Yesterday, I participated in "cantor training" at my new parish...not that I'm planning on cantoring anytime soon but the music directors thought it would be a good idea for me to and I thought "why not?" Well, I'll tell you "why not." Though everything was familiar...the sights, the sounds, the logistics...the minutiae was vastly different from what I know and love about cantoring at St. Margaret's. At St. Mark's, the acoustics are polar opposite from my former parish, there are sound monitors everywhere, the instrumentation, accompaniment and the music are a one-eighty from the Palestrina and Gregorian Chant I've come to greatly appreciate; and, for the first time in my 44 years as a Catholic, even the ambo is on the other side of the altar (it resides on the right as the congregation looks at the altar, not the left as I have become, almost innately, accustomed to). When I finally got the nerve to step up and sing before twenty-some-odd people I barely, if at all, know, my throat went bone dry and my pulse went through the roof. I haven't been that uncomfortable cantoring since my first day on the job 19+ years ago. It was almost as if my body was screaming: "This is not right for you!" Needless to say, it wasn't my finest display of liturgical skill and, God willing, I hope to never cantor in that type of environment again. It's hard to eat processed cheese food when you're used to a fine gourmet chevre. The interesting thing to me is that, if the caliber of singers at the training last night is any indication, St. Mark's is very blessed with an abundance of competent and beautiful singers, who should be and are capable of singing much more sacred and challenging music at Mass.
Being in a melancholy mood from my experience I decided to look at some photos of St. Margaret's to remind me of what I deeply love about the worship of God through our public work...
I miss this: A liturgy and parish so steeped in beauty and mysterium that it moves children to un-prodded reverence and piety.
My heart aches...almost to the point of longing and sorrow.
Such great things you say about St. Margaret's. I agree about it. Also, there are some changes being made here. Dr. J announced at practice that Father C will be attending our practices and aligning everything we do close to prayer. We are also singing English propers of Offertory and Communion (1), that look something like an English-person's translation of a Gregorian Chant, and is in square notes.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that the propers are being sung in Gregorian-chant style by the choir and in English so the congregation can enter into the prayer more readily. I'm also thrilled to hear that Fr. C will be assisting the choir with the alignment of everything the choir does with the liturgy and its prayer. It is such a wonderful (and rare) gift to have a pastor who has such a deep theological and liturgical understanding and is willing to give his time and efforts to make sure that his flock has a full and meaningful prayer experience at worship. I will continue to keep everyone at St. Margaret's in my prayers.
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