Holy week is coming, and with it comes a level of personal commitment that may exceed the normal weekend liturgical life: schedules are rearranged, extra music is learned to support the sacred days, and our bodies- especially our voices- have extra pressure put upon ourselves. Not only that, this season has seen a lot of sickness circulating, especially colds and upper respiratory infections.

For these reasons, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to revisit an episode from 2021 featuring Lynn Eustis on vocal health.

Today we listen to an episode of Ministry Monday from 2020 that celebrates the role women play in music ministry today. We hear the stories of Nancy Douglass and Janèt Sullivan-Whitaker, both active, longtime composers and pastoral musicians. It is a great way to start our celebration of Women's History Month.

At the beginning of each year we look back at the episodes that made Ministry Monday in the last 12 months. We had several popular episodes in 2023, but one of them stood out from the rest. It featured a story of a father-daughter duo who both serve in music ministry in their respective parishes. In fact, Daniel Ladner - the father in our wonderful story - has served in music ministry for 72 years- at the same church!

I can say from a personal note that this episode was one of my favorites to record. Hearing Daniel and Beth’s stories, both together and separately, was so inspiring. It reminds me of the lives that light up our parish music ministry, across the country, and the gift that I have to share them with you on the podcast.