National Association of Pastoral Musicians

I am in Pittsburgh for the National Convention of the NPM. It is five days of workshops, speakers, special interest sessions and concerts.  I am looking forward to updating my knowledge and understanding of what is new and trending in the area of liturgical music.  I know several of the speaker so it should be a good week.  I will update as possible as we go along.

Happy Sunday!

I got  up early this morning (5 a.m.!) to see our Jr. High students off on their mission trip.  As I watched the activity around the bus and all of the food and drink that was being packed I thought of today's Gospel.

"Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.  He instructed them to take nothign for the journeybut a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money in their belts.  They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic."

There is a tale of among the Hasidim that challenges our tendency to weigh ourselves down on our journey. 

An American tourist visited the home of a famous Polish rabbi.  The visitor was astonished that the rabbi’s home was only a simple room filled with books, plus a table and a bench.  “Rabbi,” asked the tourist, “where is your furniture?”  “Where is yours?” inquired the rabbi.  “Mine,” replied the puzzled American.  “But I am only passing through.”  “So am I,” said the rabbi, “so am I.”

The Feast of Blessed (soon to be Saint) Kateri Tekakwitha

Today is the Feast of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the lily of the Mohawks.  I visited her tomb several years ago in Northern New York.  Found in a small side chapel of a simple mission church. 

Blessed Kateri will be canonized by Pope Benedict on October 21 of this year.  I wish I could be in Rome for the celebration which should be colorful to say the least.

St. Jean de Brebeauf one of the North American Martyrs wrote the lovely Huron Carol.  Here are two versions.  One is a version in the original (now extinct) language of the Mohawk, Wendat (Wayendot).  The other is in English in a lovely setting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=znsKhhRSx5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3D-m-PwKVsM

The "God Particle" in sound

Over at the Pray Tell blog Fr. Anthony Ruff has posted some examples of "sonification" of the Higgs Boson.  It is a tool used by researchers to add another layer to their analysis.  Check out the article and the sound clips.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10385675

Here is the musical notation and some "arrangements."  What do you think?  I find them rather interesting.

http://news.discovery.com/space/listen-to-the-higgs-boson-120710.html

An interview with Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB

Here is an interveiw with Fr. Jeremy Driscoll who is a professor at the Pontifical Atheneaum of St. Anselm in Rome.  San Anselmo (as it is called) has both a faculty in Sacramental Theology and the Pontifical Liturgical Institute.  It is a good little primer on some of the issues around which there is some contention today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nkoaLfR_iCg

Eucharistic Procession

When I was a kid, the Catholic Community of St. Cloud, Minnesota, celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi with a major procession which began at the park near the hospital and ended at the track next to the North gymnasium of Cathedral High School where we had benediction.  Along the way people would decorate their houses, sometimes rather elaborately.  We had a band playing as we sang hymns, the Knights of Columbus serving as an honor guard and the Bishop carrying the Blessed Sacrament under a beautiful canopy. 

During our Turning Our Gaze to Christ event a few weekends ago we processed with the Blessed Sacrament along Center Street in Rochester, Minnesota as we moved from morning Mass at St. John the Evangelist Parish to the Civic Center where the event was to take place.  A small room was set aside for adoration throughout the event.  It was a great witness of faith to the city.

Back again

Sorry for the long delay in updating posts.  Life and liturgy intervened.  We had a wonderful Easter season and are now settling into the more relaxed summer reality.  The Diocese of Winona celebrated the ordination of Fr. Jason Kern on the Feast of the Sacred Heart at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona.