Music Ministry: Bearing Beams of Love

I spent the first half of my Spring Break touring with my choir, the Celebration Choir[WU1] , and the Notre Dame Handbell Choir. Our trip took us from Bowling Green to Pittsburg to Washington DC and finally Cleveland. We stayed with host families and in sketchy dorms. We sang at masses, performed concerts, and even did mini-shows at several schools. It was a whirlwind trip, with five days consisting of no more than perform, eat, travel, perform, eat, sleep, and repeat. However, by the end of the trip, my idea of music and performance was completely transformed.

As we visited each location, I began to realize how important music was as a ministry. Some parishes are lucky enough to have large congregations, with lots of talented musicians, but many are smaller and aren’t exposed to choirs, even small choirs like mine. In many places we stopped, the congregations were truly excited by our presence. Our concerts were packed with people who were really eager to hear our music and let it touch them.

            

Our concerts were also part prayer service, as we included excerpts from Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium. The place where the Pope’s reflections and our music met is where I felt like our ministry really began. We allowed our audience to enter into a place of not just music, but prayer and reflection. I realized that in a unique way, we were really ministering to them. We were giving them an opportunity to grow closer to God.

            

I also realized that part of our ministry was to each member of the choir. I spent every night on tour staying up late talking to whoever was my roommate (it changed each night). Our exchanges ranged from our relationships with God to boys to how we planned to spend our summer. Sharing our stories and struggles is part of God’s constant call to community. God is always leading us to the people we need to encounter at the precise right moment.

            

I realize now that the performing arts have a capacity to bring joy and grace into people’s lives. I see that each time our choir goes to sing, we are taking part in a real mission. One of my favorite songs we sang on tour was called, “Partners for the Mission.” It pulls from the William Blake quote, “And we are put on earth a little space, that we may learn to bear the beams of love.” I thought that image spoke so clearly to what music ministry means, radiating God’s love to all who hear us.