Music Direction

It appears that we have a new Music Director, finally, at our parish.  It has been less than 2 months without a director, but the choir stopped singing for the summer a couple of weeks before that.

I told you that the pastor had asked me to serve on the Search Committee, which I took as a good faith effort to hear what the people want in a director.  We interviewed one candidate, who was very nice, personable, talented.  He "auditioned" at 2 Masses last weekend, and I gathered comments from the choir members to forward to Father.  Many of those comments said they thought he played and sang well enough, but expressed serious reservations about someone so contemporary and a director who directs from the piano.

So, yada, yada, yada.... without even a phone call from Father, or an email thanking me for serving, or anything else, the choir received an email from the new Director last night letting us know that rehearsals will start again next week!

I'm happy there is some sort of resolution so we can begin to see where the parish is going to go from here.  That seems better than being in limbo, but the few choir emails I've received so far have not been happy.  I think many will be angry with Father for not really listening to us.

I think...I hope...there is still the possibility that they plan to listen.  Mr. Director can choose traditional hymns for the Masses.  He can try to incorporate Latin.  He can purchase new Collegeville Hymnals to replace our worn-out ones (instead of more of the terrible paperback Breaking Bread books, which they got free as a temporary measure).

I'm surprised I'm not more upset by this news, considering that last Sunday the tears were flowing freely at Mass.  I owe it all to Mary, Undoer of Knots.  My Dear Friend gave me this novena telling me how much it had helped her.  I thought, Thank goodness I don't have any Big Knots in my life!  Ha!  But I do, don't I?  So, I've been praying it, and it has been helping, even if it didn't cause Father to make an about-face and hire my first choice for Music Director.

So do me a favor, and listen to this gorgeous church music.  Enjoy it, because we won't be singing it again, or anything like it for a long time, I think.