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Views from the Choir Loft

World Day for Consecrated Life and Leadership from the Laity

Richard J. Clark · February 6, 2015

LL TOO CLOSE to World Day for Consecrated Life (Feb. 2nd), the Archdiocese of Boston suffered great loss in the passing of two faithful and active pastors: Msgr. Richard Mehm, Pastor of Immaculate Conception in Malden, Massachusetts and Fr. John W. Gentleman, pastor of both Sacred Heart Church, Manchester by the Sea and John the Baptist Church in Essex, Massachusetts. The sadness is made more difficult by their relatively young ages. Rev. Mehm was 66. Rev. Gentleman was 55.

Msgr. Mehm was an avid supporter of sacred music. His Director of Music and Organist, Rosalind Mohnsen, is an extraordinarily accomplished organist and recording artist. But she also had Msgr. Mehm’s support in bringing truly reverent sacred music to this suburban parish; they have been singing the propers for years. Furthermore, I was deeply honored when Msgr. Mehm backed a commission for an organ work for Rosalind Mohnsen’s twenty-fifth anniversary at Immaculate Conception Parish. Based on the Introit for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Gaudens Gaubedo was most fitting for his parish. This was an unusually supportive pastor and a great loss.

While I never met Fr. Gentleman, I have witnessed the outpouring of grief from fellow priests upon his passing. We shall keep them in our prayers for the repose of their souls as well as for thanksgiving for their humble service to God and his people.

HEIR PASSINGS UNDERSCORE the frailty of human life. One would have expected both to serve the Archdiocese for many more years. We not only needed them, but depended upon them. The Archdiocese of Boston, like many dioceses around the United States, faces a large number of priests retiring and not enough to take their place. While the seminary in Boston has rebounded dramatically in the last decade, there remains a relatively smaller population of diocesan priests to serve the people.

As such, a similar reality has faced much of the country: Priests and pastors are responsible for multiple parishes. (Even parochial vicars sometimes split time between parishes.) This requires a greater reliance upon lay leadership, recognized with authority or not. There is nothing new here. But it is becoming the new normal everywhere.

HIS WEEKEND, PARISHES ARE CELEBRATING the World Day for Consecrated Life. With the best and most effective priests being stretched thinner and thinner, musicians and priests must be mutually supportive. Both are immersed in the work of the liturgy, the celebration of which Geofreddo Boselli calls, the “most important act of evangelization.” (pg. 209, The Spiritual Meaning of the Liturgy) Furthermore, lay leaders need their volunteers. (I am nothing without mine.) We are all responsible for the spiritual growth and well being of our parishes.

For music directors, the pastoral nature of one’s job demands that one be a servant leader. This usually entails leadership without authority, as ultimately a pastor will always have canonical authority in a parish.

But sometimes leadership without authority is the most effective kind. It is teaching by example. It is serving by giving those in our charge the tools and therefore the ability to succeed. It is leadership by keeping the spiritual well being of an entire parish in mind, meeting them where they are at and then challenging them to move forward. (This is far different from making everyone happy and also far more important.)

Leadership without authority keeps one humble and keeps others’ best interests in one’s heart. During difficult times in the Church, let us pray for vocations and pray for our priests who need additional strength to carry out God’s work. Furthermore, pray for the lay leaders of the Church who will be carrying more and more weight in serving the Church. Pray always, and be grateful for the opportunity to serve God and his people.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Servant Leader Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“In 1848, Franz Liszt attended a performance of Schumann’s 1st Piano Trio, held in his honor in the Schumanns’ home. Liszt arrived two hours late with Wagner (who hadn’t been invited), derided the piece, and spoke ill of the recently deceased Mendelssohn. This upset the Schumanns, and Robert physically assaulted Liszt.”

— Janita Hall-Swadley

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