A new song...

Sing to the Lord a new song;

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Proclaim his salvation day by day.

Tell among the nations his glory,

and his wonders among all the peoples.

Psalm 96:1-3

Dear parishioners of Saint Mary's,

As I write this, I'm looking out the window of the music and liturgy office at the green grass and trees of the courtyard. The Cathedral offices on a weekday are a hive of activity! Cars come in and out of the parking lot. People go up and down the sidewalk. The doorbells ring at both doors. (The postman rings twice. Really, he does.) People stop by with packages, call with questions, pop in for a chat. Our priests come in and out from home to work to home and back to work again. The phones ring, and Kelly answers, always cheerful, "Saint Mary's Cathedral, this is Kelly..."

Behind the scenes, there is a lot going on. There's a vibrant rhythm to all this activity, a pulse that tells anyone who comes in that this community is busy, that there is life happening, that we are about God's work.

People at Saint Mary's are invested in the music of the church. The musicians here are talented, highly capable, and dedicated to making their craft the best it can be, using their gifts to serve God and the community. There is a broad, deep, solid tradition of musical excellence at Saint Mary's.

As I step into this new role as your Director of Music, I find myself asking a question: What does it mean to sing a new song in a place where the song is already being sung so well?

How we pray in liturgy shapes how we believe - lex orandi, lex credendi. Music is an integral part of that prayer! Music connects us to God and to one another. We see this in the psalms over and over again: the psalmist reaches out to God, and God responds. Those musical prayers are a true dialogue between God and his people. Our prayer is how we nurture that relationship.

When we sing, we embody our prayer in an intentional way. Singing gets us out of our heads and into our bodies, animating the words of our prayers with our breath, the way God breathed life into the world at creation, the way the Spirit breathes life into the Church. We share the air with those around us, with all of creation, just as we share the song we sing.

As your Director of Music, I hope to call your attention to the song we are singing together and to help you connect it to your life and to your prayer. In this space, you can expect me to share about our music at Saint Mary's - news about what our choirs and ensembles are up to, information about the music we are singing at Mass, thoughts about the liturgical seasons and how our music fits into those seasons and rhythms.

Sometimes I'll highlight a piece we are singing so that you can learn more about it. Sometimes I'll show you something that might be new or different.

Sometimes, I'll just express gratitude here.

It will evolve, as we do, together.

And - maybe that is the thing about a new song. Every song comes from a context. We sing from where we are right now, what we've brought with us, how our day is feeling, what's already been built in this place. We can only sing the song we have to sing right now, with what we have to offer today. As we sing, we grow. We learn how to breathe together. We discover who we are as a community and how we can support each other. We figure out how to use our voices for the greater good of our parish, the community, and the world, as we work to build the kingdom of God in our midst.

Together, we are always more than we are alone. Our common song is stronger than any we could sing by ourselves. And it will only get stronger from here.

Thank you for the opportunity you have offered me to be among you and for the privilege of serving here. I look forward to getting to know you better as we learn to sing the song that God has for us now, in this new season.

grace and peace,

Abbey

PS - Need to get in touch with me? Email musicatstmaryscathedral@gmail.com or call the office at 320-251-1840 (x 2).