Building bridges, creating unity, and recognizing that all are one in the body of the Lord --- regardless of cultural, ideological, musical and liturgical differences --- were themes stressed by speakers at the National Pastoral Musicians' Western Regional Convention in Sacramento Aug. 1-4.
"We need to resist going down the black hole of anger regarding how we translate our texts, what we will sing, or which musical styles are most appropriate for our Masses," said liturgical composer David Haas in his convention-opening keynote Aug. 1. "Because we still have something wonderful to sing about: God is still here, calling all of us to receive what we have been given from God as gift and give it back lavishly in service to the Lord and one another."
The convention at the Sacramento Radisson Hotel was attended by 600 people --- mostly church musicians but also liturgists and clergy --- from 33 states (principally California), the District of Columbia and from Canada, Australia, Ireland and Korea. They participated in 44 workshops, several prayer services and a Eucharistic liturgy at the recently renovated Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento, with host Bishop William Weigand presiding.
The Sacramento convention was one of three regional events held this year by NPM, the country's largest religious-affiliated music association with 9,000 members. The attendees were welcomed by Sacramento Auxiliary Bishop Richard Garcia who referred to the convention theme --- "What You Receive, Give As Gift " --- in his welcoming remarks.
"God has given us the gift of temperatures that are not 115 degrees," he smiled, referring to the lengthy heat wave that blanketed the state for much of July. "You breathe in life-giving air and transform it into song. God blesses this whole community through the work you do, sharing your God given gifts in the service of his people."
Minnesota-based Haas --- one of the country's most noted liturgical composers of the last 25 years ("Blest Are They," "You Are Mine") --- observed that many liturgists and musicians strive, and rightly so, to encourage assemblies to sing better or to provide quality music for their Sunday celebrations. Yet, he pointed out, the often-neglected role of the pastoral musician in fostering "true full, active and conscious participation" --- the oft-cited phrase from Vatican II's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy --- involves something much deeper.
"The primary focus of all liturgical and catechetical mission-based service is Jesus Christ, who never wrote a document himself but who did call us to love one another," said Haas. "That is the common ground we should look for. Everything we do as musicians must point to Christ, must deepen our relationship with him. But do our efforts, our deeds and behaviors, actually do that? Are we in this ministry together as one in Christ, or are we trying to pull down and sabotage one another?"
Haas lamented the tendency in some parishes to develop "red state/blue state" mentalities where, he noted, the attitude is often, "You not only cannot disagree with me, but there is something wrong with you and I have to stop you."
"We have to stop fighting, put down our swords, truly love one another --- intentionally and unconditionally --- and listen to one another in love," he said. "Because these debates are tearing us apart."
Haas urged music leaders to reject "musical snobbery of any kind"; to expand their parishes' musical repertoire beyond "what you like"; and to learn from their assemblies and "listen to their voices," for the liturgical celebration is not about how well one sings or plays music. "As pastoral musicians, we must decrease and our assemblies must increase," he said.
A principal difficulty in building bridges and unifying parish communities can be language and culture, a challenge addressed in a workshop led by composers Pedro Rubalcava and Peter Kolar. They invited their audience to reflect on terminologies used in planning celebrations --- multicultural, mulilingual, cross-cultural, intercultural --- and to reflect on how the composition of the parish community compares with that of the parish leadership.
The music and liturgical leaders present at the workshop noted that their challenges ranged from choir members who absolutely refused to sing in language that wasn't English, to saying "no" to liturgical requests by members of another culture, even for good, sound liturgical reasons.
True intercultural liturgical celebrations, the presenters said, cannot happen by simply using a song or reading from another language, but rather must begin by connecting with parishioners outside of liturgy and genuinely learning to know and appreciate the ethnic communities apart from their own.
"Seek first to understand, then to be understood," added Msgr. Ray East of Washington D.C., who gave the conference's closing keynote talk Aug. 4. In his Aug. 3 workshop, Msgr. East stressed the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" (the book by Stephen R. Covey) as a starting point for building a stronger community and tearing down "walls of style, culture, our own comfort zones" that often divide.
The effort, he said, includes both enabling and allowing all --- especially those who have not traditionally held influence --- to have a voice. "Ask yourself, who in your parish community is not being heard? Who is being misunderstood?" And he urged music ministers to reject the "my way/your way, win/lose" methodology of decision-making. "Synergize," he suggested. "It isn't about my way or your way, it's about our way. It's about solving problems, celebrating the other, honoring the other."
Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto of Orange, in a workshop following his keynote talk Aug. 2, noted that different ethnic cultures --- especially those newer to a particular parish where another culture has been dominant --- often develop their own structures for becoming involved in parish ministry, and over time may become more intertwined in the life of the parish. But he pointed out that in any parish, those interested in promoting genuine unity and participation by all should not underestimate the importance of hospitality.
"If you want good musicians and talented people of any kind to emerge, you have to create that space where they feel welcome and invited to step forward to share their gifts," he said.
Bishop Soto added that, in dealing with issues and challenges rooted in a parish's cultural diversity, pastors must be both interested and active as part of the unity-building process. At the same time, because pastors' assignments "are not forever," it is imperative that parishes have structures and processes in place --- like parish councils --- that can address such issues long-term.
"Pastors, and bishops for that matter, need to invest in lay leadership," Bishop Soto said. "The pastor can be a bridge, but after a while it is unfair to expect him to always be the moderator."
The music minister's spirituality was addressed by Sister of Mercy Suzanne Toolan in her Aug. 3 keynote talk. The composer of one of the church's most popular post-Vatican II hymns ("I Am the Bread of Life"), Sister Toolan --- now ministering at Mercy Center in Burlingame, Calif. --- urged music ministers to "stay in touch" with their spiritual selves in order to best perform their ministry.
"To be a Christian minister of any kind means, first of all, to be a believing person," said Sister Toolan. "That means to be continually developing a deeper relationship with God, and doing so in the community, in the world and for the world, at liturgy and in personal prayer."
Being a music minister, Sister Toolan continued, means wanting to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, and "to use our skills and gifts, our insights and imaginations, to touch people's hearts.
And to do that, she said, music ministers must connect themselves to the Word of God so that it may be proclaimed and communicated through music in a way that simply speaking the word cannot.
"As music ministers, we are servants of prayer," she said. "We are people of the Word, guided by the Gospel of Jesus. We need to let the energy of the Word be integrated into every part of our lives. We need to be people of prayer."
Finally, Sister Toolan urged her audience to continually remind themselves of why they became music ministers. "Give attention to why, as well as how, we do our ministry," she said. "Jesus has risen, and we are here to proclaim that Good News. We have many challenges, but if we can be a truly Christian community we can be the hope for the world Jesus asks us to be." |