Category Archives: Catholic

Blessing, Catholic, Jesus, Spirituality

Restore: Advent

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Advent. A time of hopeful preparation.

How beautiful it is that the Church gifted us with the liturgical seasons, so that we may get the most out of them. Jesus Christ instituted the Church to be the Mother of the Body of Christ. To guide us ever closer to God and one another.

We have chosen to present an Advent Restore this month to aid people in their journey of preparation for the coming of Our Lord. We come together in praise for all that we have overcome this year and worship Him for the gifts He has given us in faith and love.

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Come and experience a blessed evening full of joy, wonder, and hope! As the lights in the church go down, we turn the music up and praise God for all that He has done and continues to do through love and mercy for each one of us.

Restore Praise & Worship Night happens every month at St. Matthew Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. Check Upcoming Events on the homepage for other opportunities to hear from us! May God bless you this Advent Season.

Catholic, Directors, Music Ministry, Music Technology

Can you hear me now?

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Technology: a blessing or a curse?!

In everyday life, we cherish our gadgets. Those gadgets are also useful in our ministry. In this category, we will share helpful information on all forms of technology. From use of your cell phone to more complicated topics, such as troubleshooting PA systems and optimizing acoustics.

Proper knowledge and use of available sound equipment can make the difference between a good choir and a great sounding choir. How is the available equipment that you have helping or hurting your ministry? What are some improvements that you wish you could make using technology?

Did you know that proper mic placement is important in more ways than one? Do you know if you have a digital or analog mixing board? Did you know your phone can turn your pages for you as you play?

We will cover these topics and many more! Subscribe to our blog to receive this information in your email, and let us know if you have any specific issues that you would like us to address about music technology.

 

Catholic, Directors, Mass, Music Ministry, Musician

Directing the Body of Christ

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Often times, a director has the most difficult position of the choir. Besides the regular planning and preparation for Sunday liturgy, unseen obstacles will surface. In the past 15 years, no two Masses have ever been the same for us.

This page will discuss how to address those obstacles, while maintaining the proper direction of the ministry. But first, share your experience in music ministry with us. How has your direction been challenged in Catholic music ministry?

Catholic, Mass, Music Ministry, Musician, Religious

Religious vs. Musicians

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There are times when musicians and religious do not see eye to eye. We can recount a handful of times when we arrived at a parish to provide music for a wedding, and the available parish staff were less than hospitable and even disrespectful at times. Thank goodness those times did not influence the Mass, and all went well for the special day. Thank goodness we have been fortunate to work with many more clergy members who are very supportive, respectful, and communicate well.

This category of blog posts will give some insight to musicians on how to best work with clergy of the Catholic Church. We will also provide information to clergy on ways that they can better communicate to musicians the requirements and suggestions for Catholic music ministry.

The most important aspect to keep in mind in relation to each other is that we are all in service to God. None of us are in this line of service for the riches on this Earth. We must respect one another’s role and be wise to only be of service to the Body of Christ, the people. We are here to help children of God encounter Christ. We all must be the hands and feet of Jesus, and do better every day to work joyfully together.

We will soon post the 5 Tips every priest wants Catholic musicians to know. Follow our blog to get these tips and other great information in relation to Catholic music ministry.

Blessing, Catholic, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Music, Music Ministry, Our Lady, Prayer, Spirituality, St. John Paul II

A Consecrated Ministry

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We have given our music ministry to Our Lady of Grace. She continues to provide us with the grace that is needed to continue saying “yes” to Our Lord. Only she knows all of the faith that it takes to confidently trust in the Lord. Only she has carried our Savior within her womb, and will forever be tied to Him in such a special way.

Even though she may not have understood all that God was asking of her, she said “yes” and proclaimed the greatness of the Lord. May Our Lady of Grace continue to place her mantle of protection around this ministry and all those that are impacted by it.

Here is a Marian prayer by St. John Paul II.

Mother of the Redeemer, with great joy we call you blessed. In order to carry out His plan of salvation, God the Father chose you before the creation of the world. You believed in His love and obeyed His word. The Son of God desired you for His Mother when He became man to save the human race. You received Him with ready obedience and undivided heart. The Holy Spirit loved you as His mystical spouse and filled you with singular gifts. You allowed yourself to be led by His hidden powerful action. On the eve of the third Christian Millennium, we entrust to you the Church which acknowledges you and invokes you as Mother. To you, Mother of human family and of the nations, we confidently entrust the whole humanity, with its hopes and fears. Do no let it lack the light of true wisdom. Guide its steps in the ways of peace. Enable all to meet Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Sustain us, O Virgin Mary, on our journey of faith and obtain for us the grace of eternal salvation. O clement, O loving, O sweet Mother of God and our Mother, Mary!

 

Catholic, Mass, Music, Music Ministry, Musicam Sacram

Little too ambitious

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Now, we all know those vocalists who hear a very spiritual song and think that they can sing it like the original artist. Furthermore, they decide that it would be fantastic to sing it during the Mass for all parishioners to enjoy. Although this may be true in rare cases, I will be the first to admit that in most cases that is not the case. Here is what the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council has to say to those musicians.

11. It should be borne in mind that the true solemnity of liturgical worship depends less on a more ornate form of singing and a more magnificent ceremonial than on its worthy and religious celebration, which takes into account the integrity of the liturgical celebration itself, and the performance of each of its parts according to their own particular nature. To have a more ornate form of singing and a more magnificent ceremonial is at times desirable when there are the resources available to carry them out properly; on the other hand it would be contrary to the true solemnity of the liturgy if this were to lead to a part of the action being omitted, changed, or improperly performed. (Musicam Sacram)

Did you get all that? To simplify, it means acknowledge what your God-given talents are and put the Liturgy of the Mass before your own ambitions. The Mass is the highest form of worship in the Catholic Church, and we must be wise to always keep that in mind. Remember that in parts of the world, the Mass is celebrated without musicians and sound equipment, and still hearts are changed and the Holy Spirit is always present. As musicians we can get caught up in wanting to do more, but sometimes it is a simple “Seek Ye First” that will make a person tear up. Our job is to maintain the “true solemnity of liturgical worship” as stated above, and simply encourage parishioners to open their senses to hear God’s call for their life.

It also states above to “carry them out properly” relating to a more ornate form of singing. This will definitely be a blog post in the near future!

Now, I want to ask you a question. As a parishioner, how has a musician that has been over ambitious affected your time at Mass? As a musician, have you ever realized that you were attempting to do more than your talents would allow or had to address someone who was in that situation? Tell us about your experiences.

Catholic, Liturgy, Music, Music Ministry, Musicam Sacram, Musician, Resources

Stop! Catholic Musicians read this!

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Many Catholic musicians have either not heard of Musicam Sacram or have not taken the time to read the document. It is such a resource for Catholic musicians, and yet many have not utilized these instructions written by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Before you schedule a rehearsal, take a few moments to read through this document! A music ministry will not grow if it does not have a solid foundation.

Musicam Sacram, Instruction on Music in the Liturgy, March 5, 1967

The titles of this document include:

I. Some General Norms
II. The Singing of the Divine Office
III. Sacred Music In The Celebration Of The Sacraments And Sacramentals, In Special Functions Of The Liturgical Year, In Celebrations Of The Word Of God, And In Popular Devotions
IV. The Language To Be Used In Sung Liturgical Celebrations, And On Preserving The Heritage Of Sacred Music
V. Preparing Melodies For Vernacular Texts
VI. Sacred Instrumental Music
VII. The Commissions Set Up For The Promotion Of Sacred Music
The full text can be found here at the Vatican Site.

About Us, Calling, Catholic, Marriage, Missionaries, Music, San Antonio, Steven and Jessica Rendon

How it all began..

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429042_348390501846798_293917538_n (2)Around 2002, it was time for Steven and I to begin college in a small town in New Mexico. We did not know each other, but that would soon change when we both began performing with the music department(I was originally going to be a media technology major, but changed to a music degree). Shortly after that, Steven asked me to sing a duet with him, which turned out to be from a Disney movie that we both cherished. Beauty & the Beast 🙂 “Tale as old as time” was the song that Steven asked me to sing with him simply because it was one of his favorites. We did not end up singing that song, though, and yet we have not stopped singing together since that time.

Join me for Mass?

Steven asked me to sing at his parish after I told him that I was Catholic. I was still living with my parents in my hometown about thirty minutes from there, and it was nice to visit a new parish. At the time, I was not really interested in making Mass a priority, and did not realize until many years later how much of a blessing it was for him to invite me to sing with him.

Coming and Going

After that, we joined forces to continue music ministry together. We dated. He moved. He came back. I moved. I came back. He moved again. Over a period of 4 years, we remained best friends through it all. And when we were in the same location, we always made music together. Around 2009, we decided to go back to college, and I began a degree in History seeking to be a teacher. For the second time, I strongly felt called to change to a music degree. You would think I would have learned the first time hahaha…

The Texas Hill Country Awaits

When I decided to move to San Antonio, we decided to get married! After 8 years, we realized we were simply at home with one another. After getting married and settled in San Antonio, many unexpected things happened. We can talk more about that on another post.

Missionaries in Music

Now, we have been married since 2011, and are so grateful that we get to make music and glorify God together. We are excited to share our music ministry with more people, help people grow in their music skills, and understand what it means to be a music ministry leader in the Catholic Church today. Join us on our journey, and stay tuned for our upcoming album! Leave us a message and introduce yourself. We will be uploading more Youtube videos to our Faith Rendered channel, and adding blog posts weekly.

Striving to serve God by serving others, Steven & Jessica Rendon

Arise, be strong, and do it. -Ezra 10:4