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We are ramping up our summer schedules here in the Ministry Monday studio! This means plenty of preparation for our summer Ordinary Time liturgies, planning our summer formation opportunities, and of course, carving out some time to enjoy the summer sunshine as well.

We found ourselves gravitating to an episode from the Ministry Monday archives, which was also a reflection from the 2021 National Convention by Kate Basi. Her Key Change presentation, named, “How to Pray While I’m Working,” reflects on the nuances we as pastoral ministers experience while participating in the Mass. I myself have found that I experience the Mass differently when I’m ministering versus when I (rarely) simply sit in the pew. How can we set our work mindset aside, or at least, pray alongside that mindset?

I’d like to mention that after this episode, Ministry Monday will be taking a short break as we prepare for both the in person and virtual NPM conventions. We will return with new episodes on July 31. In the meantime, if you’re participating in either the in person NPM convention in Reno or the virtual convention online the week afterward, please reach out and say hello to me. I always love meeting fellow listeners of the podcast!

Today's episode of Ministry Monday celebrates Taizé in both the small village and the music it offers in contemplation and prayer. Today we speak to David Anderson, Editor-at-Large for GIA Publications and Director of Music and Liturgy at Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park, Illinois.

David has visited Taizé, France, several times, and has led monthly Taizé services for years in his parish. He reflects about the depth and beauty of Taizé and how you can implement its music and spirituality in your parish.

This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by OCP. OCP offers a large, comprehensive selection of seasonal and annual missals like the most popular and widely-used: Breaking Bread. If your parish community is looking for a worship resource to support full and active participation in the liturgy go to ocp.org/missals.

There are so many ways to involve a parish community in its music ministry, and not all of them, of course, include singing. Haven’t we all heard the parishioner who says, “I can’t join the music ministry - I can’t sing!” Luckily for us, music ministry today can include instrumental assistance, including a handbell choir.

In many instances, handbell choirs were the only choirs allowed in a parish setting during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a choir setting that can be accomplished without projecting the human voice. It can also be done with plenty of social distancing, if space allows. And more than anything, it provides the community of a choir without singing- a perfect option for those who want to use their musical gifts without singing.

Handbell choirs are a great option in a music ministry program, but some music ministers may not know where to start: how can I afford handbells? Who do I purchase them from? How do I teach (and direct) a handbell choir? These questions and many more are addressed in my conversation today.

Donna Kinsey has served for over 50 years as the pastoral musician for St. Francis De Sales Parish. She has taught music for public and Catholic schools in both Morgantown, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. She is also a handbell clinician and has spearheaded the National Catholic Handbell Festivals with the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

This episode is truly a primer on starting a handbell choir. Not only that, Donna has provided a handout in the “show notes” of this episode for additional tips. If you’ve ever considered starting a handbell choir, this is the episode for you.