THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD JANUARY 3, 2021

Which left us on the parish staff wondering why, and what we could do about it.

Of course, everyone has personal tastes in music. I happen to prefer classical music. My son is an accomplished jazz musician. Others like country, gospel, or other current styles. Judging from the complaints we’ve received, when it comes to church music many parishioners have strong preferences. They want something more upbeat, something contemporary, something that reflects feelings, possibly the Praise & Worship songs that other churches are using.

As we’ve considered this issue, it seems that the question we should be asking is not What kind of music do

we want in church, but What kind of music does the Church want in church? There’s a good reason for framing the question that way; and, with Fr. Bosco’s permission, for the next few times I preach I want to address that question.

To ask what music the Church wants in its liturgy, it helps to look first at the liturgy itself, because the music used there has to be compatible. The Catechism has a long section on liturgy, beginning at paragraph 1066. Its definition can be summed up in four words: Liturgy is the formal, public worship of the Church. Each word is important.

Liturgy is formal, which is to say it’s not casual. Liturgy is ceremonial and ceremonies are —continued on p. 2

Liturgy and Church Music – Dcn. Dennis Walters –

Y ou may remember that way back in January, many of you answered a survey called the Disciple Maker Index questionnaire. One statement you

were asked to agree or disagree with was: “The parish helps me grow spiritually by offering music that deepens my desire to participate more fully in the Sunday liturgy.” A few were enthusiastic about our music, some had no opinion. But over half of those responding said that the music our parish offers does not deepen their desire to participate in the liturgy.

p. 2 • January 3, 2021 The Epiphany of the Lord St. Mary Catholic Church, Manchester, MI

DCN. DENNIS’ ARTICLE FROM PAGE 1, continued: Liturgy and Church Music

St. Mary’s Parish Weekly Calendar ◆ Jan. 2-10, 2021 Mass Intention [requested by], & parish activities

SAT. JAN. 2 Memorial: Ss. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

8:30am FIRST SATURDAY MASS: Eddie Walz [Janet & Bill Shurtliff]

3:30-4:30pm Confession 5:00pm VIGIL MASS for the Feast of the

Epiphany of the Lord: For the people SUN. JAN. 3 Solemnity: The Epiphany of the Lord

8-8:15 and 10-10:15am Confession 8:30am MASS: Bob Laskowski

[Sarah and Matt Laskowski] 10:30am MASS: Eddie Walz

[Shirley Krzyzaniak]

MON. JAN. 4 Memorial: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious 12:10pm MASS: Harold Merrill

[Betty Cummings] TUES. JAN. 5 Memorial: St. John Neumann, Bishop

8:30am MASS: Dr. Michael Dawson [Betty Cummings]

WED. JAN. 6 Christmas Weekday (opt. mem. St. André Bessette, Religious)

8:30am MASS: Wilma Lentz [The Achtenberg Family]

THUR. JAN. 7 Christmas Weekday (opt. mem. St. Raymond of Penyafort, Priest)

8:30am MASS: Frank Stancato [Janet & Bill Shurtliff]

FRI. JAN. 8 Christmas Weekday 8:30am MASS: INT: For the health of

Fulbert Ramde and the whole family [Sylvie & Scott Strong]

SAT. JAN. 9 Christmas Weekday

3:30-4:30pm Confession 5:00pm VIGIL MASS for The Baptism of

the Lord: Eddie Walz [Mike & Julie DeLucia]

SUN. JAN. 10 Feast: The Baptism of the Lord 8-8:15 and 10-10:15am Confession

8:30am MASS: Frank Stancato [Bill & Astrida Punches]

10:30am MASS: For the people

1 Jn 2:22-28 • Jn 1:19-28

Is 60:1-6 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12

1 Jn 3:22–4:6 Mt 4:12-17, 23-25 1 Jn 4:7-10 Mk 6:34-44 1 Jn 4:11-18 Mk 6:45-52 1 Jn 4:19–5:4 Lk 4:14-22a 1 Jn 5:5-13 Lk 5:12-16 1 Jn 5:14-21 • Jn 3:22-30

Is 42:1-4, 6-7 (or Is 55:1-11) Acts 10:34-38 (or 1 Jn 5:1-9) Mk 1:7-11

supposed to be above the ordinary. We know what graduations, installations, ordinations, and weddings are supposed to be like: the special clothes, required gestures, and exalted language. Everything follows a prescribed pattern. Ceremonies should have a solemnity, a sobriety, and a gravity outside the ordinary, even when the occasion is a joyful one. The Mass is like that. As a meeting with Jesus, it’s a solemn occasion and deserves the formality.

Liturgy is public, which is to say it’s not private. While it’s true that in our private prayer God speaks to individuals, in the liturgy He speaks to the Church as a whole, and the Church as a whole responds. The Mass is a conversation, a dialog between the Holy Trinity and the People of God. The dialog takes place in part through the readings, and in part through the celebrant speaking sometimes with our voice and at others with the voice of Christ. Our private prayer takes shape from public liturgy rather than the other way around.

Liturgy is worship, which is to say it’s more than ordinary ceremony. Of course, we do observe the ceremonial features of liturgy – the standing, the sitting, the kneeling, the stock responses. Worship “in spirit and truth” incorporates our bodies and our senses. But that alone is not worship. Along with our bodily movements and gestures, true worship involves expressions of humble repentance, docility to the Lord, adoration, and praise. And because liturgy is public worship, we worship as a group. Our local celebration joins with the universal prayer of the Church.

Liturgy is an action of the Church, which is to say it doesn’t belong to individuals or individual congregations. According to the Catechism, “[t]he word ‘liturgy’ originally meant a ‘public work’ or a ‘service in the name of/on behalf of the people.’ In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in ‘the work of God’” (CCC1069). In other words, the liturgy re-presents a work that Jesus is doing, His work of salvation for His people, the members of His Body. Consequently, the Church as Jesus’ entire Body receives that work, is made holy by it, promotes it, and celebrates it throughout the world.

So it’s only appropriate that the formal, public worship of the Church should seek out and employ the kind of music that reflects what the liturgy does. The formality of the liturgy calls for a

music that enjoys a goodness of artistic form, a quality in composition that is good both musically and doctrinally. The public nature of the liturgy requires a music that is sober yet captures the joy and pathos of the gospel without appealing to private emotion or popular trendiness. The worship fostered by the liturgy calls for a music that not only speaks of holiness but draws the heart toward God in prayer and adoration. And because liturgy is done in and for the Church as a whole, the music used in it should not reflect the tastes of only one culture or one age but should be accessible wherever the liturgy is celebrated throughout the world.

Finding music that meets these expectations may sound like a tall order. The good news is that the Church already has a rich body of music in several genres, and is continually looking for new music that meets all these criteria. Several popes over the last century or so have tried to explain these criteria, and have even held up certain types of music as models, such as Gregorian Chant and sacred polyphony. In this series of homilies I’ll have more to say about them. But these aren’t the only types out there. The hymns we sing as a congregation during Mass are a category to themselves, and there’s lots to say about them, too.

We at St. Mary’s obviously want a music that deepens our desire to participate in the liturgy. We may never find the music that appeals to everybody. But our desire to participate in liturgy can’t depend on what we like or dislike. It has to be the kind of music that sings of God and draws us toward God, because that’s what the liturgy itself is supposed to do. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit renew in us a desire to worship Him with the kind of music He likes.

St. Mary Catholic Church, Manchester, MI The Epiphany of the Lord January 3, 2021 • p. 3

NEED HELP? An “AA” group meets Fridays at 7:00pm at

Emanuel Church, 324 W Main St. (next door to St Mary’s)

NEED HELP? ALTERNATIVES TO ABORTION: Call (800) 57WOMAN (800-579-6626) –

OR – Text for Help: “HELPLINE” to 313131

Need Help? PROJECT RACHEL (post-abortion reconciliation

and healing) Call the confidential phone line: 517-993-0291, or email

nlc@resurrectionlansing.org

NEED HELP? “COURAGE” is a Catholic spiritual support group for those struggling

with same sex attraction. “ENCOURAGE” is a separate support group for families &

friends. For info in the Diocese of Lansing, call 517-342-2596 or email caverart@comcast.net

0 St. Mary Roman Catholic Church

Stewardship WEEKLY COLLECTION:

Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020 Sunday Env (42) ............... $ 5,560.00 Welcome & Loose .................. 10.00 E-Giving (11) ....................... 401.54 All Saints Day (1) .................. 10.00 All Souls Day (1) .................... 10.00 Immac Conception (2) .......... 35.00 E-Giving Immac Conc (1) ...... 25.00 Christmas (6) ....................... 160.00 Solemnity of Mary (1) ........... 10.00 Christmas decorations (1) ..... 20.00 Combined toward budget: $ 6,241.54 Budget goal: ...................... 5,300.00 Amt ABOVE goal: .......... + $ 941.54

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS: Bldg & Maint (5) ................. $160.00 Retired Religious (4) .............. 85.00 E-Giving Retired Rel (1) ........ 25.00 Campaign f/Human Dev (1) .. 10.00 Poor Box ............................ 177.53

Votive candles ................... 36.00

Jan. 3… ...... Gina Jennings Jan. 5… ...... Constance Stancato Jan. 7… ...... Doug Rickert Jan. 8 … ..... Richard Fielder …Cynthia Remski

!Birthday Blessings

• Terisa & Tom

Tengler • Christy Woody • Colleen Curley • Jerry Kripas • Tom Kladzyk • Tom Burch • DeLucia

family • Paula Saft • Leon Ball • Mary Ann

(aunt of Kathy Cornell)

• Maggie & Bill Adlhoch

• Connie Stancato

• Rita Messman

• Patrick Muldoon

• Bruce Sommers

• Duane Beuerle

• Paul Whelan • Paul Swenson • Marty Hall • Mitch Zink • Joyce Stein • Bob Smythe • Robin (Inge’s

niece) • Robin (Inge

Roncoli’s niece)

• Bill Coltre • Kathy Curley • Aimee

Simpson • Carrie

Warner • Ruth (friend

of C. Damian) • Andrea

Mendoza

Please Pray for…

H EAVENLY FATHER, we give You thanks and praise for Your

Son, Jesus Christ. Send your Holy Spirit to inspire holy, faithful women to become Brides of Christ and serve Your people. Lord, we pray that Your grace and love be enough for this woman in discernment of consecrated life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

H EAVENLY FATHER, we give You thanks and praise for

Your Son, Jesus Christ. Send Your Holy Spirit to inspire holy, faithful men to minister as priests. Lord,

we pray for Your grace to encourage and support our seminarians as they endeavor to become priests. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Servants of God’s Love Sr. Lisa Zelfa 

Please

Keep

in Your

Prayers

this

week

The Epiphany of the Lord May the splendor of your majesty, O Lord, we pray, shed its light upon our hearts, that we may pass through the shadows of this world and reach the brightness of our eternal home. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. (Collect Prayer on the Feast of Epiphany)

All Together Now Can you lend a hand? Several of our fellow parishioners – selfless and hardworking – volunteer

to help on one of the several cleaning crews for the church and the parish center, and they are in urgent need of additional help! If you are able to give a small amount of your time and energy – just once a month – please contact Stephanie at 734-368-8585. If only a few more people could help a little, then no one would be overwhelmed by having to do too much! Thank you.

Vestibule Resources Please take a moment after Mass or whenever you stop by the church to look at the many

items available in the main vestibule. Most recently these materials have been placed there: “Planning Your Gift to the Church” is a packet put together by the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Lansing with helpful information about how to leave a final gift to the parish. Copies of the Parish Council Minutes from their December meeting. Sign-up sheets for Altar Flowers. A variety of publications: books, pamphlets, DVDs, and CDs.

Regional Catholic Men’s Monthly Speaker Nights Men-on-Fire, a regional group of Catholic Men from the Diocese of Lansing, gather on the

Third Thursday of every month for spiritual and practical strengthening in the battle to be faithful disciples of Christ. We begin with prayer at 5:45pm (confession is usually available), followed by Mass at 6:15pm, and then a dynamic and inspirational Speaker Presentation at 7:00pm on a timely subject relevant to Catholic manhood, given by some of the most exciting and influential speakers in the Church today. Just some of the 2021 speakers include Al Kresta, Dr. Mary Healy, Dr. Ray Guarendi, Fr. Athanasius Fornwalt, Peter Herbeck, and Bishop Earl Boyea. We conclude with refreshments from the Wooden Spoon Restaurant and fellowship at 8:00pm. Two events each year are open to women. Hosted by Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Brighton. Free-will offering. All Men aged 13+ invited. For further information or to be included on our email list, contact Rory Clark: RkcLaw@msn.com.

VIRTUAL Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend Opportunity Add a little sparkle to your marriage by attending a VIRTUAL Worldwide Marriage

Encounter weekend January 29-31, 2021. Apply at wwme.org. Need a different weekend date? Check out wwme.org for all live virtual experiences being offered around the country. Questions? Contact Chris & Darla Vinton at 269-953-8287

Sisters of Mary, Morning Star

Sr. Theresa Immaculata

Ohaeri

Diocese of Lansing Seminarian Brett Ivey, St. Mary, Williamston

Diocese of Lansing Seminarian Daniel LaCroix,

Christ the King, Ann Arbor