Sermon on the Rocks, with Music

Last night was the beginning of Lent. Our priest, Fr. Mike O'Brien, announced the beginning of a rocky road...we were all given stones, small, but very important. The stones represent our sins, and we are to keep up with them and consider them all through Lent and return them, lay them down, give them over, at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday.

Of course, my little darlings couldn't resist also dragging them along walls (hey, they make SPARKS, everybody!!!!), using them to leave weird little almost invisible graffiti on the odd brick, and excitedly seeing how many sparks their sin-rocks could make if whacked against one another...*sigh*

At least they were excited about the Mass. That was pretty cool. I loved the fact that a symbol of such volatility, our own personal sin, could ignite passion and interest, so to speak. We'll see if they still know where their rocks are by Good Friday.

Have a blessed and Holy Lent. We sing again on March 21st & 22nd at Mass. Look for details on our upcoming "Backstage at Broadway, a Murder in the Dark" Draw down fundraiser soon!!!!!

Ashes with the Adults

Tonight we sing with the adults again. Ash Wednesday is one of those Masses we look forward to each year because the Mass is in the middle of our rehearsal so we always get to sing with the adults.

Music for tonight? Paul French's Let Us Turn Away From Sin, and James Chepponis's Lenten Proclamation.

I'll upload audio by tomorrow afternoon. No video, because there's no rehearsal before. Why don't I videotape us singing at Mass? Someone emailed me this question the other day, one of the people who regularly enjoys our website, so I thought I'd answer it here, too. I don't video the Mass because it's like this:

If you want to worship God with us while we serve at His altar at Mass, you have to COME TO MASS!!!!! *smile*

No cheating.

Sunday With The Wise Ones

What!? Should I call us OLD?!? Nah---the Adult Choir is not old, we're wise....and...experienced...and..., well, now, I'm just calling us old again (*smile*). I must say, though, I was a bit misty-eyed at the Youth Choir, these soon-to-be adult choir members singing in and among us:



This video is of rehearsal before Mass, "Be Thou My Vision," sung by the combined Adult & Youth Choirs of St. Richard's.

Days like this highlight the reason I do all this work: the creation of life-long parish choir members. Helen and I have taught with these young people since they were in preschool (well, most of them) and yet there they were this morning, looking and sounding grown, making the music a little richer, a little fuller and it was so wonderful. Deo Gratias.

Saturday, Valentine's Day, & Mass

Roses adorn the sanctuary. Simple, red roses. Everyone's in a good mood, except Sean, who's home with the actual flu--influenza A, and we said prayers and sent good wishes. Meanwhile, back at the Church, it was James' first day to cantor.

So, we were down some testosterone, as Founder Two calls the Guys. But we sang Alleluias and played instruments and worshiped God on a misty Mississippi night.

Fr. Mike was kind and plugged the trips for us. There was an audible gasp when he announced we were going to Rome and would probably need help to make it possible. After Mass, the whole choir went out front to the bridge to give him choir hugs.

February's Anthem Texts

Alleluia, Song of Gladness
12th Century Plainsong, ed. by Richard Proulx
Available through GIA Publications, #G3984

Alleluia, song of gladness, voice of joy that cannot die;
alleluia is the anthem ever dear to choirs on high;
in the house of God abiding thus they sing eternally.

Alleluia, now resounding, true Jerusalem and free;
alleluia, joyful mother, all your children sing with glee;
but by Babylon's sad waters mourning exiles now are we.

Alleluia we deserve not here to chant for evermore
alleluia our transgressions make us for a while give o'er,
for the holy time is coming bidding us our sins deplore.

Therefore in our hymns we pray thee, grant us, blessed Trinity,
at the last to keep glad Easter in our home beyond the sky;
there to you for ever singing alleluia joyfully.

Alleluia Round

William Boyce, arr. by Richard Proulx
Available through GIA Publications # G2494
Alleluia. (repeat until end)
Now wasn't that easy? A song with one word. A prayer with but the one thought. A thought with one consistent resonance----Alleluia.
Originally, we were going to sing these anthems in their proper place on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, but due to circumstances in teenager world (major State Swim Meet the weekend we were to sing), we had to move our Mass to this weekend. But it doesn't diminish the power of singing the last Alleluias before the Great Easter Feast weeks and weeks away.
We will sing again Sunday Morning with the Adult Choir, and look forward to joining our voices with the strong full grown voices in two anthems---"I Will Sing of Thy Great Mercies" and "Be Thou My Vision". See you all at Mass (es).

ACDA Honor Choir Auditions

Whew! (Well, that's over.)

We practiced, and practiced, we showed up, we dressed nicely, we drank voice goo:

And brain goo:

And did everything we could to make a go of it. That being said...wow, what a difficult audition. A live audition in trio's with very difficult music and no conductor and an accompanist we had never worked with before who did not seem to know the music very well added up to a frustrating day. But we now know what must be done to make it work next year, and sometimes that is 90% of the battle. Plus, we discovered Haydn's Laetatus Sum, which we will sing for Thanksgiving next year and that is a big, nice lagniappe to an otherwise horrible experience.
Here is video of the moments before, while we waited nervously in the hall: