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Happy Easter! We hope your Holy Week and Easter Sunday celebrations were filled with music, prayer and joy at the Resurrection of our Lord. We know this episode comes to you on Easter Monday, a day where pastoral musicians are hopefully resting after Holy Week. We hope that this episode from the Ministry Monday archives allows you to strike while the iron is hot, whether that is today or later on in the Octave of Easter.

One of the best practices I learned from a fellow pastoral minister was to take the time to write down what went well - and what didn’t - almost immediately after a momentous liturgy took place. For events like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Triduum, it helped me to refine the following year’s preparations and made my work more efficient. If I needed an extra song at the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday, for example, I knew to add another one just in case for next year. Truthfully, I also wrote down what didn’t work, and earmarked that for next year.

And so we listen into the episode. You’ll hear former Ministry Monday host Matt Reichert interview Mike about this topic, with the hopes that it helps you to pause, regroup, and prepare for next year.

Now is a wonderful time to take advantage of ONE LICENSE’s Single-Use and Event Licenses for the Easter, confirmation, and graduation seasons! If you plan to use copyrighted music in your Triduum worship services, or for an upcoming confirmation or graduation service, a Single-Use or Event License can be a great fit - especially for those who do not already participate in an Annual Reprint License.
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The marriage of melody to text is the essence of hymnody at its core. Both play a critical part in a hymn’s efficacy, both in conveying a message and encouraging a full participation by the worshipping assembly singing it. Today we focus on the text of a hymn: what is the genesis of a hymn text? How important is the relationship to text and a common hymn tune? What are some of the things we, as composers, or we as pastoral ministers need to listen for? Alan Hommerding shares his reflections on text-writing and the power of words we can embrace by simply singing a hymn.

This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by CLEF – Catholic Liturgical Ensemble Formation.

The CLEF Summer Program, taking place July 23 – 28 in Milford, Ohio, is a unique opportunity for education, skill building, prayer, and community connection specifically designed for ensemble musicians, with options for an ensemble track or retreat track. For more information, visit https://clef.life.

Today on the podcast we revisit the most-listened-to episode of 2022, which was also part 1 of Ministry Monday’s Exsultet series. We speak to Fr. Paul Turner about the historical context of the Exsultet, the sacred chant sung at the start of the Easter Vigil. The Exsultet is such a distinct moment in the Triduum journey: covered in darkness, punctuated by candlelight, the Exsultet is a 9-minute chant prefacing what is about to happen in the Easter Vigil liturgy: Christ, returning "from death's domain", grants us all eternal life through His resurrection. It is to begin. Today Fr. Paul Turner provides a historical, biblical and liturgical context from which to prepare the Exsultet this Lent. When was the Exsultet first sung? How did it find its place at the start of the Easter Vigil? Why are deacons so often chosen for the role? And what about the role of bees in the newest translation?