Catholic Sensibility

Brigid might have me confused with somebody else who does this sort of thing, but I'm in a blogging mood on lunch break, so what the heck ... We have a new priest in the parish, a Jesuit returned to family roots in the KC area, so I was watching his Masses to assess his speaking ability (a tad too fast for our large echo-ey church) and his microphone use (he tried out our earpiece/flesh-colored mini-mic, but it fell off). This is a challenge: trying to tell a guy who's likely preached and presided using his voice this way for forty-plus years. If I don't, I'll get more of the six or seven people that came up to me complaining after those two Masses. So I got to do music with my ensemble, two of whom were fresh off their triumphant concert Friday night. Three singers were absent, one on the highway dealing with a blowout, one at home with a family thing, and one off with a girlfriend whose father just died. Singer number one meant I got to sing lead on "Freedom Is Coming," which was an interesting switch from singing with the altos on the tenor line. We learned they rely too much on me. With a really great small singing ensemble, everybody should be confident and independent enough to sing their part no matter what. Singer number two was missed. She's the least experienced of the bunch, never having sung in any kind of choir, but she's an unrealized talent and a superb blender. Losing singer number three might've improved our blending. Another talented person, but likes to sing the way he feels it. What can I say about repertoire? Probably nothing spectacular. We did "Praise To The Lord" well. It had a nice baroque feel to it. I just love having a violinist and a good guitarist who can do things with style. A group member really, really wanted to do "You Raise Me Up," so I arranged it for violin, flute, and three parts (men on melody and soprano and alto on a refrain harmony). Though they went well enough, the other congregational songs, "We Have Been Told" (Haas's imitation of Haugen's "Eye Has Not Seen") and Haugen's "Let Justice Roll" don't do much for me. On the former, we did the three-part singing effectively, using the refrain a cappella as the introduction. But the song just doesn't seem to wear well over the years. The latter hangs on in the parish repertoire, but people don't sing it as enthusiastically as "We Are Called" or a few other "justice" songs. I came back to work with the youth at Sunday 5PM. This is the choir for whom I held our former director's job over the summer only to have her resign after the first week back. The YM and I are looking for someone to build and lead a weekly choir, but no luck on the search as of yet. My young friend Katie sang by herself pretty much. She did really well on the Gloria and the psalm, and three or four parishioners told her so after Mass. So did I, but parishioner commentary helps, too. After Brittany praised her, I told Katie, "See? All ages approve of you!" This week, my wife and I get to do All Souls on Wednesday morning. Next Tuesday is First Reconciliation. Thanksgiving is not too far ahead. And I still have to figure out how to apportion our eight Christmas Masses now that neither youth choir director will be available for the holiday this year. And o yes, I have Midnight Mass to think about, too. For the past six or seven years (at least) that's been a pick-up tradition here. I know it will be good, but somebody has to pick me up for it first.