Well, I hope this episode finds you rested and at least partially recovered from the joy and stress of the Christmas celebrations! We find these weeks in Winter Ordinary Time to be those of restoration and recovery when it comes to pastoral music. It’s a moment of breath before we pivot and, yes, start to think of Lent. But let’s not begin that journey just yet! Today starts a month-long focus on continuing education opportunities. As we begin this new calendar year, it's important for us to take time for renewal, education and formation. It's at the center of who we are and what we do at NPM. This year we are committing to learning and formation opportunities, and invite you to join us!
The first opportunity of learning we’ll be featuring is The Essentials of Catholic Liturgy. Liturgy, Life and Discipleship, the third track of the Essentials of Catholic Liturgy, begins this month and is developed in partnership with NPM and LTP. These six weeks of courses emphasize the celebration of the Eucharist as our source and summit of Christian life, and will help pastoral ministers—musicians and liturgists, notably—discuss and break open how liturgy interacts with the modern world, evangelization, mystagogy, social justice, and spirituality.
And so I sat down with Timothy Johnston to dig deeper. Until very recently, Timothy served as an Editor and Liturgical Training Consultant for Liturgy Training Publications. Timothy joins us today from the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.
