Reform CCHD now!

Money donated by an “official” entity of the Church should not be used to work against the teachings of the Church.

See for yourself  

My wish list

• a priest who does not recite the liturgical prayers like he is participating in the 100-yd. dash
• a quieter mic for the presider when music ministry is trying to do its JOB and lead the congregation in song
• a choir area with properly positioned chairs and overhead microphones
• the opportunity to be asked what hymns we may or may not know before they are thrown at us 20 minutes before Mass this is much better now that the music director has planned the music...
• a REVERENT Sunday Mass - without the usual stumblings, forgotten words, forgotten consecrations, etc.
• a good, "spiritually-nutritious" homily
• a "shepherd-like" presence at more parish functions
• less "talk" about upcoming vacation spots and more "walk" in charity and community involvement
• how about a homily during the homily and save the "business of the parish talk" for at the end of Mass (like right before Recessional hymns, perhaps?)

Can I hear an AMEN?

Turning a new leaf?

+J.M.J.+

I am cautiously optimistic that things are turning around for our little music ministry.  Today the main body of the choir finally met the new director.  That introduction and his expectations went well.  The choir rehearsal/choir mass schedule is not what we like or are used to, but it is what we can do temporily, due to the director's outside schedule (that was in place before he was hired).  I am confident we will do our best, and we step out in faith!  We did a great job today and we are going to continue with what we know for the next few weeks and hope to do something spiritual and holy for the end of Lent, Holy Week, etc.

More good news - we are now up to 4 cantors!  Now we can breathe a little more easily with the cantor schedule...  I believe we are all on the same page about proper, reverent dress when in the leadership role as cantor, as well.  BONUS!

My optimism is also bouyed by the fact that we are once again mobile!  Dug out from the "Big Snow of 2010,"  we have finally be able to run the errands we need and simply get out of the house for sanity's sake.

The Mass is about to change for good, but some folks are not happy about it.

Once I became more learned in the Catholic faith (no thanks to the 1990's RCIA program, mind you) and I developed a love for Latin, I have been one of the many Catholics who has never really been satisfied with the watered-down, English translation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Now, thanks be to God, Rome has come to our rescue! At the Vatican’s insistence, a new and improved translation of the Mass is being promulgated for the entire English-speaking world.
I didn't know better until these last 6 years, but the controversies surrounding the English translation of the current rite of Mass developed under Pope Paul VI back in the sixties, split the Church:

• You had the “progressives” who wanted all kinds of changes in the liturgy and who brought us experimentation, disobedience, and liturgical abuse—and called it “the spirit of Vatican II.”
• Then you had the “traditionalists”—mainly those from the SSPX (Society of St. Pius X), who had many complaints about the New Mass—some valid, some not-so-valid. I understand some of their valid complaints, but if Rome permits the Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular, then who are any of us to question that? HOWEVER, if the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is to be said in the vernacular, then surely we should insist on unsing the CORRECT translations from the Latin! And DO NOT get me started on sappy, PC, 'inclusive language...'
• Then you had the rest of us - most of the faithful who were confused and didn't know that some of what we were handed was simply NOT what Vatican II intended.

Now, Rome has set out to correct the mistakes in the translation so that the Church will not be torn apart over something as simple as a bad translation. The new translation is already in Rome’s hands, and it may give it final approval at any time. I can not wait to use the new translation - it is beautiful!
Here lies the new problem: the “change agents” in the Church—who love to mold the liturgy to their hearts’ desire—are up in arms about the new accurate translation of the Mass.

Gee - am I surprised?? NO

The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) of the 1970's , came up with the inaccurate translation of the Mass that we all have had to endure. They made what was supposed to be sacred sound bland and casual instead.
These liturgists were obstinately proud of what they did to the Mass, and they’ve defended it to the death ever since. They have been in charge of the translation of the Mass for decades. They have caused bitter—and highly unnecessary—divisions in our Church.
Rome has turned the tables on these “agents of change”—and now, suddenly, Rome is the one opposed to change! (??)
Therefore, we’re in for a big battle in our Church . . . and it’s coming to each of our parishes.

Here's the deal . . .
If you’ve ever had to deal with them, you already know that the “progressive” liturgists hate tradition. They want nothing to do with Latin, and want everything to be “new”, “relevant” ,“hip”, “modern” ,etc. Until now, they got their way and we’ve been stuck with their flawed translation ever since.

But . . . due to the hard work of many good Catholics who wanted the Mass to be accurate and who wanted a return to a sense of the sacred (as Pope Benedict XVI so aptly put it), the translation that we’ve all endured for decades is about to be corrected. Officially.  The change is coming all the way from Rome. “Rome has spoken. The matter is finished.”

Well, you would think . . .

But the progressive liturgists are not going down without a fight. They never do. They have started a campaign against the new translation in the pages of publications such as America magazine and The National Catholic Reporter (not to be confused with the much better National Catholic Register) newspaper. They have launched an Internet petition drive called “What If We Just Said Wait?” that wants “a grassroots review of the new Roman Missal.”   I have seen this petition - it is telling whose signatures are on this list - if you look by diocese, you see religious sisters who no longer wear habits and do not adhere to orthodox teaching and run less-than-orthodox schools. That is only the beginning of those who sign the petition. I can only imagine what Christ would have said to a "petition" against one of His teachings while he was on earth!  These progressive liturgists who have been in charge of many dioceses for the last 40 years are not going to give up without a fight. The old-guard liturgists have said that they’re going to fight the new translation every step of the way. They’ve launched this petition drive to convince bishops and priests to resist the changes. They are protesting, pouting, and stomping their feet.

These folks talk about how Rome is “turning back the clock” and going “against Vatican II” and how the new translation is “too difficult” for people because it uses sacred language. What? Who do they think they are? Who do they think WE are - morons incapable of learning a few new phrases or concepts? It strikes me as idiotic as those adults who "baby talk" to children because they can not grasp the idea that those children use and understand the same language as the rest of us!

They messed up our liturgy and AMEN that the corrections are almost in our hands!

The Mass is the most important part of our Catholic spiritual and sacramental life. It’s the highest form of prayer. It is the re-presentation (not a symbolic representation) of the redemptive sacrifice of our Lord on the cross at Calvary—and it is not to be taken lightly.

Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT merely a “gathering” , “community meal”,or a “breaking of bread” . . . or any of the other banal platitudes that are passed off for liturgy these days.

It’s also the Holy Sacrifice and it is sacred.

So after so many years of suffering with such a bad translation of the Mass, we’re going to have a better Liturgy in English! Thank You, God! And thank you, Papa B!

At their most recent meeting, Bishop Arthur Serratelli (chairman of the bishops’ committee on liturgy) spoke of the urgency of educating the faithful about the new translation. He said:
     “The point is rather simple, and in one sentence, it is this: Now is the time to act. We should not wait... In parishes, material could easily be placed in parish bulletins beginning now...Merely providing the resources is not enough. We need to encourage the people to use them.”

So, where does that leave me and my family? We must educate ourselves and trust that the Bride of Christ is taking care of God's children and it is not a difficult step - a few changes in words will lead to a greater understanding of the Church's teachings and the theology of the Church.

Read the changes for yourself.

As you can clearly see, it is not that much. If we are honest with ourselves, it is easily learned. Perhaps this forces us to examine ourselves and face the selfishness that causes us to fight change? But I say to you, it is not that much and it sounds much more reverent and heavenly.

Just my .02

Recipe for a liturgical train wreck

Ingredients:

• 1 - inconsistently present music director (he is still in school and has committments he made prior to being hired, so it is understandable)
• 3 - substitute organists with whom many of us are only slightly familiar
• 1 - "shepherd" who throws too many new pieces (esp. new-to-us Masses without a music director to teach them to us) at the cantors and choir without giving us adequate time to learn said new pieces.  AND he wants these alternated so that it makes it more difficult to lead a congregation who will not be comfortable with the new masses because they do not have enough time to learn them.  He does not seem to understand (or care) about what we cantors/choir know already and the fact that we are going through a major adjustment in the music ministry. 
• 6 (or more) - choir members who left for other parishes when the former choir director resigned (not that blame lies there either - it is just part of this recipe)
• 3 - yes, so far, only 3 cantors to keep up with 3 Masses each week.  We are in trouble when someone is sick or out of town.
• 1 choir area that has been once again rearranged - we lost chairs right under one of the choir mics
• 1 sound system that the cantors (who knew how to adjust things in an emergency) are now locked out of

SIGH.  Mix all ingredients together and you get - a train wreck?  A bad taste in one's mouth?  Whatever it is, it is not good.  With a full choir, masses with which we are familiar, and consistent practices, we can keep things afloat - but when you add in the fact that over 1/2 the choir was absent for this week's choir Mass and we do not have choir practice until further notice, you might as well throw in the towel.  (Trust me, the temptation is there to just let our "shepherd" do it all, since he is so intent on micromanaging it all.)

How to rescue this recipe?  PRAYER and meditation.  St. Cecilia, pray for us!

That all said - I love the vocation of the priesthood.  I pray for all priests.  I am most certainly praying a LOT for mine...   I am also praying intently that our music ministry be less shackled and get back to ministering to the hearts of the parishioners. 

Thoughts on a choir

The parish choir is a community, someone mentioned that it is a microcosm of the Church. The choir members gather with a purpose, with a real belonging to each other for this purpose of leading in worship. It ideally acts as a community open to others, although sometimes it faces its biggest challenges in that aspect. There is freedom, there's not a heck of a lot of pretense, and a Pharisee-type will be seriously challenged. This experience really changes the way I experience the liturgy and I hope it changes the way you do, too!

Saint Cecilia - my patron

Saint Cecilia, heroic martyr who stayed faithful to Jesus your Divine Bridegroom, give us faith to rise above our persecutors and to see in them the image of our Lord.  We know that you were a musician and we are told that you heard angels sing.  Inspire musicians to gladden the hearts of people by filling the air with God's gift of music and reminding them of the Divine Musician Who created all beauty.  Amen.

Spiritual Reading

Growing in the Virtues of Jesus
(Tha Marianist Method of Virtues for Use in Groups)
by Quentin Hakenewerth, SM


This can be read alone or with a group.  (I am reading it now to be able to discuss with my 7th grader how to develop the various virtues.)  It is a spiritual journey of allowing yourself to change by taking on certain habits and attidudes of Christ.  It also has brought me more awareness about myself.

30 Books of the Bible Puzzle

30 Books of the Bible Puzzle

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them?

This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much; he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo, Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it, she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really east to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in out genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless!

My Likes and Dislikes

Please note that these are my personal likes and dislikes - and I'll even note why I am or am not crazy about a particular pieces.

Likes:

• What Child Is This? - simply because it is celtic
• Celtic Alleluia - see above
• Mary, Did You Know? - pretty song but I listed it below as well
• How Beautiful - a pretty contemporary song about serving hands

Dislikes:

• Be Not Afraid - lovely words, but all the dotted 8th notes are so confusing that is is hard to follow if you are not a reader of music notes...
• Mary, Did You Know? - as a Catholic I think this song treats OUr BLessed Mother as just another female and not 'full of grace' and one who at least had a little clue as to her Son's destiny (remember, these are my personal opinions - not meant to start an argument)
• Ashes - to me, it is heretical - We do NOT create ourselves anew - only God creates

This week's reflection

Especially since my calling has been to music ministry, I feel it is of utmost importance to reflect on my station in life.  So I'll be praying over questions such as these:

How frequently do I make use of the Sacrament of Penance?
What does this tell me about how seriously I take my call to holiness? 
Do I utilize this sacrament often enough to worthily receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of my Lord and Saviour?!

Yes, I DO occasionally burst into song...

...especially when I am suffering sleep deprivation.  For instance, we were on our pilgrimage to the 2010 March for Life in Washington, DC and slept on the floor of the religious education building at St. Patrick's Parish.  We woke too early for my comfort - especially after a night of barely dozing off on a hard, cold floor - and all I could think to do was sing "This Is the Day The Lord Has Made."
I had a couple of really good friends barely control themselves from gut-punching me for that one :-)

Honestly, ladies - it was the sleep-deprived me that was in the mood to sing at 5:30 a.m.

Pax,
Michaela