One thing I like about NPM conventions is the cultivation of the great body of ecumenical strophic hymnody. At the Pastoral Musicians’ Breakfast Thursday morning, we sang no less than six stanzas of the strong tune ST. ANNE. Acknowledging strong opinions on all sides regarding alteration of hymn texts, I think this judicious alteration is quite good– stanza six:
Then we will praise you actively
and never have a fear
when missal’s fourth edition comes
as early as next year!
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Some $30,000 in scholarships was given out to young people. Now that’s fostering formation of young musicians and liturgists! Good for NPM.
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- Director of Music Ministries member of the year is Joanne Werner, Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Michael Catholic Church in Bedford, TX.
- Outstanding Pastor is Fr. Victor Buebendorf of New York. Fr. Buebendorf has attended every NPM convention since 1978 – except the year he had open-heart surgery (excused absence?). He once paid the way for 20 people to attend NPM.
- The Virgil C. Funk, Jr. Stewardship Award went to Marie Kremer, founding member of the St. Louis NPM chapter. Do you know about the Marie Kremer Aware for Organ Study?
- Pastoral Musician of the Year is Sr. Mary Jo Quinn, SCL, Montana, who has labored mightily and in many capacities in Kansas and Montana promoting sung liturgy.
- The 2011 Jubilate Deo Award went to the St. Louis Jesuits – an important part of all our life stories since Vatican II. It was a quite moving sign of unity and mutual respect to see master organist and classical musician Jennifer Pascual of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York give the tribute to these composers of contemporary music.
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Oddest anecdote from NPM 2011: one parish recently called a large publisher to order several hundred copies of the current (i.e. unrevised) hymnal. The publisher had to point out to them that the Order of Mass is changing and this hymnal will be obsolete, come Advent. Yes, they know. That’s why they’re ordering now.
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A nice media report on the NPM gathering can be found here.
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When Window’s Vista was announced I promptly bought an XP desktop and an XP laptop, as well as associated programs.
Keep your old missals and hymnals, you may need them, or get top dollar by selling them.
Let’s hope that the next revision of the Missal is as much of an improvement as Windows 7 was over Vista.
St Louis is wealthy in its tradition of church musicians.
We are proud to claim the Martin Hellriegel, Marie Kremer, St. Louis Jesuits, and Frank Quinn.
Marie has been teaching cantors and organists for as long as I can remember and serving on countless committees. My impression is that she has been a veteran soldier carrying the load and breaking in privates and fresh-faced lieutenants throughout the liturgy wars.