THE WEDNESDAY REPORT: August 27, 2025

Dear Partners in Ministry,

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend our first rehearsal of the Fall, especially those of you who joined us for the first time! There was a palpable energy in the room, and I thought that carried over rather brilliantly into our weekend of ministry.

When you arrive tomorrow night, you'll find three of the pieces for our December Gaudete! concert, and our choral piece for September 14, "We Adore You, O Christ."

The first week of September is upon us as of Monday! September 1 is Labor Day. There will be Mass at 9:00 am, but Music Ministry is not involved.

The following Thursday, Sep 4, is our first Cantor Night of the season. For those of you who've recently joined us, Cantor Nights mean no rehearsal for Parish Choir in general; only cantors need to attend that evening. We'll work on Psalms from September 7 through Nov 2, review the Gospel Acclamation verses for Mass of Encounter, and catch up on all things cantor-y.

What's at the Top of Your Work?

There's a decent chance that those of you who attended Catholic elementary schools were directed to begin every assignment by inscribing a cross at the top of the page, followed by the initials, "JMJ." (I went to five K-8 schools in my day, and this was standard practice at each of them). These initials were an invocation of the Holy Family—Jesus, Mary, and Joseph— and served as a form of prayer, reflection, and centering of intent as we began our studies.

When I joined Boy Scouts, I learned of a secular version of this discipline, employed by the legendary American artist, Norman Rockwell. The story goes that a friend was visiting his painting studio and noticed that Rockwell had painted "100%" in gold at the top of his easel. When asked what that meant, Rockwell replied, "that's what I always expect of myself." I don't know whether this story is true— notably, in Rockwell's Triple Self-Portrait (1960), the top of his easel is obscured by a Roman-esque costume helmet— but the intended lesson on maintaining one's best effort stuck.

For most of my adult years, I've pondered and prayed with another motivational moniker, one very familiar to any of you who've been "ruined for life" by a Jesuit education. The founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola, offered as a spiritual cornerstone to his brothers the phrase, "Ad majorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem" ("For the greater glory of God and the salvation of humanity"). As the order became more fully established, it adopted the first four words of this phrase as its motto. In turn, as Jesuits and those they educated integrated this motto into their own spirituality, the acronym "AMDG" appeared. One particularly notable adopter of this acronym was J. S. Bach, who inscribed it at the end of every manuscript.

The idea represented by AMDG is that any righteous act, regardless of its notoriety or scale, has intrinsic merit if the intent is to glorify God and serve God's people. What an ideal point of focus for a Music Minister! AMDG is an invitation to remember what the ultimate "why" of our ministry truly is. It's an invitation to do the work of ministry— practicing, preparing, learning, challenging yourself— so that the gifts and skills we bring to ministry may be even more effective in addressing that ultimate "why." It's an invitation to unburden yourself from the fruitless insistence on perfection; to forgive yourself for not knowing everything, having something to improve on, making mistakes, or trying and failing to meet a challenge. It's an invitation meant for each and every one of us equally, whether a seasoned veteran or brand-new member. It's an invitation to give the best of what you have, without comparison or judgement, as a gift of gratitude to a God whose love for all us cannot fall short of perfection.

My prayer for each of us is that, whether we start jotting it at the top of every score or keeping it at the top of our minds and hearts, that "AMDG" will be the inspiration and motivation for all we are called to do as a Music Ministry.

Peace be with you,
Tony Ward

MUSICAL FYI

Clefs not only indicate the range of notes on a staff, but also offer an anchor of sorts to help read the pitches that follow it.

The treble clef is also known as a G-clef, as the circular design of the symbol highlights the position of G on the staff. If you're looking for help in learning to read music, memorizing the position of G gives you a reference point to move up and down from as you identify the notes above and below it.

For those of you whose music is written in bass clef, you have an anchor too: it's also known as an F-clef, as the two vertical dots highlight the staff position of F. Working up or down from that point can also help identify pitches.

There is a third clef still in use today, the C-clef, which wraps inward around one line of a staff to show the position of middle C. If you were a singer or choirmaster in the twelfth through fifteenth centuries, you would need to know your C-clefs well; the clef could be placed on any of the five lines of a staff to center the ranges of every vocal part. Today, two variations of this clef are still in use: the alto clef (middle C is on the third staff line) is the normal clef for viola; the tenor clef (middle C on the fourth line, where F would be in bass clef) is used to notate the upper ranges of cello, trombone, and bassoon.

REHEARSAL AGENDA: AUGUST 28

IN YOUR FOLDERS (Hoping to have folders made for our new members by tomorrow night!)

4.020 · E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come (Manz)
4.022 · Unexpected and Mysterious (Hampton)
5.062 · Christmas Day (Holst, arr. Ward)
6.008 · Bless the Lord (Ward/St. Noel).... the published version!
6.010 · We Adore You, O Christ (Proulx)

WEEKEND MUSIC

3.081 · Here At This Table reviewing harmonies, edits to verses 3 and 5
JS 829 · The Cry of the Poor Psalm, Aug 31 · Cantors: Karin O (5:00), Rich W (9:00), Greg E (11:00)
JS 67 · Ps 90: In Every Age Sep 7 · Cantors: Tony W (5:00); Marie P (9:00); Mary P (11:00)
6.010 · We Adore You, O Christ Reacquainting ourselves with this piece as we prepare for Sep 14
1.004 · Mass of Encounter Glory to God, Gospel Acclamation; harmony for Eucharistic acclamations as time permits

THIS WEEK IN LITURGY

AUGUST 31 · Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 126
2025 Workbook: p. 252
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 208
Cantors: Karin O (5:00); Rich W (9:00); Greg E (11:00)

MUSIC SELECTIONS:

Gathering: BB 312 · JS 761 · Table of Plenty (Schutte)
Glory to God: BB 867 · 1.001 · Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Responsorial Psalm: BB 625 · JS 829 · The Cry of the Poor (Foley)
Gospel Acclamation: BB 930 · JS 264 · Celtic Alleluia (O'Carroll/C. Walker)
Preparation of the Gifts: BB 418 · JS 639 · Earthen Vessels (Foley)
Eucharistic Acclamations: BB 874–878 · 1.001 · Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen
Lamb of God: BB 933 · JS 789 · Lamb of God (Kendzia)
Communion: BB 309 · 3.081 · Here At This Table (Whitaker)
Sending Forth: BB 391 · 3.026 · The Summons (KELVINGROVE/Bell, arr. Fisher)

LOOKING AHEAD

SEPTEMBER 7 · Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

NOTE: We begin using the Mass of Encounter for all our acclamations.

READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 129
2025 Workbook: p. 255
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 210
Cantors: Tony W (5:00); Marie P (9:00); Mary P (11:00)

MUSIC SELECTIONS:

Gathering: BB 655 · 6.008 · Seek the Lord (O'Connor)
Glory to God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
Responsorial Psalm: BB 770 · JS 58 · Ps 67: O God, Let All the Nations (Smith)
Gospel Acclamation: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
Preparation of the Gifts: BB 416 · JS 640 · Christ Before Us (SUO GÁN/Whitaker)
Eucharistic Acclamations: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
Holy · When We Eat This Bread · Amen I
Lamb of God: WA · 1.004 · Mass of Encounter (Ward)
Communion: BB 305 · JS 766 · Gather the People (Schutte)
Sending Forth: BB 548 · JS 593 · Lift Up Your Hearts (O’Connor)

SEPTEMBER 14 · Exaltation of the Holy Cross

READINGS: Read online at usscb.org
Lectionary for Mass: 638
2025 Workbook: p. 258
Breaking Bread 2025: p. 212
Cantors: Tony W (5:00); Marie P (9:00); Mary P (11:00)

MUSIC SELECTIONS: