Our sympathies to the family of Ann (“Amy”) Mayher whose funeral was October 23rd. Amy had many obstacles to overcome in her life but she allowed these to make her strong. She loved to dance and did so at the Aargon Dance Hall on 25th Street every week with her friend Roman. May she now dance with joy in the presence of the Lord.
At our Parish Council meeting this past week, we once again thanked all those who worked at making our Fall Festival such an enjoyable event and we look forward to this being an annual event again. Sister Erin gave an update on the school and was commended for her good work in marketing our school which in turn also highlights our parish in the community. I mentioned that we made a lot of progress in making repairs and in updating the rectory and school buildings this past year so now we simply need to maintain them as we look to do some updating of our Parish Community Center next summer. Our Sunday sessions for those seeking to become Catholic or be Confirmed or to reconnect with the practice of their faith is going very well. All are welcomed to attend these informal, one-hour, informative sessions from 9-10am in the Parish Community Center every Sunday.
Finally, I initiated a discussion of our music ministry. We have attempted to try some new songs in the hope that we can “freshen up” our weekend music but the feeling is that people are more comfortable with songs they are already familiar with so we will focus on encouraging better participation with songs that people already know. But please realize that a new Pastor & Music Director are not aware of the musical history of the congregation so be patient as we try to learn what songs are most familiar to you. I have encouraged Mickey to play more loudly in the hopes that people may try to sing more loudly but the feedback has been that people feel drowned out by the music. So if you sing more loudly, we’ll tone down the volume of the organ. Deal? Finally, some asked why we keep using the word “chant” instead of “song” when announcing the hymns. This change was brought about in the revised Roman Missal just a few years ago which changed some of our liturgical language. It eliminated the use of the word “song” in favor of the word “chant” which is a translation of (the Latin) 'cantus,' which means “that which is sung.” So when the church uses "chant" it is really talking about what texts are sung, not the musical form. I’m sure that cleared it up for you, but if not, please don’t fret. Just sing (or chant) a new (or old) song to the Lord!