers need to listen for? Alan Hommerding shares his reflections on text-writing and the power of words we can utilize by simply singing a hymn.

Today on the podcast we revisit the most-listened-to episode of 2022, which was also part 1 of Ministry Monday’s Exsultet series. We speak to Fr. Paul Turner about the historical context of the Exsultet, the sacred chant sung at the start of the Easter Vigil. The Exsultet is such a distinct moment in the Triduum journey: covered in darkness, punctuated by candlelight, the Exsultet is a 9-minute chant prefacing what is about to happen in the Easter Vigil liturgy: Christ, returning "from death's domain", grants us all eternal life through His resurrection. It is to begin. Today Fr. Paul Turner provides a historical, biblical and liturgical context from which to prepare the Exsultet this Lent. When was the Exsultet first sung? How did it find its place at the start of the Easter Vigil? Why are deacons so often chosen for the role? And what about the role of bees in the newest translation?

We encourage you to check out the other 2 parts of this Exsultet series, including an instructional video on how to best learn how to sing the Exsultet. These can be found on the NPM website, npm.org, as well as the show notes of this episode at MinistryMonday.org.

This episode is co-produced by Emily Strand. For more information about Emily and the podcasts she hosts, visit https://emilystrand.liturgyandlife.com/.

The music we choose speaks volumes about us as musicians, whether we realize it or not. It expresses our personal tastes in terms of style, genre, modality, and more. Not only that, our musical choices have the power to amplify the people behind them: from gender to culture, race to religion, the composers themselves are just as much a part of the music we choose as the notes on the page.

It’s a topic we’ve discussed on the podcast before, but during Black History Month, I return to one of my favorite interviews of the history of the podcast. I spoke with Dr. Mickey Thomas Terry, organist and lecturer currently based in the Washington, D.C. area. Among Dr. Terry’s varied accomplishments is the African-American Organ Music Anthology, which recently released its 10th volume through MorningStar Music Publishers. Dr. Terry’s professional work, both through the anthology and his research at large, seek to raise visibility for music by African-American classical composers and give them the opportunity to be played and celebrated today.

And so today I replay my discussion with Dr. Terry, sharing his thoughts on the struggles of African-American composers and what we can do today to honor their esteemed work.

Today Ministry Monday host Amanda Bruce speaks to Marilyn Santos, Associate Director of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). They discuss the National Eucharistic Revival Musical Competition and the opportunity to compose the music that will be used at the 2024 Eucharistic Congress and across the country, sharing the love of the Eucharist. For more information, visit https://www.eucharisticcongress.org/musicalcompetition. The audio version of this episode as well as the show notes can be found at ministrymonday.org.

This is our first new episode back for the podcast in quite some time! The podcast was on a brief hiatus as I enjoyed the first weeks of parenthood. I was blessed to welcome a son this past fall, but I’ll admit to you listeners that his arrival into the world did not come as planned. He came seven weeks early and had to be in the NICU for a month in order to facilitate more growth. As I made my maternity leave schedule – including the list of wonderful episodes I was going to record for the podcast – I didn’t anticipate such an early delivery! And so I am thankful for your understanding for this short break of episodes as I brought baby home and found a new level of sleepiness – and joy – in my life.

Our first episode of 2023 starts with a question that I believe is truly pastoral. Our work in ministry is so unique because we seek to bring the highest music as praise to God, while making sure that all who is called to share these gifts uses them well, with all levels of ability. Maybe it’s a choir member who can’t read music or someone who struggles with the aging voice, or it’s a young guitarist who is still learning but is so eager to participate, our role is to guide those who are offered to us by Christ for praise, using the gifts that were given to them.

Today I speak to flutist, composer, writer, and mother Kathleen M. Basi, or Kate for short. Kate shares the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic brought an opportunity for her family to minister together in her parish, and how important it is for all people of God to be recognized, valued, and included in our ministerial efforts.