>> lem >> satg >> chant for liturgy

A little caveat before reading further. I wrote this little blurb for a parish where I worked part time as a liturgical music minister midway through my liturgical studies at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. I had spent the previous two or three years deep into chant studies and was enthralled by this treasure of music that I was unearthing. This was, of course, before I learned that there needed to be a balance between the pastoral needs of the local community, a connection with the musical traditions Catholic Church, and the prophetic voices of new composers speaking to an aspirational present and future reality. Of course, these elements of liturgical music selection are always tricky and my hope is that with time and experience I can continue to hone this craft so that in all things worship gives glory to God. Finally, as I write this in 2016 a very different political landscape has emerged and I am approximately 7 years removed from the time when I wrote this blurb. While I still value and love chant, I also recognize a much broader and ethnically diverse reality is present in our parishes here in the San Francisco Bay Area. We would do well to respect this reality, even as we seek to challenge our communities to the wider possibilities present in liturgical music.