Tag Archives: God

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, 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)About 14 years ago, 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 almost 5 years, 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