June 4, 2018

#016: Navigating Transitions (with Tom Franzak)

June 4, 2018

It can be hard enough to juggle one calendar, but those of us in pastoral ministry juggle three – yearly, liturgical, and fiscal. What’s more, each has a unique beginning. We celebrate the yearly New Year on January 1, the liturgical New Year on the first Sunday of Advent, and the fiscal New Year on July 1.

Today, we’ll focus on fiscal time. With just a few weeks left before July 1, parishes and pastoral ministers around the country are preparing for transitions. Some pastors will begin new assignments, some ministers will begin new positions, some communities will begin new partnered or clustered relationships, and so forth. Navigating our experience of these transitions can be challenging, especially if you are someone changing positions. Even if you or your community aren’t experiencing changes, at some point, you surely will. So, whether your July 1st New Fiscal Year will see new changes or not, it is important that we cultivate an informed spiritual and tactical mindset. Tom Franzak will help us frame how we think about and approach these transitions, and we’ll share some of his music in this week’s Ministry Moment.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Tom Franzak and his work, visit his composer pages at GIA Publications and OCP. You can also visit his website, www.tomfranzak.com.

The recording of "The Call" was produced by Myrrh Records. The recordings of "Halleluya! We Sing Your Praises" and "Give Us Peace" were 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 28, 2018

#015: How Liturgy Transforms (with Msgr. Ray East)

May 28, 2018

Here we are, back in Ordinary Time. The color green once again graces our sanctuaries, and the rhythm of our ministerial calendars seems to slacken a bit (unless, of course, you include weddings). The very inclusion of the word “ordinary” is misleading. The season is anything BUT ordinary, filled with parables and miracles. And, let’s not forget, there is nothing ordinary about the Eucharist - every celebration is remarkable, every celebration is transformational.

On a practical level, it is us who put the “ordinary” in Ordinary Time. Following marathon celebrations of the Lenten, Triduum, and Easter seasons and First Communions, Confirmations, and Ordinations we often tone down our celebrations. Coinciding with the arrival of summer, we pare down our music and liturgical ministries to accommodate vacations and travel. Now, these are understandable adjustments. But, often, the change in our practices during Ordinary Time can result in missed opportunities or self-fulfilling prophecies. Sometimes, it seems, we forget that “ordinary” is not exclusive of “transformation”.

Today, we’ll hear from Msgr. Ray East. Recorded at the twenty-fifth NPM national convention in 2001, Fr. Ray speaks about the transformative nature of the liturgy. With his customary spirit-filled preaching, Fr. Ray reminds us how our ordinary, day-to-day work as pastoral ministers has the power to transform our communities, ourselves, and our world.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Msgr. Ray East and his work, read the following articles: on African American Catholic spirituality; on Race and Religion; on the call to remember the poor. You can also watch Fr. Ray's keynote address given at the 2017 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress.

The recording of "Somos el Cuerpo de Cristo" was produced by OCP. 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.

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.