Sing to the Lord...

The 10:30am Mass was special yesterday.  Granted, it WAS my first Mass back as a full-timer for the fall, but that wasn't really it.  (I've been playing for that Mass on and off throughout the summer, so I was never really "away" for very long.)  What was great was that one of the choir members, Servando, turned 80 years old.  Servando is a former Jesuit who is sort of the "civilian choir leader" - he and I work together to plan and implement the music for the 10:30 Mass.  Servando is also a classically trained singer.  So, in response to my facebook "happy birthday" earlier in the week, he wrote that he would love to hear me sing something at some point for his birthday.  So I decided that on Sunday I would sing "The Call" from the Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams as a Communion meditation.  I was a little nervous, because I HATE singing in the morning, and I hadn't exactly cloistered myself the night before (it's being Saturday and all :).  Anyway, throughout the choir rehearsal an hour before Mass and then through the whole Mass, right up to the time I had to sing, I was trying and hoping to warm up.  Then, after the Communion music was over and everyone was seated, I got up and announced the piece.  I took a breath and opened my mouth, hoping for the best.  And that's what I got.

I'm so grateful to be given the talents I've been given, and especially for the opportunity to share them.  That's one of the best parts of my job - working with students (and others) to develop and share their talents so that others can have a moving and meaningful experience of the Mass.

Have a great week!

"Behold, I make all things new" Rev 21:5

It's August 2nd, which means it's my 2nd day of work for this academic year, and I'm excited!  I know it sounds cliche' to say, but over the last week and a half, I've really, actually gotten excited about some plans I have for the 9pm Sunday Mass this year.  Mostly I'm going to keep trying to help people form and nurture their relationship with God by exploring all the deeply meaningful components of the Mass.  One idea is this:  serving actual bread (which we already do, according to the canonically approved recipe), torn into actual pieces (which we don't do), as the hosts.  Up to now, we've always used pre-cut bread pieces that appear as tight little squares.  This is convenient, and cuts down on crumbs (you don't want crumbs of Jesus scattered around!), but it loses something in its symbolism (and symbolism - understood correctly - is what the Mass is all about).  When we "break" the bread at Mass, that's what we REALLY do - following the example of Jesus both at the last supper, when he "broke" bread, and when he offered his physical, human body to be broken in his Passion and Death on the cross.  So receiving a nice, square piece of bread somehow misses the depth of the symbol.  Receiving instead a torn piece of one central loaf of bread, the bread that is consecrated at Mass and which becomes the living body of Christ, communicates (pun intended) that the Christ we adore, worship, and receive into our bodies is the Savior of the Broken.  We are broken, injured, un-whole people, and our Lord has entered into that part of our humanity in a deeply intimate way, to redeem, or "justify" us.   We become what we eat - broken, but consecrated; incomplete on our own, but made holy as part of the One Body of Christ.

See you Sunday, August 26th, at 9pm in Ignatius Chapel for the Welcome Mass!

Mass and Pancakes!

Mass and Pancakes is coming up this Sunday.  We're going to reprise the music from last week's Bluegrass Mass. Everyone seemed to love it, so why not!  It's the last 9pm Sunday Mass of the year, before everyone takes off for the summer, or graduates.  We're definitely lucky to have "The Inlaws", Loyola's own bluegrass band, playing for the Mass. (Check them out at www.meetyourinlaws.com.) They bring an upright bass, mandolin, and guitar to play.  And this Sunday, they'll be joined by their friends on banjo and another mandolin!  Plus some amazing singers singing real bluegrass harmony.  Very cool.

We continue in the Easter season, where the church's prayers are full of descriptions of a very exuberant people.  How many times have we heard the phrase, "overcome with Paschal joy" in Mass lately?  I love it.  I also love that Easter is 50 days (from Easter Sunday to Pentecost) - longer than Lent.  In other words, the church focuses more on the joy of Easter than on the penance of Lent.  Let's be happy - after all, the One loves us and has destroyed death for us.  Happy Easter!!

Hello!

This is my new blog - all about the spiritual and religious life of students at Loyola University New Orleans.  My job at Loyola is Associate Chaplain for Liturgy and Music, meaning I coordinate the music and other ministries at our Catholic Masses, and I help coordinate the worship life of the campus. Our unofficial mottos is, "There's a party in our chapel, and you're invited!" I'm also a Resident Chaplain on the 3rd floor of Biever Hall (Hey, 3rd floor!).