Notes from the NPM winter meeting

St. Therese the Little Flower Church in Rapid City hosted the Rapid City NPM Chapter’s Winter 2024 meeting on Jan 20.

First, Fr. Kerry Prendiville, pastor at St. Therese Church, Rapid City, spoke on “Prayer in Song: A Contemplative Approach.” He noted that mental, spoken, and sung prayer are progressively immersive. Contemplative music is achieved/affected by the combination of text, repetition, speed, and instruments.

Fr. Leo Hausmann of St. Patrick Church, Lead, reported on “Everything I Know About the ongoing Synod on Synodality.” According to Father Hausmann, Pope Francis does not want this synod to merely produce documents, but to be “a process of…discernment that unfolds in adoration, in prayer, and in dialogue with the word of God.” In his first Session opening Mass homily, Oct. 10, 2023, referenced Mk 10:17-21: “Celebrating a Synod means walking on the same road, walking together. … Encounter, listen and discern” these three verbs characterize the Synod.

In the “Sage on Stage” segment, Jackie Schnittgrund shared her choral experience and recommended: involve everyone possible, add instruments where available, and raise money. She also said to be organized, to delegate and to compliment and be supportive of your musicians.

The final session was a group discussion on “The Seven Deadly Sins for Music Ministry Members,” referencing a 2018 article by M. D. Ridge in Today’s Liturgy. Ridge’s personal list of “deadly sins” for participants in music ministry were: gossip, arrogance, envy, lateness, laziness, helplessness, and “spreading your germs.”

For more information about the Rapid City Chapter of National Pastoral Musicians, go to our website www.npmrc.org, or Facebook page www.facebook.com/NPMRapid CityChapter.