This week on Ministry Monday we revisit one of our most listened to episodes: a conversation with theologian and liturgical composer, Tony Alonso, about his work, "Caminemos con Jesús." "Caminemos con Jesús” is a collection of liturgical music that honors the Cuban musical heritage not often seen in its own right, liturgically, in the United States…

We’re back! Ministry Monday returns after a summer haitus with new episodes! We’ve prepared a fall season of great episodes with topics on, of course, music, ministry, and liturgy. This week Dr. Dan Girardot (Associate Director of the Office of Worship of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston) discusses the practical, prayerful, and other musical co…

This past week we celebrated the 2-year anniversary of Pope Francis's Apostolic Letter on the Liturgy, Desiderio Desideravi. This document is still a guiding force in our Church today; for this reason, we offer 2021 Jubilate Deo award winner Fr. John Baldovin's reflections as a wonderful foundation of learning. We also encourage you to attend the B…

Today we have the pleasure of speaking to Kathleen Pluth, whose hymn text, "Let the Earth Acclaim Christ Jesus," was chosen as the official hymn for the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress, taking place in just a few weeks in Indianapolis, Indiana. Today we speak of the inspiration Kathleen has found to author hymn texts, and how she was inspired to…

In the last episode of Ministry Monday we spoke to Fr. Joe Laramie, a Jesuit priest, about the Liturgy of the Hours. This week we continue the conversation with Michael Silhavy, Senior Project Editor for GIA Publications, Inc., as we explore the Divine Office Hymnal: what was the genesis of its creation? What is included in the hymnal? What is the …

Today we speak to Fr. Joe Laramie, a Jesuit priest who currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fr. Joe is also the National Director of the Pope's Prayer Network, a 175-year-old spiritual mission uniting hearts to the Heart of Jesus in the heart of the Church. Additionally he is a Eucharistic Preacher for the National Eucharistic Revival. Fr. Joe …

Today we chat with Kathleen M. Basi (Kate, for short) and Jaime Cortez about the Liturgical Composers Forum's New Music Review taking place this summer at the NPM convention. We discuss the basics of the New Music Review, what to expect regarding the submission process, and more. The deadline to submit any compositions for the New Music Review is J…

Holy week is coming, and with it comes a level of personal commitment that may exceed the normal weekend liturgical life: schedules are rearranged, extra music is learned to support the sacred days, and our bodies- especially our voices- have extra pressure put upon ourselves. Not only that, this season has seen a lot of sickness circulating, espec…

Today we listen to an episode of Ministry Monday from 2020 that celebrates the role women play in music ministry today. We hear the stories of Nancy Douglass and Janèt Sullivan-Whitaker, both active, longtime composers and pastoral musicians. It is a great way to start our celebration of Women's History Month.…

At the beginning of each year we look back at the episodes that made Ministry Monday in the last 12 months. We had several popular episodes in 2023, but one of them stood out from the rest. It featured a story of a father-daughter duo who both serve in music ministry in their respective parishes. In fact, Daniel Ladner - the father in our wonderful…

This week we speak to the creators of the "Meet Father Rivers" podcast: Emily Strand and Eric Styles. Emily and Eric share the stories of how their lives have been impacted by Fr. Rivers, which led them to create a podcast honoring the many ways the Holy Spirit flow through his life to others. For more information on this episode, visit ministrymon…

I hope you had a lovely holiday season thus far, and are well-recovered after the immense amount of effort and time you contributed to Christmas season celebrations in our universal Church today. I’m happy to share this first episode of 2024 with you, listeners! January so often comes with New Year’s resolutions, which are oftentimes out of vogue f…

This week on Ministry Monday we are excited to speak to leadership from the NPM Saginaw Chapter. The Saginaw Chapter is NPM's 2023 Chapter of the Year. Today they share the chapter's origins, some of the chapter's most-loved programming, and some of the reasons they find inspiration and motivation through NPM, both locally and nationally.…

Today on Ministry Monday we are thrilled to offer an episode from Meet Father Rivers, a podcast celebrating the life and legacy of Father Clarence Joseph Rivers. Father Rivers - a little-known but essential figure in American Catholic history - was a composer of liturgical music as well as an author on music and spirituality. Today we hear from the…

This week's episode of Ministry Monday features composer and NPM member Luke Rosen. Luke shares his reflections on the many things a pastoral musician can consider as they compose music, whether it's for a parish music ministry or just for personal enjoyment.By Amanda Bruce

Today we go to the Ministry Monday archives and re-discover one of the most popular episodes. We speak to Brother John Glasenapp, a Benedictine monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana, where he currently serves as the Director of the newly-formed Saint Meinrad Institute for Sacred Music.By Amanda Bruce

Today we speak to Irish Catholic singer DANA. Her story begins in Northern Ireland, representing Ireland in the world-famous Eurovision contest. After winning this prestigious competition, her career carried her through both pop music and Catholic music, listening to the Lord's voice throughout each step. Her story is a decades-long testament to he…

Ministry Monday is happy to offer a 2-part series on Lessons and Carols! Today's episode features NPM member Timothy Lewicki, Director of Music at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Virginia. Timothy shares his best practices for Lessons and Carols at his parish and provides some takeaways for recruitment, engagement, and musicality, whether i…

Ministry Monday is happy to offer a 2-part series on Lessons and Carols! Our first part of the series features Jennifer Runge, NPM member and Director of Sacred Music at Parish of the Holy Eucharist (Diocese of Portland, Maine). On this episode, Jennifer shares her best practices and suggestions on how to offer Lessons and Carols, both musically an…

Choir season is quickly approaching. We know that you’re planning which choir anthems to use, the rehearsal schedule and the plans for each rehearsal, but in this episode, we encourage you to pause and think about the needs of a choir a little bit differently this fall. Today’s guest is Steven C. Warner. Steven Warner is the founder of the Notre Da…

I’m happy to be back after a brief summer hiatus from Ministry Monday. It was great to meet many of you at the convention, both in person and virtually! And now we’re back. Today on Ministry Monday we speak to Daniel Ladner and Beth Shaver, two pastoral musicians, NPM members, and father and daughter. While both have served in music ministry for de…

We are ramping up our summer schedules here in the Ministry Monday studio! This means plenty of preparation for our summer Ordinary Time liturgies, planning our summer formation opportunities, and of course, carving out some time to enjoy the summer sunshine as well. We found ourselves gravitating to an episode from the Ministry Monday archives, wh…

Today's episode of Ministry Monday celebrates Taizé in both the small village and the music it offers in contemplation and prayer. Today we speak to David Anderson, Editor-at-Large for GIA Publications and Director of Music and Liturgy at Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park, Illinois. David has visited Taizé, France, several times, and has led mo…

There are so many ways to involve a parish community in its music ministry, and not all of them, of course, include singing. Haven’t we all heard the parishioner who says, “I can’t join the music ministry - I can’t sing!” Luckily for us, music ministry today can include instrumental assistance, including a handbell choir. In many instances, handbel…

Today we speak to Jose Gallardo, Ariel Mayormita, and Maria Nieva, members of the NPM Asian Pacific community. They share their devotional practices to the Blessed Virgin Mary and how they are inextricably woven into Filipino culture. We also speak about the importance of Saint Pedro Calungsod and his importance in Filipino spirituality as well. We…

Today’s episode explores the world of pipe organ repertoire. I so often hear discussions of high-level performance pieces fit for excellent organ concerts, but so often we may not take the time to discuss an organ repertoire that’s manageable and attainable for all levels of skill, and on a pastoral musician’s available time frame for learning. Org…

Subscribe to Ministry Monday on Spotify Subscribe to ministry monday on itunes This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by Ministry Scheduler Pro. Take the pain out of volunteer scheduling with powerful, easy-to-use software designed especially for scheduling liturgical ministries. Get started with a free trial at MinistrySchedulerPro.com.…

The marriage of melody to text is the essence of hymnody at its core. Both play a critical part in a hymn’s efficacy, both in conveying a message and encouraging a full participation by the worshipping assembly singing it. Today we focus on the text of a hymn: what is the genesis of a hymn text? How important is the relationship to text and a commo…

Today on the podcast we revisit the most-listened-to episode of 2022, which was also part 1 of Ministry Monday’s Exsultet series. We speak to Fr. Paul Turner about the historical context of the Exsultet, the sacred chant sung at the start of the Easter Vigil. The Exsultet is such a distinct moment in the Triduum journey: covered in darkness, punctu…

This episode is co-produced by Emily Strand. For more information about Emily and the podcasts she hosts, visit https://emilystrand.liturgyandlife.com/.By Amanda Bruce, Emily Strand

The music we choose speaks volumes about us as musicians, whether we realize it or not. It expresses our personal tastes in terms of style, genre, modality, and more. Not only that, our musical choices have the power to amplify the people behind them: from gender to culture, race to religion, the composers themselves are just as much a part of the …

Today Ministry Monday host Amanda Bruce speaks to Marilyn Santos, Associate Director of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). They discuss the National Eucharistic Revival Musical Competition and the opportunity to compose the music that will be used at the 2024 Eucharistic Con…

This is our first new episode back for the podcast in quite some time! The podcast was on a brief hiatus as I enjoyed the first weeks of parenthood. I was blessed to welcome a son this past fall, but I’ll admit to you listeners that his arrival into the world did not come as planned. He came seven weeks early and had to be in the NICU for a month i…

Today we replay an episode from last summer, featuring Katie Deaver from ONE LICENSE. Katie breaks down the many ways that we can use copyright licensing to our advantage, and helps us realize that reporting our usage supports the composers who wrote the beautiful music we use every week. In more ways than one, copyright licensing is more important…

Subscribe to Ministry Monday on Spotify Subscribe to ministry monday on itunes This episode discusses topics of infertility, miscarriage and child loss, and could be triggering for some. Today’s episode faces the indescribable pain of miscarriage, stillbirth and the loss of a child. October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and offer…

This episode of Ministry Monday is sponsored by GIA Publications. Rooted in tradition with a clear focus on the future, Gather—Fourth Edition from GIA Publications features a diverse roster of composers and a wide breadth of musical styles in a worthy hardbound hymnal. Gather—Fourth Edition. Learn more at giamusic.com/hymnals. Subscribe to Ministry…

Choir season is quickly approaching. We know that you’re planning which choir anthems to use, the rehearsal schedule and the plans for each rehearsal, but in this episode, we encourage you to pause and think about the needs of a choir a little bit differently this fall. Steven Warner is the founder of the Notre Dame Folk Choir and, until recently, …

Today we speak to Timothy Johnston about the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, or the GIRM: what are its origins? How can we navigate this document for our ministries, both as a tool for learning and a liturgical reference? Stay tuned to NPM’s future programming for more educational support on how to best use the liturgical documents to guid…

Many of our listeners are pastoral ministers, whether that’s in music, liturgy, religious education, or other facets of the parish life at large. But today’s focus is religious education. The early days of our faith formation are so critical, and are an absolutely vital part of our Church, its legacy and its future, all at once. Not unlike the need…

Today's Ministry Monday episode features NPM's 2021 Jubilate Deo Award recipient, John Baldovin, SJ. Fr. Baldovin reflects on Pope Francis's new Apostolic Letter on the Liturgy, "Desiderio Desideravi". Fr. Baldovin’s reflections focus on four main points, of which you will hear identified through interlude music: Was this document expected? What is…

Today Ministry Monday replays part two its focus on making the most out of the public domain. With music-buying budgets being squeezed tighter than ever, making the public domain work for you can be a huge asset as you spend the summer planning for fall repertoire.By Amanda Bruce

Before we begin, we want to hear some feedback from you, our listeners. This summer Ministry Monday will be focusing on parish mergers and its impact on music ministry. We want to know: are you working at a parish that has recently merged? Or are you about to merge with another parish? Is your diocese undergoing a consolidation? What were some of t…

Today's Ministry Monday episode explores the changes to the Rite of Baptism, which went into effect in spring 2020, during the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael Ruzicki is the Director of Sacred Music and Liturgy at St. Mary of the Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago and is also the Training and Events Manager at Liturgy Tr…

This episode of Ministry Monday is sponsored by the Liturgical Music Institute, taking place July 24-29, 2022 at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, 40 miles east of New York City. This 5-day immersive experience combines prayer, learning, liturgy, and music for a retreat-like experience for all pastoral musicians to experience. For more inf…

NPM is blessed with a rich community of Asian/Pacific American pastoral musicians that support their parishes and the NPM community at large. Ariel Mayormita, Jose Gallardo and Maria Nieva are all pastoral musicians across the United States. They each demonstrate hospitality, kindness, and a deep Catholic faith in their lives. Today's episode highl…

This is our 200th episode of the podcast! Today’s episode includes colleagues and clergy, leaders and laypersons, fellow pastoral ministers who are actively supporting the Church today. As this podcast is produced by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, I’ll admit that some of our topics are more NPM-centric today, but are no less center…

Next week Ministry Monday will celebrate its 200th episode! As we prepare for that 200th episode, we look back at Ministry Monday's 100th episode. Released on April 19, 2020, the 100th episode was produced as we stepped newly into the pandemic. We were a month into a jarring Lenten and Easter season, with many of us not leading our parishes in musi…

Today’s episode focuses on an exploration of our Baptism. We may feel that our baptismal calling is fully expressed in pastoral ministry, and in many cases, it might. But what if the Holy Spirit has different plans for us? What if we feel our baptismal calling change? How can we reflect and truly listen to the calling of the Spirit? Brother Louis C…

Ministry Monday has returned from its Holy Week and Easter break! We hope that your Triduum celebrations were prayerful and filled with song, prayer and the joy of the Resurrection. We also hope that you’ve found some rest after Holy Week as well! Today we continue the topic of sequences. Fr. Michael Joncas began our examination of the Church’s cur…

Today is the last episode Ministry Monday will be airing before a two-week Holy Week and Easter hiatus. We wanted to leave you with an episode that would provide a prayerful pause as you wrap up the last rehearsals, make the last binders, and write the last “thank you” notes to your Holy Week musicians. Today we begin a conversation focusing on the…