This month on the podcast we are putting a focus on education. NPM is a continuing education opportunity for all pastoral musicians. It’s what we do. We offer formation so that we can form others.

How can we devote bite-sized pieces of time on a regular basis to our own formation, despite the context and level of ability we possess?

That’s where our conversation begins today. 

Today we’re going to hear from two voices in the pastoral music field who came to music ministry in a circuitous route. Formation has been critical for both themselves and their music ministers. In fact, formation – both in person and digitally- has become something they value and continue to improve upon, because of their experiences with it.

Last week’s podcast episode featured the “Best Of…” for the history of the podcast. The episode chosen was episode #25: The Singing Priest, featuring Ricky Manalo.

The relationship between us, as music ministers, and the clergy which we serve is critical. Our clergy are our shepherds of our flock. They are our bosses, our administrators, and, in many cases, our spiritual advisors. But I hope I don’t ruffle too many feathers when I say that most clergy do not enter the seminary to become leaders in solely music for the Church. Their charisms span a different range, and music may or may not be one of them. Some priests and deacons love to sing, and some, truthfully, shy away from the opportunity. I can guess that most of us have experienced a liturgy in which the priest sung extraordinary parts of the Mass and the spirit of the liturgy was absolutely elevated as a result.

What can we do to support our clergy as they develop their own musical voice?

Congratulations on providing music for some of the holiest days of the year in our church calendar. We hope you had another successful Christmas Eve/Christmas Day celebration, as well as the Feast of the Holy Family. If you’re anything like me, you haven’t quite fully recovered yet: the onslaught of family events, social events and weekend Masses may still have you in a fog. (At least, they do to me!)

That’s why today we’re hearkening back to the “Best of…” episode for 2019. We polled and looked at what was the most popular episode of the year. It was a close one, but the “Best Of…” episode is…..Episode 25: “The Singing Priest”, featuring Ricky Manalo!