This is a continuation of the previous four (!) Running Updates posts (here, here, here & here). With Lent & Easter upon us, it was time for a new post. Be well and stay safe!
UPDATE: 02/03: Some updates from Father on the upcoming Lenten season just went out by email. Please take a look and let me know if any questions. More to come!
UPDATE: 02/06: Some of you are already aware of this, but we're looking at organizing another virtual choir for Easter. This would be along the lines of the two pieces we put together for Christmas. The music is still being discussed, but it's looking like at the very least, we'll sing Killoren's 'Whom Do You Seek?'. I'll probably have more info on the specifics in the next week or so. Let me know if you'd be interested in participating!
UPDATE: 02/08: Folks, Zoom/In-Person Mass for Ash Wednesday is being held on Wednesday, February 17th @ 7 PM. Same link and signups as usual, but for obvious reasons, the Mass itself will be celebrated a bit differently this year. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: 02/09: Happy Birthday to former pianist and Franciscan missioner Tim!
UPDATE: 02/14: Happy Valentine's Day, all!
UPDATE: 02/18: From discussions earlier this week, here's what the Easter virtual choir is looking like so far. We have about 15 people onboard (much larger than Christmas), including several from 5:30. We'll be recording three pieces, one contemporary and two traditional. Bev & Maggie will also be putting together an instrumental selection (TBD).
A timetable has been created; instrumentalists are recording their tracks now and vocalists will follow. Once everything's mixed/edited, I'm (tentatively) planning for an Easter Saturday release. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: 02/27: Audio from last weekend's Mass for the 1st Sun of Lent can be found HERE.
UPDATE: 03/01: If interested, sign-ups for Lenten fish dinners are now available (see invite in the Parish FB group). These dinners are take-out only and must be ordered in advance.
UPDATE: 03/01: Audio from yesterday morning's Mass for the 2nd Sun of Lent can be found HERE.
UPDATE: 03/10: Some of you may have seen the Bishop's latest directives regarding Holy Week Masses. Based on those new guidelines, we're looking at the possibility of having (small) choirs/ensembles for Holy Week. No details yet and absolutely no pressure, but let us know if you'd be interested in participating. Among other things, I'll be coordinating the safety aspects and figuring out how to make this work in our choir area. Lots to sort out logistically, so stay tuned. Also see emails for more info.
UPDATE: 03/16: Meant to share this the other day. I'm not sure if it's exactly anniversary-worthy, but last Sunday (03/14) marked one year since we last came together as a group. It's hard to believe it's been that long and all that's happened since then. A huge thanks to those cantoring & playing for Zoom/In-Person Masses, participating in our virtual choirs and continuing to support our Ministry & Parish in other ways. Hopefully we'll be able to come together again soon. As a bit of a throwback, here are the recordings from that Saturday.
Also stay tuned for more on the Easter virtual choir -- editing is well underway and I'm still aiming for a Holy Week release.
UPDATE: 03/21: For those interested in singing/playing for Holy Week, signups are now available. Seeing email for details.
UPDATE: 03/22: Happy Birthday to Mr. Ken! Have a good one!
UPDATE: 03/26: Happy Birthday Maggie!
UPDATE: 03/28: Here's the audio from last Sunday's Mass for the 5th Sunday of Lent. Also, the schedule for Holy Week can be found HERE.
UPDATE: 03/30: Not quite ready yet, but coming soon!
UPDATE: 04/04: HAPPY EASTER! Our virtual choir video still isn't quite ready, but the completed middle segment featuring an Easter instrumental suite from Bev & Maggie is done. Check it out in our FB group (and thanks to Bev for sharing). Enjoy!
UPDATE: 04/04: Folks, I'm starting to clean up from the aftermath of Holy Week (we did it!). Here's the audio from Holy Thursday. This was our first indoor Mass with multiple masked & socially distanced singers since COVID began (something that was authorized by the Bishop for Easter). Sorry for the quality -- the recorder was just on a chair. More to come!
UPDATE: 04/05: Good Friday audio. Special thanks to Bev, Mike Siggins & Lisa Lenze for joining me on this! There were a few snags, but nothing major.
Easter Vigil audio. Joanne, Mike, Eric, Jerri and I made up our first-ever 'Men's Choir'. There were definitely some hiccups (especially near the beginning). Considering we got the program on short-notice and us singers only typically help with Vigil (not lead it), it wasn't too bad. Hopefully, though, we should be in better shape if we have to lead this again sometime.
One more - here's Easter Sunday audio. This was mostly the same group from Vigil and much of the same music as well, but with some exceptions.
UPDATE: 04/18: Here's the audio for today's Mass for the 3rd Sun of Easter.
UPDATE: 04/20: All, our Easter virtual choir video is finally ready! Check it out HERE. Special thanks to Bev, Joe, Maggie, Ken, Lisa and Frances from 5:30 for participating -- it was our largest virtual project to date, with musicians from all three choirs involved. This will post to the Parish FB page on Saturday, 04/24.
UPDATE: 04/25: Happy Birthday, Ginny!
UPDATE: 04/27: Bev! Happy Birthday!
UPDATE: 05/02: A quick note that Zoom & In-Person Mass for Ascension will be held on Wednesday, 05/12 @ 7 PM.
UPDATE: 05/09: Happy Mother's Day!
UPDATE: 05/09: And here's the audio for today's Mass for the 6th Sun of Easter. If you're not already familiar, I'd suggest checking out 'No Greater Love', the new Communion hymn. Lovely piece, but definitely some tricky rhythms on the verses. This will probably be programmed again in the coming weeks.
UPDATE: 05/13: Here are the latest guidelines from the Diocese, just released today. We've also been having discussions of resuming multiple Masses again. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: 05/13: For those who know Andrea from the 11 AM Choir, an Anointing of the Sick will be held immediately after this weekend's Mass. See email for details.
Bell well, and Keep the Faith!
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