On April 27, more than twenty diocesan musicians gathered at St. Michael Church in Hermosa for the Rapid City NPM Chapter’s spring meeting. A variety of topics were presented. The meeting began with a Mass Parts Showcase, which featured musicians from five parishes across the diocese, including St. Michael, Hermosa; Holy Cross, Timber Lake; St. John the Baptist, Custer; St. Therese, Rapid City; and Blessed Sacrament, Rapid City. Each group discussed their strategies for usage of different Mass settings at their respective parishes throughout the liturgical year, then led attendees in singing both familiar and unfamiliar settings.

Next a group panel discussed “Successful Working Relationships Between Pastor and Music Minister.” Panelists included Ed and Jeannie Fischer, St. John the Baptist, Custer; Sheila Schweitzer, Holy Cross, Timber Lake; Holly Waddell, Blessed Sacrament, Bison; and Msgr. Michael Woster — priest for 42 years of active ministry, now retired. Carman Timmerman moderated the discussion.

Panelists gave feedback to a variety of elements that comprise working relationships between pastor and musician, including compensation for their services — none of the music ministry panelists are paid; more than 85% of diocesan musicians are not paid for their service, frequency of planning meetings with the pastor, socializing, and conflict resolution. To this latter topic, responses were varied amongst the panelists, ranging from “defer to wishes of the priest,” and “maintain communication.” From the perspective of clergy, 

Msgr. Woster addressed the panel and meeting attendees with a general question on the resurging emphasis on Latin and use of chant. Panelists indicated none of this has trickled down to their parishes yet. General comments from both panelists and meeting attendees voiced concerns about returning to pre-Vatican II liturgical celebrations, noting general resistance (by the congregations) to Latin hymns, and observing many good things came out of Vatican II. Msgr. Woster added what comes next for our diocese will depend on who its next bishop is, commenting that “there is [Church] law, and then there’s the interpretation,” noting that the bishop is the “final arbiter” of that interpretation.

St. Michael’s Chantry Nelson, gave remarks during the “Sage on Stage” presentation, discussing what contributes to the strong “singing congregation” in her parish. Prior to the construction of the new parish in 2016, parishioners packed into tight quarters of the old church. Accompaniment was available on a limited basis, so the congregation developed strong a capella singing skills, which carried into their new, much larger parish. Nelson challenged the common perception that music should be transposed to a lower key, or that not all verses of a hymn should be sung, noting that while singing takes energy, putting real energy into it can be fun. She further emphasized God gave us our voices for a reason. Singing in a group, the singer experiences connections with those around him. In a church, singing to God, the connection extends to both God and others, creating a more divine experience.

Nelson also led the final program of the day, “Selecting Music to Match the Readings of the Day.” She emphasized any selection of sacred music should always consider the text, noting a key objective for any music minister is to help the readings of the day come alive. For Nelson, preparation involves reading the designated Mass day’s readings, the Responsorial Psalm, and Gospel Acclamation texts from the Bible, in their full context, then praying and meditating on the text. As music selections formulate in her mind, she prepares a list of potential hymns, and then consults with planning resources such as Today’s Liturgy from Oregon Catholic Press (OCP) to make her final selections.

Nelson noted she keeps lists of hymns used throughout the liturgical calendar, and for occasions such as national holidays (Memorial Day, July 4), because the patriotic hymn text does not tie to the Mass readings, she will incorporate patriotic music as a congregational prelude. As hymnal publications refresh their published music in the song books, Nelson has resorted to printing reusable handouts of hymns that have dropped from publication, or to introduce hymns that she and the parish’s Music Committee deemed more suitable to represent the “Real Presence.” Nelson acknowledged the need to occasionally add new hymns to keep music fresh for the congregation. In keeping with using the new hymns at an appropriate time (when the hymn text actually matches the designated readings of the day), she will plan to introduce the new song as a congregational prelude for a few weeks before placing it in the roster for a scheduled hymn at Mass.

All Rapid City Diocese music ministers and clergy are welcome to attend quarterly NPM meetings at which education, prayer, and fellowship are the focal points. For more information about the Rapid City Chapter of National Pastoral Musicians, go to the website (www.npmrc.org) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/NPMRapidCityChapter).