Serving the Servants: How to Fill the Hearts of Music Ministers
When [Jesus] entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour [his] servant was healed.”
– Matthew 8:5-10,13
Choir and ensemble directors, let it be known that you have an authority, and with that authority comes great spiritual responsibility. As one who says to the cantor ‘Go to the ambo’ and he goes; and to another ‘Come here for rehearsal at 7pm’ and he comes; and to your [not slave] pianist ‘Do this flourish at the end’ and he does it… you have taken on an overwhelming tasks of not only preparing excellent music for liturgy, but caring for the spiritual wellbeing for a collective of musicians.
The liturgical musician: the servant of the church; first to arrive and last to leave; unpaid and underpaid; dutifully serving the moments of every weekend Mass, every weekday funeral, every couple entering their nuptial sacrament, every confirmandi receiving a deepening of grace, every staff meeting, committee meeting, sub committee meeting, council meeting… missing every important holiday gathering with their families, missing dinners during evening rehearsals, missing sleep during midnight Masses, missing days off to serve unusual Mass times. Do they do it for glory? We sure hope not. But that doesn’t make it easier when Sally Jo comes up after a long week of Masses to complain about the communion hymn, does it?
All jesting aside, it’s understated how deep the emotional and spiritual needs of our liturgical musicians are; nearly to the state of crisis, especially in the United States. An occasional retreat or weekend off, or for staff musicians a planned annual pay raise, simply overlooks the direness of the situation at hand. Even the most humble, well intentioned liturgical musicians are in need of healing. Even the most dutiful servant of the Church needs Christ. As the “centurion” –– the one chosen to lead your music ministers –– you might just be the only one who sees the spiritual needs of your liturgical musicians. You might be the only one to advocate for your own spiritual well being as well. It should be stated that this is an immense challenge. It should also be stated that in our ministry with The Vigil Project, we see this everywhere, and you are certainly very far from being alone.
In my years as a music director, I reached a hilarious conclusion:
“Thank you, Lord, that Sunday never stops coming… but, MY LORD Sunday never stops coming!”
Catching your breath within the liturgical calendar – especially as a layperson who has vocational responsibilities to the household as well as your Church employer – is both challenging and necessary, and all the more so for those staff and volunteer liturgical musicians that you oversee.
The obvious question is: what do you do about it? How do you find rest, healing, prayer, JESUS; while serving the needs of the Church as a liturgical musician?
First, the musician is always more important than the music. As music directors, we have a duty to steward excellent music, yes, but this has to come first from a care of the person. Musicians who feel crummy, or who are spiritually exhausted, won’t consistently bring excellence to the liturgy. Beyond just the outcome of bringing excellence to the liturgy, though, we care for their personhood because we simply care for their personhood. It’s simply important to bring Christ to all who need Him, and liturgical musicians are easily overlooked as a group that, by-and-large, needs Jesus… desperately.
Here’s some ideas to help you, and by extension, help your liturgical ministers:
Every gathering is a chance to minister
I remember the first time I realized the gravity of the spiritual needs of my choir –– I was planning for an intense rehearsal and the last few weekends had already felt a bit lackluster. In my previous choir directing roles, a little chutzpah was all I felt I needed to make a rehearsal jive. But instead I felt the nudge to turn the rehearsal into more of a retreat-like experience. Beginning with prayer and creating space for them to speak aloud their own prayer intentions revealed that there were some really heavy hearts in the room. Oh how my own heart broke… I felt the burning desire to bring them to Jesus for healing. That helped me to realize that every encounter with your music ministers is an opportunity for Jesus to be present to them. Sure, pray before rehearsals, but take it a step further: chant the liturgy of the hours together instead of a choral warmup; make a habit of visiting the tabernacle (or if you’ve got it, adoration chapel) before and after rehearsal to spend time in silence with Jesus; encourage the same for before/after Mass on Sundays; encourage members to receive the sacrament of reconciliation before serving a liturgy, and perhaps even arrange for your pastor to visit rehearsals occasionally to offer the sacrament or tend to the ensembles’ spiritual needs.
The biggest game-changer for my work as a music minister was when I started using liturgy of the hours before every rehearsal, and to gather the ensemble in prayer before Triduum Masses. The psalms are immensely powerful, and chanting them is the perfect way to bring everyone into the fold of prayer together, warm up our voices, and allow space for the Lord to speak.
Retreat
Any parish priest will quickly tell you about the importance of retreating. Most dioceses across the United States actually mandate that their priests take at least one personal retreat during the year, if not more. Even Jesus went into the desert to pray. The importance of creating time for prayer, silence, and relationship with God cannot be overstated! Yes, Sunday never stops coming, and depending on your situation, you might need to return to the parish by the weekend… but you are allowed to take a break. Spend a week at a monastery, or in community with other Catholic musicians. The Vigil Project hosts an annual Catholic Musician retreat for this very purpose; to give Catholic musicians a focused time to pray, recharge, and be in fellowship with other Catholic musicians. Take a pilgrimage to a nearby Catholic site and spend time in prayer, even if just for a day. Go hiking or camping and bring a Psalter along with you. If you’re a lay liturgical musician, it can be so easy to convince yourself that you don’t need the spiritual practices that are mandated of priests, AND that things won’t go well on Sunday if you’re not there. Even Moses went up the mountain and came back to a community of golden-calf worshipers… I’m certain that’s the worst thing that could happen in your absence, and even he was still granted the opportunity to course-correct.
Similarly, encourage your liturgical musicians to retreat. Whether they actually go somewhere on retreat, or simply take a weekend every month to sit in the pews with their family, it’s important they embrace opportunities to participate in communal prayer without serving communal prayer.
If you need something with a little more organization behind it, bring a Catholic musician into the parish to lead a retreat. Many Catholic musicians, including The Vigil Project, offer local parish retreats and parish musician workshops. These are critical opportunities for prayer, formation, and fellowship that you simply cannot achieve in the week-by-week cycle of rehearsal and liturgy.
Know Your Sheep
The great gift of your role, as a leader of liturgical music, is to know the minds and hearts of those in your ensembles. Don’t take this for granted. While it can be uncomfortable at first, be sure to reach out to members one-by-one throughout the year. Thank them for their service, and offer to spend time with them over coffee or a walk after Mass. When you know your sheep, you can pray with them and for them far better.
Cycle your talent
Even with the smallest of choirs or ensembles, it’s important to plan time when people aren’t serving. It takes a bit of planning; offer monthly “sign ups” for your choir or ensemble. Give people the opportunity to say, “Hey, I need a weekend to be in the pews.” Most liturgical musicians will not advocate for themselves in this important need, so you – as leader – need to provide opportunities and pay attention to these needs! Similarly, it’s important to find a substitute for yourself every once in a while, so you can sit in the pews in your own parish. It’s awkward to show up on Sunday and listen to your choir from afar, but it’s also a critical chance for you to recharge, gain some perspective, and most importantly: pray.
Andrew Goldstein is the Director of Mission Advancement for The Vigil Project, a Catholic nonprofit that helps Catholics reclaim their vast heritage of music. Check out www.thevigilproject.com to explore devotional resources, live Eucharistic Renewal events, and tools for Catholic musicians. Questions? Email: agoldstein@thevigilproject.com