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Views from the Choir Loft

Three Things that Inform the Work of Every Parish: Hospitality, Catechesis, Evangelization

Richard J. Clark · September 9, 2016

OSPITAILITY and catechesis ultimately lead to evangelization. They are concepts that appear intangible. Often they are. However, they inform us of our very concrete work. They permeate most everything we do in service of God and the faithful.

The list of concrete elements that embody all three is endless. Two simple examples are the production of worship aids and the use of qualitative hymnals. A worship aid takes on much time and expense for a Parish on a limited budget. Producing worship aids can turn a part-time job into a full-time one, and they cost money to print. Hymnals are a large one-time expense. However, what is the long-term benefit? What is the spiritual gain?


HOSPITALITY
The people have in their hands everything they need to sing in one place or a reference to where to find music in hymnals. They can also include music from multiple sources, opening up a treasure of sacred music the Church has to offer. Reprint licenses are relatively inexpensive. Many resources are free. (E.g., Corpus Christi Watershed, Church Music Association of America (CMAA), Illuminare Publications). In short, this simple form of hospitality means offering our best to God while in service to the faithful.


CATECHESIS
A worship aid can contain texts and translations of antiphons, choral works, references to preludes and postludes (which are often connected to the liturgical calendar), and any music that fosters internal meditation. It can outline the liturgy so that young and old may learn the elements of the Mass. Importantly, the connections of the music we sing to the scriptures, the feast, or the season are more easily seen and ultimately taken to heart.


EVANGELIZATION
This is the outgrowth of hospitality and catechesis. Those who not only feel welcomed, but are nourished with dignified substance, will also be far more likely to return. But it is not just about putting people in the pews. It is about helping people to pray. And that is what a solid hymnal and worship aids accomplish.

The liturgy is also usually the first interaction most people have with a parish. We are ready not only to make positive first impressions, but also maintain a standard as best as possible to help parishioners, new and old, be nourished and rooted in prayer. Never forget: the Mass is the greatest form of evangelization.

HESE THREE CONCEPTS extend to many other concrete forms. Another important and often overlooked example is a well designed, easy to navigate, and informative website. This is not always easy to accomplish quickly. It may take time to develop and grow, but this is necessary for any parish today. In a parish website, the possibilities of hospitality, catechesis, and therefore evangelization, are endless.

The role of architecture in evangelization deserves volumes of commentary. From the worship space to parish space of various use, few elements are more influential in how a person feels and interacts with God and with others. Maintaining old buildings is the nightmare of every pastor—one of the most difficult aspects of being a pastor. But there are great rewards when any improvements can be made.

Outreach and social justice programs are fundamental part of hospitality and living out the Gospel. Understanding why we must do these things is an element of catechesis. The fruit is evangelization.

T IS IMPORTANT to remember that evangelization is not something we do for our personal gain or for a parish’s advancement or prestige. It is what we must do as God calls us. These three concepts are born from Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex Vivendi – the law of prayer is the law of belief, which points to the law of how Christians must live.

My words here are but a beginning of something much, much larger. I have barely scratched the surface. But you have much to offer. God is calling.

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

Filed Under: Articles 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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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Iconographic tradition has theologically interpreted the manger and the swaddling cloths in terms of the theology of the Fathers. The child stiffly wrapped in bandages is seen as prefiguring the hour of his death: from the outset, he is the sacrificial victim, as we shall see more closely when we examine the reference to the first-born. The manger, then, was seen as a kind of altar.”

— Pope Benedict XVI (2012)

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