FEEDING THE SPIRIT
• Pray with the Word • Pray at a prayer-intensive music ministry retreat
First of all, it is indeed important to pray each time you gather with a choir or other ensemble in your music ministry. Choirs and ensembles are very much small Christian communities within your parish. Tey are not choral societies or community choirs. Tey have a specifically Christian mission within your parish community.
Te length and type of prayer can vary depending upon your context. Te opportunity is to expand your notion and practice of prayer with your various groups. Our rehearsal spaces should be prayerful spaces. Tey should be joyful spaces. Every group is different and can pray in a variety of ways. Variety is perhaps the key. For many choirs, a brief opening prayer and song is sufficient coupled with a brief time for prepared and spontaneous intercession at the end of rehearsal. Te challenge is to always grow deeper and expose your choir to different ways of prayer.
Some directors find it a good practice to welcome everyone at the start of rehearsal and then begin with a simple prayer or seasonal song that the choir knows well, before moving into a brief time for vocal warm- ups. Sometimes, incorporating deep breathing and “breath prayer” into your warm-up time is also a good way to connect breath, music making, and prayer at the beginning of a rehearsal. I often pray at the end of rehearsal for five to ten minutes. If my adult groups prayed at the beginning, some folks would miss it! Consider using all or part of the intercessions from the previous Sunday that were prepared for your parish liturgy. Tese petitions can be followed by spontaneous prayers from the group.
Learning to voice the
prayers of our hearts An important task for us is to help enable our choristers to become comfortable voicing the prayers of their hearts. Consider using phrases to help encourage the prayer, such as, “For what else do we pray on this night?” or “At the end of this rehearsal, let us bring to God our prayers of praise and thanksgiving.”
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