The Work in Progress, and CHRISTMAS is COMING

Last night we met with the Rome Participants. Decisions were made. For a full report on those decisions, please call Ms. C if you were unable to attend the meeting.

Last night was also our usual Wednesday Night Treble rehearsal. After the newbies leave each week, we settle in to the hard work before us. As I watched the videos this morning I realize how lax and disorganized things have gotten these days while I've been trapped at the keyboard doing neither thing particularly well: conducting or accompanying. It will be nice to get back to our usual discipline of conductor watching and following...(and it will be good to not be playing while listening and half conducting with one hand).

But, even in chaos, hope emerges and as I listen, I know where these songs will be when the Mass they are sung at arrives, and I am starting to get excited. In November, we will sing Jesu! Rex Admirabilis, and it will be in three parts (the guys are doing quite well, and I will hopefully remember to video tape them, too this weekend---I took the camera last Sunday and totally forgot I had it and then they were out the door and no one will ever know how hard they worked or how good they are starting to sound---until next weekend at least!)



CHRISTMAS is COMING!!!!!

Not to give away any secrets, but our program before Mass will have a sweetness, and charm to it unlike anything done at St. R's in a very long time. Rennaissance dressed angels, shepherds, anthems that tell the story...a very young child in white and a congregation singing well loved familiar carols in candlelight near a stable with sheep and oxen and a manger... these are our fond wishes for a beautiful Christmas out of an illuminated manuscript of olde before we begin the ancient rite of Christmas Vigil Mass in the dark cold Mississippi night (well, it BETTER be cold this year darn it!)

We'll ask a question, relevant to us all in one way or another..."How Far is it to Bethlehem?"



and an answer rings out across the night...the story sung by angels to the shepherds, announced with joy, "Gaudete"



I cannot wait until these pieces are polished and shiny and bright, guys and ladies side by side, costumes done, butterflies in the stomach, waiting to welcome HIM on Christmas Eve. Until then...please enjoy our "work in progress." God Bless and have a great week.

Announcements, and Choir Business details

There will be a brief meeting for ALL interested parties about the ROME TRIP on Wednesday, September 23rd, at 6:30 PM. PLEASE ATTEND THIS MEETING. Expect to spend about 20 minutes. Thank you.

Honor choir auditions and sign up sheets are available. If you know anyone from the St. Richard's Parish who would like to audition for Treble Song Honor Choir (ladies only, ages 7th through 12th grade) or State Honor Choir (guys or ladies, ages 9th through 12th grade only), please contact Ms. C at the Church office for information: (601) 366-2335. Thank you.

I am also willing to audition a few people for the OAKE National Honor Choirs (ages 3rd grade through 12th grade) upon approval by me.

NOTE: You do NOT have to be a member of the St. Richard Youth Choir to audition for the Honor Choirs, pending approval and a brief vocal check up.

Honor Choir Festival Dates:

Treble Song:
February 18-20th, 2010

ACDA State Honor Choir:
April 8-10th, 2010

OAKE National Honor Choir:
DALLAS, TX----March 18-20th, 2010

Something Amazing

I generally do not serve as an "aggregator" which is an internet term for the sort of blogger who culls through the vast internet to find interesting things for a local or specialized audience that they might otherwise not see them, BUT---this one time I feel compelled to share this video with those of you who might not have otherwise seen it.

What impressed me about this was that it is DEAD ON TARGET for the type of marketing/recuitment campaigns we probably need to be running right now to do two critical things in our Church in this techno-marketing age: 1) recruiting young men to the priesthood, and 2) changing the perception of the sacred mystery of the Eucharist in a culture where perception and marketing rule the day. This video does an excellent job of cheapening neither goal while utilizing the powerful emotional iconography of the "questing story" to connect becoming/serving as a priest to a heroic endeavor, and young men on that endeavor as heroes in a world that needs them desperately.

It also in a more subtle way demonstrates the nature of the descendency from Peter by clearly showing HOW a priest becomes a man with sacred ancient powers direct from God...

The iconography is clear, and the message is unmistakable. I hope vocation directors everywhere pay attention to this, because there is something useful here:



BIG GIANT HAT TIP TO Fr. Zuhlsdorf at What Does the Prayer Really Say?

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass was very nice. In the drop box (click here), you will find ALL the recordings from Mass, including the consecration and ALL hymns.

The choir did well, considering we were down some people, and it was our first Mass. I am especially proud of our second years and our newbie, who did an excellent job of carrying the load in the Soprano section (with the gracious help of our beloved LB's who came to one last Mass just because I asked and we are very very grateful). Katie stepped up to the plate and learned the responsorial psalm in the fifteen minutes before rehearsal. Thank you Katie for a job well done!!! We were worried that the reader might have to read the psalm if we couldn't find someone who could do it with no rehearsal preparation.

For our offertory anthem, we sang a section of Open My Eyes (text here):

For our anthem at Communion, we sang O Sacrum Convivium (text here):

Fr. Lincoln Dall's homily was excellent. Contact him for a text of his sermon, and you may listen to it below, and if you go to the drop box, you may download it.

We sing again on the second Saturday of October. See you at Mass!