**ALL MASSES/ACTIVITIES CANCELED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE**
On 03/17, it was announced that due to the Coronavirus, the Bishop has suspended all forms of public worship, effective immediately. This includes all weekday/weekend Masses and planned Penance Services. All Music Ministry activities are effectively canceled.
This is a lot to take in and an unprecedented move, but one that's not totally unexpected given current events. I'm sad to share this since I very much enjoy making music with you guys, but public safety has to come first. We don't know yet what this means for Easter liturgies, but my guess is they won't be celebrated (or at least not in their usual form). We'll have to see what shakes out in the next few weeks.
Note that the Parish Office will be manned sporadically and not open to the public. The best way to reach the staff is to call and leave a voicemail (Barb will be monitoring voicemail and email from home). The building will be open for private prayer and Father will be sending out a letter to the Parish.
There was also some discussion of releasing 'recorded' Masses with music. Chris W. volunteered to produce and play piano, with cantors needed to sing. Ultimately, this idea was dropped, as there were concerns about social distancing and going against the Bishop's directives. It was a really cool idea, though, and could have been an interesting way to bridge the gap and utilize a technology solution (plus, it would have allowed any interested music ministers to continue serving, even if in a limited capacity). With that said, they instead decided to have Father proclaim the Word in audio-only form, which will be made available on the Parish website. Will share when available.
Stay tuned for updates. I'll keep this post current as we learn more. My original post for this week is also below -- it's mostly moot at this point, but I decided to release it anyway since it'll probably be a while before another one is written.
UPDATE: 05/09: Running updates have been moved to a new post. Check it out HERE.
Stay healthy and safe, and hopefully we'll meet again soon!
(original post for 03/21 below, written before the Bishop's announcement)
4th Sunday of Lent
“Cleanse me; Heal me; Create in me the heart that you want”
Moving forward, cleaning supplies and sanitizer will be available in the choir section (at least while supplies last). Feel free to wipe things down as needed. As discussed, let's try to avoid physical contact, take advantage of hand sanitizer and if possible, bring your own music. Anything we can do to keep this space virus-free for us, the other choirs and the Parish as a whole would be greatly appreciated.
The Marriage Convalidation that was tentatively on the board for this week was actually held last weekend at the 9 AM Mass, so no need to worry about this.
As far as Create in Me, directing this from the front really seemed to help with cutoffs and entrances. As long as we have enough singers, I'd like to try doing this for the remaining weeks of Lent.
(no Gloria)
Lenten Gospel Acclamation:
Mass of Remembrance
Holy, Holy, Holy:
Mass of Remembrance
Eucharistic Acclamation "C":
Mass of Remembrance
Eucharistic Doxology:
Mass of Remembrance
Lamb of God:
Mass of Remembrance
Thanks for another solid Mass last week! We were slightly short-handed and Mass attendance was down, but the program came together pretty well. Things balanced well and there was some nice harmony throughout. We also continued work on Good Friday/Easter Sunday preludes. Check out the audio HERE.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Bishop has lifted the requirement for Mass attendance and strongly recommended canceling all non-essential liturgical activities. As it stands, Masses are still on and our activities will continue as normal, but we'll need to take things day-by-day. With that being said, if you're sick or uncomfortable coming do to health/safety concerns, please don't hesitate to stay home (just make sure the group's aware and we'll sort out the rest).
Moving forward, cleaning supplies and sanitizer will be available in the choir section (at least while supplies last). Feel free to wipe things down as needed. As discussed, let's try to avoid physical contact, take advantage of hand sanitizer and if possible, bring your own music. Anything we can do to keep this space virus-free for us, the other choirs and the Parish as a whole would be greatly appreciated.
The Marriage Convalidation that was tentatively on the board for this week was actually held last weekend at the 9 AM Mass, so no need to worry about this.
As far as Create in Me, directing this from the front really seemed to help with cutoffs and entrances. As long as we have enough singers, I'd like to try doing this for the remaining weeks of Lent.
Please make sure you're familiar with the flow on Make Us Worthy. Soloists will be needed on the verses. I'll have separate copies of the sheet music if anyone would like to sing the underlying parts. We may only use a select number of verses since this is a rather long piece.
Finally, there's no Easter rehearsal after Mass, but please continue working on preludes. There Was No One There and How Beautiful seem to be in a good place; we'll need to spend some time on technical aspects of I Will Rise and the arrangement of Shout to the Lord next time.
Sam & Brad are out this week.
Gathering:
Create In Me A Clean Heart (Talbot)
Penitential:
GC3 #494 – Hold Us in Your Mercy
(no Gloria)
Response (Cris & Ginny):
SS #059 – Ps 23 – Shepherd Me, O God
Materials (audio) (sheet music)
Lenten Gospel Acclamation:
Mass of Remembrance
Offertory:
GC3 #486 – Deep Within
Materials (audio) (sheet music)
Holy, Holy, Holy:
Mass of Remembrance
Eucharistic Acclamation "C":
Mass of Remembrance
Eucharistic Doxology:
Mass of Remembrance
Lamb of God:
Mass of Remembrance
Communion:
GC3 #785 (SS #158) – Now We Remain
Closing:
GC3 #662 – Make Us Worthy
Materials (audio) (sheet music)
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