FROM THE BOARD Communion, Participation, and Mission
P
ope Francis had a dream: that the people of God would dream together about the kind of Church we are called to be. Tat dream took
flesh in Rome on October 9, 2021, with the opening of a synod entitled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”.
Calling the entire people of God to cooperate in the mission of the Church, Pope Francis declared that “the world in which we live, and which we are called to love and serve, even with its contradictions, demands that the Church strengthen cooperation in all areas of her mission . . . Every one of the baptized should feel involved in the ecclesial and social change that we so greatly need. Tis change calls for a personal and communal conversion that makes us see things as the Lord does.”
Te theme of the synod is “Communion, Participation, and Mission”. Communion refers to the diversity of the universal Catholic Church and the one covenant that unites us all in relationship. Pastoral musicians have the ability and the responsibility to take the diversity of the gathered community and create prayer that meets each person in their lived condition, where it can bring about a conversion of heart and an overwhelming desire to participate fully in the mission of the Church and the will of God.
Participation as defined by the synod is “a call for the involvement of all who belong to the people of God—laity, consecrated, and ordained—to engage in the exercise of deep and respectful listening to one another”. Musicians facilitate such listening as we shape the ebb and flow of the liturgy. Deep silences, exhilarating acclamations, and music that supports the proclaimed scripture readings allow those at prayer to listen intently so that the word of God can be heard and applied to their life. Tis opens the door to the next, necessary step: listening to our brothers and sisters just as intently, without bias and with the utmost respect.
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Te last dimension of the synod is Mission. “Te mission of the Church is to witness the love of God in the midst of the whole human family.” At the end of each eucharistic liturgy, the faithful are sent forth “to love and serve the Lord”. By shaping the prayer of the liturgy, pastoral musicians enable members of the congregation to grow in the faith they need in order to evangelize as they navigate the contradictions of the world—a task that belongs to all the baptized.
Pastoral musicians are part of the synodal process by the sheer nature of our job description. We shape the liturgy which, as the “source and summit” of our Catholic identity, can be a source of both conversion and empowerment; indeed, it can shape the future of the Church.
As the synod continues through 2023, musicians must continue to prepare liturgical celebrations that recognize diversity, foster empathy, and model what it means to be Church. Pope Francis has called us all to evangelize and to be involved in the shaping of the current and future mission of the universal Church. Te work of a pastoral musician is to provide sung prayer so that the gathered faithful—diverse in culture, age, and societal status—can come together as one body. Uplifted by a prayerful, powerful liturgical life, the people of God will find the strength they need to participate in the work of God: the mission of the Church.
Valerie Lee-Jeter, NPM Board
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