WE HAVE ALL been there. As pastoral musicians, at times one experiences particularly difficult and emotional funerals. They could include the death of a child or bright promising young adult. There is devastating tragedy and those who battled illness or addiction. Maybe it is a parent of young children. Such funerals can weigh the heavily…
“Woman of No Distinction” World Premiere
CHRIS KINSELY wrote a landmark poem in 2006 about the Samaritan woman at the well and her encounter with Jesus. What makes this poem unique is its perspective: written entirely from the point of view of the woman. This poem has much to teach us today. (See the poem below.) Jennifer Lester, Director of The…
Donald J. Clark • 1931-2019 • Words of Remembrance
THANK YOU all for coming today. Your prayers and support mean the world to me, my mother, my sisters, Laura and Joanne, and all of Donald and Anna’s grandchildren. I want to thank this beautiful faith community at St. William the Abbott. My parents have been parishioners here for half a century as they moved…
New England Catholic Choral Festival & Mass • 2019
IT’S NEVER just about the music. Singing liturgical music from the great rich heritage of our Roman Catholic faith is about something else: nurturing faith through the Sacred Liturgy. If you are not familiar with the American Federation Pueri Cantores choir festivals, I urge you to explore this opportunity which is open to any young…
Hope • A Side of the Boston Cathedral No One Sees
RECENTLY BEGAN a new life—an extension of the old, but a new life, unmistakably. I struggle some days missing dear friends, but they have clearly not left me, nor I them. Then I experience several unexpected joys of my new life (challenges and all) and there is hope. Hope because I’m called to serve differently…
The Announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts • 2019
AUL J. MURRAY, Director of Music and Organist of Church of Our Saviour, New York, New York, has set the Announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts for the Novus Ordo. He has kindly made it available here for free download. While, the chant can be found in the Roman Missal Appendix, it is very…
Musicians in Collaborative Parishes • Sharing Best Practices
HERE IS NO shortage of challenge in pastoral ministry. This is an understatement of a lifetime! Then why do we do it? Perhaps because parish work, despite its potential obstacles, is among the most rewarding. Among such challenges faced in the Archdiocese of Boston (and well beyond) are a shortage of priests, shifting demographics, decline…
Mark Dwyer • Concert to Benefit the E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings (1875) Organ at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross
ARK DWYER, Organist and Choirmaster of the Church of the Advent and one of the finest church musicians in the country, will have the distinction of shining the light on two glorious Hook organs in Boston all at the same time — and in one concert. With the Cathedral of the Holy Cross currently under…
Acompañamientos • MISAL ROMANO, Tercera Edición
A NUEVA traducción de la Tercera Edición del Misal Romano por los Estados Unidos ha sido disponible desde Mayo 2018. Su uso será obligatorio en los Estados Unidos del 2 de diciembre, que es el primer domingo de adviento (el uso de la traducción ha sido opcional desde la Vigilia de Pentecostés de 2018). Scroll…
Radio Interview • Óscar Romero & New Beginnings
IN OCTOBER 14th, Óscar Romero will be canonized along with five others. His cause for canonization was opened in 1997 by Pope St. John Paul II. At a standstill for some years, it was furthered in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. On February 3, 2015, Pope Francis decreed that Romero was martyred in odium fidei…