The topic of self-care is an elusive one for pastoral musicians, as our calling is to serve others. It is a charism that extends to all that we do in ministry. We sacrifice our weekends, our holidays, our days off to play an unexpected funeral of someone we so value in our parish, and so on. I know that many of us are happy to do it because, again, we are pastoral ministers! But what are the unique needs for us, as ministers, in 2020? How does “taking care of ourselves” look like this year?

This episode of Ministry Monday is sponsored by ONE LICENSE. Did you know that ONE LICENSE offers comprehensive options for posting your worship services online during COVID-19 and has brand new blog resources on virtual choirs, practice-tracks, and updating your backdated reporting? For more information, and to view their blog, visit news.onelicense.net. ONE LICENSE — inspiring congregational song!

Today on the podcast we speak with Holly Mohr, Director of Religious Education for the South Side/Mount Washington Parish Community in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Holly has the gift of seeing the sacred in the chaos which we all need during this pandemic year. If you’re feeling even a bit of uncertainty in your ministry or just in life this Advent season, this episode is for you.

As Kate Basi discussed in last week’s episode, 2020 has cracked open our world and the things we expect within it. But is there a small sliver of positivity in the midst of this waiting? Can we use this time as space to truly center ourselves this Advent?

Today on the podcast we feature a replay from Dr. Tony Alonso. Tony’s Key Change from the 2019 focuses on finding stillness and silence in our world as Catholics, and we believe it is a perfect way to begin the Advent season filled with waiting in our world.