This episode of Ministry Monday is sponsored by ONE LICENSE. Now is a wonderful time to take advantage of ONE LICENSE’s Single-Use and Event Licenses for the Lent and Easter seasons! If you plan to use copyrighted music in your midweek or Triduum worship services, or for a spring confirmation or graduation services, a Single-Use or Event License can be a great fit - especially for those who do not already participate in an Annual Reprint License. These licenses can also be bundled with our Podcast / Streaming License. Learn more about your licensing options at www.onelicense.net.

Ministry Monday is back with new episodes, new topics, and a new video intro and outro! If you haven’t seen our podcast in its video form, check it out. The links are in the show notes of this episode at ministrymonday.org and at our YouTube page, youtube.com/npmlivestream. It’s been a true joy to take a few weeks off of the podcast to gather these new conversations for upcoming episodes. I think you’re going to like it. I’d also like to thank those who reached out asking why we hadn’t returned yet from our Christmas break! It shows that you listen and enjoy the podcast, which is great news to us. We hope you keep listening this spring.

Today we begin season 9 of the podcast. Our season begins with a conversation with Fr. Roc O’Connor, a Jesuit priest and founding member of the St. Louis Jesuits. Since October 2021, he has served as a staff member at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, Illinois. Our conversation today centers around the Word of God. Fr. Roc’s initial reflections to start our interview best reflect where we begin: "The Word is spoken. It can elicit feelings from attraction to aversion. These locate adults in relation to God, to Christ in the moment. It's how we become present to the Word." Fr. Roc joins us today from Barrington, Illinois.

Taken from the Ministry Monday archives in 2019, this episode features multiple pastoral musicians who share their reflections on preparing ourselves for Christmas- while preparing so many others. This episode features an article by Chris Titko (J.W. Pepper) as well as interviews with Matt Maus and Anna Betancourt.

I once had a cantor who recently had a baby. She wanted to minister quickly after her child was born, but balancing two children with varying work schedules was a constant challenge for her. I told her that we would welcome her back as a minister in any way that her schedule would allow.  

One morning, her husband had an unexpected work commitment, so she brought her toddler and infant with her to church. They were both incredibly well-behaved until the preparation of the gifts, but this didn’t stop my cantor. With her toddler next to her leg and her infant on her hip, she sang “How Great Thou Art”. She looked at her infant as she sang, “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hands have made….” There was not a dry eye in the house. She ministered to all of us in multiple ways that day, and she reminded me of the power of lay leadership.

You know, we are so quick to cling to the role of the clergy, I think we often forget the presence of God that lives within us and flows through us as we minister.

And that is the conversation we’re having today. I sat down with Brother Louis Canter to discuss the importance of Lay Ecclesial ministry, a term that is either fresh or incredibly well-worn in your local diocesan vocabulary. Brother Louis believes that the key to the church’s future lies within the lay ministers who serve the church with their time, talent and treasures, big and small: