May 20, 2018

#014: Finding and Living Our Strengths (with Leisa Anslinger)

May 20, 2018

The celebration of Pentecost demands that we consider not just the ways in which the Spirit is at work in our lives, but also what unique gifts we possess and how we are called to use them in service to others. To paraphrase the reading from Corinthians, there are many different gifts, and we have each received them for some benefit.

But, though the spirit is a great gift-giver, we aren’t always great gift-receivers. It is more natural for us to covet the gifts and talents of others than to see the value of what we ourselves possess. It’s hard to see how our strengths fit into the talent matrix of our families or the communities to which we belong. Yet, these strengths are, indeed, unique to us, and the employment of these talents is critical for the realization of the work of the Spirit.

In today’s episode, we explore the concept of strengths, what they are, how to identify them, and how an authentic understanding and stewardship of strengths can engage our entire parish community. To do so, we’ll speak with stewardship expert Leisa Anslinger, and we’ll hear again from Pope Francis in this week’s Ministry Moment.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Leisa Anslinger and her work, visit the Catholic Life and Faith website.

To read more about Strengths Finder and the Living Your Strengths program, visit the Gallup Organization's website.

To read the full text of Pope Francis' remarks from his General Audience on April 24, 2013, visit the Vatican website.

The recording of "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" was produced by ILP. The recording of "Give Us Peace" was produced by GIA Publications.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode.

To join us this summer at the national convention in Baltimore, Maryland, visit the 2018 NPM convention website.

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.

May 13, 2018

#013: Exploring Gaudete et Exultate (with Bill Huebsch, featuring Pope Francis)

May 13, 2018

In our recent conversations with Fr. Michael Leonard Hahn about marriage preparation and Fr. Jim Martin about evangelization, both guests referenced the apostolic exhortations of Pope Francis. Many of our listeners were familiar with these documents, but the discussions in these episodes prompted more than one listener to write in and ask, “where do I find out more?” and “how should I be reading and studying these documents?” and even, “what the heck is an apostolic exhortation?”

In today’s episode, we explore Pope Francis’ newest Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exultate.In addition to surveying what it says, we will also consider its pastoral implications, and why all of us in pastoral ministry should pay attention to these types of documents. To do so, we’ll speak with an expert on this subject, Bill Huebsch, and we’ll hear from the document itself during our Ministry Moment.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Bill Huebsch and his publications, visit his website: www.billhuebsch.com. Here you can order the reading guide for Gaudete et Exultate.

You can order a collection of holiness resources from The Pastoral Center.

To read the full text of Gaudete et Exultate, visit the Vatican website.

The recording of "Resucito" was produced by OCP. The piano recording of "Brother James' Air" was performed by Fr. Robert Koopmann, OSB, on the album Sacred Improvisations.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode.

To join us this summer at the national convention in Baltimore, Maryland, visit the 2018 NPM convention website.

May 7, 2018

#012: May, the Month of Mary (with Carey Landry)

May 7, 2018

Matt Reichert, Carey Landry, and Zack Stachowski

As we in the United States look forward to celebrating Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, we in the Church are celebrating “Mother’s Month.” The custom of honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary during the month of May dates back as early as the Thirteenth Century, with special prayers, devotions, celebrations, and – of course – special music.

Today, in place of our customary interview, we are bringing you an audio program from the Open Your Hymnal podcast. Open Your Hymnal, cohosted by Zack Stachowski and Matt Reichert, is a special project aimed at breaking open the best-loved and most-common liturgical music in the Catholic repertoire. Each episode explores one song and features conversation with the composer and, sometimes, special guests.

To commemorate this Marian month, we are pleased to present today our interview with composer Carey Landry about his song “Hail Mary: Gentle Woman.” Originally released in the 1970s, this song has been a staple of parishes around the world. Yet, though you may know the song well, there are new corners to explore and messages to consider.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Carey Landry and his other compositions, visit his composer page at OCP.

You can purchase a copy of the score and a copy of the original song recording from OCP. Here you can also purchase the other Carey Landry songs you heard in this episode: "Only a Shadow," "Peace is Flowing Like a River," and "Bloom Where You're Planted."

You can purchase a copy of the instrumental piano recording (arranged and performed by Paul Tate) from GIA Publications. You can also purchase a copy of the choral recording (arranged by Richard Proulx and performed by the Cathedral Singers) and a copy of Dan Kantor's "Ave Maria" from GIA Publications.

You can watch the video recording of Bobby McFerrin's live concert performance of the Bach/Gounod "Ave Maria", with the audience singing along, on YouTube.

You can listen to more episodes of the Open Your Hymnal podcast at www.openyourhymnal.com.

The recording of "Resucito" was produced by OCP.

Visit NPM's digital resource library, referenced at the end of the episode.

To join us this summer at the national convention in Baltimore, Maryland, visit the 2018 NPM convention website.