Inside ML

All of ministry is demanding, but music ministry demands the skills of every other ministry in addition to those unique to music. The pastoral musician today must be liturgist, theologian, catechist, and counselor, all without threatening those who claim each of these as exclusive domain. For all their hard work, study, and untold hours spent away from family, friends, and the simple pursuit of leisure, their recognition, if any, from human lips is often only about the music. The music really just isn’t the point. What they do by their ministry is teach Scripture, form sacramental identity, and catechize about worship. They are present at the peaks and valleys of the life of a community and of the individual lives supported therein. They comfort the bereaved, witness to baptism, journey with our youth, offer hope to our elders. For all of this, sadly, they are frequently treated as second-class ministers by clergy, as uninformed emotional types to be tolerated for their musical ability. This is tragic, for when pastoral musicians are valued as part of a team in which the gifts of all are considered worthy, God’s people are well served. 

In this issue of ML we explore some of the areas that are integral to the work of music ministry. Jerry Hall takes a deliberate and extensive look at the ongoing issue of translations and the way language impacts sung prayer and the language of liturgy. David Haas, in the first of a two-part series, presents the ways in which the pastoral musician is called to be catechist, particularly in the emerging parish model of whole-community catechesis. Charlie Gardner considers the ongoing challenges of singing the liturgy in the post-conciliar church. Staying current with issues such as these is just one of the many challenges faced by those engaged in music ministry, and ML is committed to providing features to aid in that process. In this issue we also recognize the winners in our Visual Arts Awards Sacred Symbols & Architecture category. These works surround, contain, and raise up those elements that we claim as sacred. Their inspired designs invite us to enter the gates of holiness. 

As we journey on in service to God’s people, may we all strive to maintain and increase our skill, knowledge, and sensitivity and to use these as God calls us. When we recognize the presence of Christ in others and honor the Spirit dwelling in each, then in our music God indeed will be glorified. ML

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