#020: Ambassadors of Joy (with Jesse Manibusan)

Jesse Manibusan with the One Call Institute leadership team (Jes Garceau, Matt Reichert, Zack Stachowski, and Carmen Grace Poppert)

With the Independence Day holiday coming up this week, many of us are thinking about a day off. For me, I’m not thinking about a day off on Wednesday, I’m thinking about today. We have just finished our inaugural One Call Institute for young pastoral musicians and their advocates. An outstanding group of young people, adults in ministry who work with young people, and team members gathered for an incredible week of learning, prayer, formation, and fellowship on the campus of Saint John’s Abbey and University in Central Minnesota. 

I come away from the week inspired, filled with hope for the future, and – needless to say – exhausted. So, in place of our customary interview, today we are bringing you an audio program from the Open Your Hymnal podcast. Open Your Hymnal, cohosted by Zack Stachowski and by me, 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. 

We are pleased to present today our interview with composer Jesse Manibusan about his song “Open My Eyes.” 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.Jesse was able to join the One Call Institute community this year as a guest artist for a special evening of song, celebration, and discipleship formation.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Jesse Manibusan and his other compositions, visit his composer page at OCP. You can also visit his website: www.jessemanibusan.com. 

You can purchase a copy of the score and a copy of the song recording from OCP. Here you can also purchase the other Jesse Manibusan song you heard in the episode, "Malo! Malo! Thanks Be to God." The recording of "Take All the Lost Home" by Joe Wise can be purchased from GIA Publications.

You can purchase a copy of the instrumental piano recording of "Open My Eyes" (arranged and performed by Jon Sarta) from iTunes. 

You can read the article about the Westminster study that Zack referenced at the University of Westminster's homepage.

You can learn more about the One Call Institute at www.onecallinstitute.org. You can see photos and videos from the week by visiting the One Call Facebook page.

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

The recordings of "How Can I Keep from Singing?" 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.

#019: Should We? - or - How Can We Not? (with Rory Cooney)

Rory Cooney

I am willing to wager that all of us engaged in pastoral ministry would consider ourselves to be disciples – believers of the Good News, followers of Christ. I’m also willing to wager that, just like the first disciples, we are imperfect – sometime stumbling, sometimes second-guessing, sometimes fearful and unsure. 

Ministry is never easy, and it is made all the more difficult in challenging times like these. We are called to accompany those to whom we minister as we all traverse the rocky road of politics, of interpersonal relationships, of messy life events, and more. We are called to help make sense of what all seems, at times, to be senseless. We are called to express the Truth with love and honesty. 

In today’s episode, we discuss how to think about the ways we can – or should – acknowledge and respond to the issues happening in our nation and our world. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, as we’ve seen news stories and social media commentary about immigration policy and strategy, especially on our southern border. To help frame these issues, we’ll hear from Rory Cooney. I have long admired Rory for his beautiful compositions and profound texts. More so, I marvel at Rory’s ability to speak so well about how the Gospel meets real life. Today, he will share some of his wisdom, his study, and his experience.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Rory Cooney and his other compositions, visit his composer pages at GIA Publications, OCP, and WLP. Also, be sure to check out his blog, "Gentle Reign". You can access the full text of the blog post quoted in the episodes Ministry Monday here. 

The recordings of "A Place Called Home" 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.

#018: Drinking God Straight, Part II (with Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB)

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB

Today’s episode is a continuation of an earlier episode of Ministry Monday. Way back in our sixth episode, we featured an audio program produced by Saint Meinrad’s Seminary titled, “Drinking God Straight.” This program explored the evolution and status of English language chant following the Second Vatican Council, giving particular focus to the work of Fr. Columba Kelly. 

Sadly, Fr. Columba passed away earlier this month. We are celebrating his life today, not by giving extended commemorations or reflections, but by doing what he would have preferred - exploring the importance of chant in our liturgical celebrations. So, today we are brining you “Drinking God Straight, Part II.” If you haven’t listened to Episode Six yet, I’d encourage you to go back and give it a listen. There, you’ll hear from Fr. Columba himself. 

To continue the conversation, our guest is Fr. Anthony Ruff. A Benedictine monk of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, Fr. Anthony - like Fr. Columba - is a fierce advocate for chant in the liturgy. Today, we’ll examine the misconceptions about chant, the richness that it contains, pastoral advice for implementation, and mistakes to be avoided. Whether you think you like chant, or not, or if you think your community will sing chant, or not, today is an important conversation to help expand your understanding and challenge your reservations.

SHOW NOTES

For more information about Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, visit his author page at PrayTell Blog. 

For more information about the life and work of Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB, visit his biography page at Saint Meinrad's Archabbey.

To order a copy of "Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship," visit the USCCB website.

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.