Today's Ministry Monday features Annie Donnellon, an NPM certified cantor, as well as Rebecca Schaffer Wells and Joe Simmons, both cantors and leaders in the field. In this Ministry Monday episode, we explore the call to being a cantor in ministry, ways to strengthen ministerial and musical skills, and considerations for Directors of Music to support inclusion for both blind and sighted cantors…
Today our “Story Series” continues with a conversation I had with Brother Louis Canter. Brother Louis is a member of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans and founder of Franciscan Ministry of Peace. Louis has been involved with ecumenical and inter faith dialogue. His work as a composer and concert artist for International Liturgical Publications has offered him a wide variety of opportunities for…
In today’s episode, we turn our attention to the Responsorial Psalm—one of the most familiar, beautiful moments in the celebration of Mass. What is the purpose of the Responsorial Psalm within the Liturgy of the Word? And how does it invite the assembly into prayer through Scripture and music? We are honored to welcome Fr. Michael Joncas to guide this conversation. Known for his deep insight into…
Ministry Monday’s Story Series continues with Rodolfo López and Estela García-López, a husband and wife duo who serve in music ministry in the pacific northwest and are two of NPM’s Pastoral Musicians of the Year. Rudy López and Estela García-López are pastoral musicians, composers, and event presenters originally from Los Angeles, California, and from Portland, Oregon, for the last twenty-six…
Introducing "The Story Series", a recurring series of episodes on Ministry Monday! The Story Series interviews pastoral musicians across the country and shares their pastoral music journey, both in its rewards and challenges along the way. Today we speak with Rick Gibala, a lifelong pastoral musician who started his ministry in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He was the first layperson to be the…
Pastoral ministry seeks to include all those who feel called to offer their talents for praise and service to the Church. Music is a unique ministry in that, while we want all to join us, those who participate must have some sort of experience in music. It doesn’t necessarily need to be professional experience - singing in the shower can count as experience for a new potential choir member, and a…
Even at a young age music was very important in our house. As my father was once a live and radio DJ, I spent many nights in my father’s game room, (gently) dropping the needle onto an album with him, discussing the historical and cultural importance of music from the 1960s and 1970s in particular. One of the most impactful albums in my memory was the Moody Blues’s “A Question of Balance”. Now,…
Ministry Monday is back with new episodes, new topics, and a new video intro and outro! If you haven’t seen our podcast in its video form, check it out. The links are in the show notes of this episode at ministrymonday.org and at our YouTube page, youtube.com/npmlivestream. It’s been a true joy to take a few weeks off of the podcast to gather these new conversations for upcoming episodes. I think…
Taken from the Ministry Monday archives in 2019, this episode features multiple pastoral musicians who share their reflections on preparing ourselves for Christmas- while preparing so many others. This episode features an article by Chris Titko (J.W. Pepper) as well as interviews with Matt Maus and Anna Betancourt.
I once had a cantor who recently had a baby. She wanted to minister quickly after her child was born, but balancing two children with varying work schedules was a constant challenge for her. I told her that we would welcome her back as a minister in any way that her schedule would allow. One morning, her husband had an unexpected work commitment, so she brought her toddler and infant with her to…