This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by CLEF – Catholic Liturgical Ensemble Formation.

The CLEF Summer Program, taking place July 23 – 28 in Milford, Ohio, is a unique opportunity for education, skill building, prayer, and community connection specifically designed for ensemble musicians, with options for an ensemble track or retreat track. For more information, visit https://clef.life.

Today on the podcast we revisit the most-listened-to episode of 2022, which was also part 1 of Ministry Monday’s Exsultet series. We speak to Fr. Paul Turner about the historical context of the Exsultet, the sacred chant sung at the start of the Easter Vigil. The Exsultet is such a distinct moment in the Triduum journey: covered in darkness, punctuated by candlelight, the Exsultet is a 9-minute chant prefacing what is about to happen in the Easter Vigil liturgy: Christ, returning "from death's domain", grants us all eternal life through His resurrection. It is to begin. Today Fr. Paul Turner provides a historical, biblical and liturgical context from which to prepare the Exsultet this Lent. When was the Exsultet first sung? How did it find its place at the start of the Easter Vigil? Why are deacons so often chosen for the role? And what about the role of bees in the newest translation?

Today we speak to Diana Macalintal, the cofounder and codirector of TeamRCIA.com and Liturgy.life, as well as a widely-recognized leader and speaker in the areas of the catechumenate and Catholic liturgy and music. Diana discusses the process of developing, approving, and executing a new translation of the Rite in the Catholic Church, both in the United States and across the world. Moreover, Diana discusses the basis of the changes to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and what to expect for its upcoming new translation, the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA).

Diana joins us from her home in San Jose, California.

The music we choose speaks volumes about us as musicians, whether we realize it or not. It expresses our personal tastes in terms of style, genre, modality, and more. Not only that, our musical choices have the power to amplify the people behind them: from gender to culture, race to religion, the composers themselves are just as much a part of the music we choose as the notes on the page.

It’s a topic we’ve discussed on the podcast before, but during Black History Month, I return to one of my favorite interviews of the history of the podcast. I spoke with Dr. Mickey Thomas Terry, organist and lecturer currently based in the Washington, D.C. area. Among Dr. Terry’s varied accomplishments is the African-American Organ Music Anthology, which recently released its 10th volume through MorningStar Music Publishers. Dr. Terry’s professional work, both through the anthology and his research at large, seek to raise visibility for music by African-American classical composers and give them the opportunity to be played and celebrated today.

And so today I replay my discussion with Dr. Terry, sharing his thoughts on the struggles of African-American composers and what we can do today to honor their esteemed work.