November 26, 2018

#041: A New Year; a Familiar Journey

November 26, 2018

Happy New Year! While the new calendar year doesn’t begin for another five weeks, we are about to begin the new liturgical year. Usually, a new calendar year brings time for reflection on the year that is ending, and time for setting resolutions for the year ahead. Unfortunately, for many of us in pastoral ministry, we don’t get to start our new liturgical year with the same sort of intentional reflection that is common at the start of the calendar year. We’re in the thick of holiday preparations, we’ve got special rehearsals, Advent lessons and carols, penance services, school programs, family celebrations, and so forth. Further, in the secular world, we’ve already been celebrating Christmas since the end of October.

So, today, we’re providing a brief pause at the start of the new liturgical year. We are sharing two pieces to help frame the Advent season. The first is a reflection on the liturgical year – the importance of time, the meaning of the journey. The second is a comparison of American culture and American worship, exploring how the values of each are complimentary to – or, as often as not, in conflict with – one another.

As you listen to these explorations, I encourage you to listen to them through the lens of Advent. How does our celebration of Advent change when we consider it in the context of the entire liturgical year, viewing it as the first steps on our liturgical pilgrimage? How is our celebration of Advent mired in the competing values of popular culture? In our roles as liturgical leaders, how can we intentionally form our ensembles, our colleagues, and our communities so that the message of Advent might be communicated clearly to all?

SHOW NOTES

You can read the full articles you heard read in today’s episode by visiting the Pastoral Music magazine archive.

You can purchase the music you heard in today’s episode: “This is Your Justice” (Colson), “Comfort, Comfort O My People” (arr. Alonso), and “Christ, Circle Round Us” (Schutte).

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

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.

November 19, 2018

#040: Giving Thanks

November 19, 2018

Here in the United States, we are gearing up for another holiday week. I don’t know about all of you, but, for myriad reasons, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I enjoy the food, the counting of blessings, the time spent with family and friends, the pause, the reflection.

But, while my enthusiasm for Thanksgiving has not waned over the years, the simplicity of my understanding has. I recognize that Thanksgiving can stir a complex and sometimes conflicting sense of emotion. Not all celebrations are peaceful. Not all tallies of blessings seem to be as long. Not all family gatherings are akin to Norman Rockwell.

In a particular way this year, I think of the challenges we face in our Church, our communities, country, and our world. Scandal. Division. Violence. Natural disasters. Illness. War. Anger. Apathy.

So, today, in the midst of the messiness of life, we are pausing to give thanks. To do so, we’ll hear from the writings of four voices, each helping explore what it means to be grateful. I’m hoping you’ll find this to be a sort of mini-retreat, and so I’ve interspersed music selections between each reading. If you can’t listen to the entire episode at once, listen to a portion each day. I hope you are able to find time this week to let these words and melodies sink in, challenging and affirming, and, in a special way, feeding and forming.

SHOW NOTES

You can find like to the works you heard read in today’s episode by clicking on the name of the author: Abraham Lincoln, Fr. Romano Guardini, Pope Francis, Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, and Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB.

The music you heard in today’s episode: “Come You Thankful People Come” (arr. Alonso), piano improvisation on “Simple Gifts,” “We Plow the Fields and Scatter,” “Thanks Be to Thee,” (Handel), “O God You Search Me” (Farrell), “Earth and All Stars,” and “Give Us Peace” (Roberts).

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

November 12, 2018

#039: Formation and Connection, Delivered to Your Doorstep (with Kathy Felong)

November 12, 2018

This past year, NPM offered its forty-first convention. For more than four decades, NPM has been gathering, forming, and celebrating pastoral musicians in national and regional conventions offered across the country. For just as long – in fact, for a little longer – NPM has offered formation, celebration, and connection through the publication of Pastoral Music magazine.

Today, we’re talking about the NPM magazine as it transitions to a new editorial staff. We’ll discuss the following questions: Why, when we so often hear that print media is dying, does NPM continue to offer a magazine? What impact does NPM hope the magazine will have on the practice of its members? What can we expect to find in the new issue when it lands in our mailboxes in a few weeks? And more. To explore these questions, we’ll speak with Kathy Felong, the new editor of NPM’s magazine. We’ll also hear an excerpt from Pope Francis’ message on World Communications Day 2018 in this week’s Ministry Moment.

SHOW NOTES

The newest issue of Pastoral Music will be arriving in mailboxes around Thanksgiving Day. Members of NPM automatically receive a copy. If you aren’t a member yet, sign up today!

For more information about Beyond Strumming, visit GIA Publications.

The music you heard in today’s episode: “Find Us Ready” (Booth), “Piano Improvisation on ‘Break Bread Together’” (Koopmann), and “Give Us Peace” (Roberts).

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