Ministry Monday

NPM is hitting the road this summer for 2-day events across the United States! Today we're sitting down with Executive Director Jennifer Kluge to unpack these series of events, titled "NPM On the Road." What can we expect out of these events? Who should attend them? Where can we stay? These questions - and many more - are answered in this jam-packed episode.

Today on Ministry Monday we return from our holiday break! Our first episode of 2025 features Steven Warner the founder and director emeritus of the Notre Dame Folk Choir, as well as founder of the Newman Vocare Ensemble. Like many pastoral musicians, the Holy Spirit clearly is working through Steve and his decades-long work in music and ministry. Steve is no stranger to the podcast: we spoke of h...

This week we feature part two of our conversation with Dr. Benjamin Cornelius-Bates, Professor of Musicianship at Duquesne University. Last week Dr. Cornelius-Bates shared some basic tips on how to improvise on traditional and contemporary Advent hymn tunes this Advent and Christmas season. If you haven’t listened to it, we strongly encourage you to! This week we pick up where we left off and see...

On our 250th episode of Ministry Monday we offer a replay from the podcast's archives on improvisation. In the midst of many Advent and Christmas preparations, I’ll admit that solid improvisatory skills are an excellent tool to have in my arsenal. Today Dr. Benjamin Cornelius-Bates - a professor of musicianship at Duquesne University - shares tips on how to improvise on traditional and contemporar...

This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by Ministry Scheduler Pro. Take the pain out of church volunteer scheduling with powerful, easy-to-use software designed especially for ministry scheduling. Start your free trial today at MinistrySchedulerPro.com. This week on Ministry Monday we are excited to speak to leadership from the NPM Cincinnati, Ohio Chapter. The Cincinnati Chapter is NPM'...

This episode of Ministry Monday is brought to you by Ministry Scheduler Pro. Take the pain out of church volunteer scheduling with powerful, easy-to-use software designed especially for ministry scheduling. Start your free trial today at MinistrySchedulerPro.com . Part of the cultural fabric of our parish life are the songs we sing. We, as pastoral musicians, are highly aware of this fact. There a...

Today we speak with Laura Huval, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, Catholic speaker, author, composer, and pastoral musician. Laura recently released a sung setting of the rosary, which was premiered on October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. I had the chance to reflect on her inspiration to write a sung version of the rosary, the differences between each decade, and how to access it (f...

Today on the podcast we speak to organist and composer Rebecca te Velde about the power a simple hymn can hold in any denomination's church service. Rebecca is the co-editor of the book series, "Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists," as well as the author and editor of Oxford's "Hymn Miniatures" series. The impact a hymn tune can have on the continuity of a service is large, and Rebecca helps us to...

This week on Ministry Monday we revisit one of our most listened to episodes: a conversation with theologian and liturgical composer, Tony Alonso, about his work, "Caminemos con Jesús." "Caminemos con Jesús” is a collection of liturgical music that honors the Cuban musical heritage not often seen in its own right, liturgically, in the United States. In this episode you’ll learn the inspiration beh...

We’re back! Ministry Monday returns after a summer haitus with new episodes! We’ve prepared a fall season of great episodes with topics on, of course, music, ministry, and liturgy. This week Dr. Dan Girardot (Associate Director of the Office of Worship of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston) discusses the practical, prayerful, and other musical considerations for cantors ministering in larger-tha...

This past week we celebrated the 2-year anniversary of Pope Francis's Apostolic Letter on the Liturgy, Desiderio Desideravi. This document is still a guiding force in our Church today; for this reason, we offer 2021 Jubilate Deo award winner Fr. John Baldovin's reflections as a wonderful foundation of learning. We also encourage you to attend the Breakout session, " Desiderio Desideravi and Discer...

Today we have the pleasure of speaking to Kathleen Pluth, whose hymn text, "Let the Earth Acclaim Christ Jesus," was chosen as the official hymn for the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress, taking place in just a few weeks in Indianapolis, Indiana. Today we speak of the inspiration Kathleen has found to author hymn texts, and how she was inspired to write the award-winning text.

In the last episode of Ministry Monday we spoke to Fr. Joe Laramie, a Jesuit priest, about the Liturgy of the Hours. This week we continue the conversation with Michael Silhavy, Senior Project Editor for GIA Publications, Inc., as we explore the Divine Office Hymnal: what was the genesis of its creation? What is included in the hymnal? What is the format and structure? Can it be used for prayer ou...

Today we speak to Fr. Joe Laramie, a Jesuit priest who currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fr. Joe is also the National Director of the Pope's Prayer Network, a 175-year-old spiritual mission uniting hearts to the Heart of Jesus in the heart of the Church. Additionally he is a Eucharistic Preacher for the National Eucharistic Revival. Fr. Joe recently penned an article for America Magazine ti...

Today we chat with Kathleen M. Basi (Kate, for short) and Jaime Cortez about the Liturgical Composers Forum's New Music Review taking place this summer at the NPM convention. We discuss the basics of the New Music Review, what to expect regarding the submission process, and more. The deadline to submit any compositions for the New Music Review is June 1. Tune in and learn more today! Not ready to...

Holy week is coming, and with it comes a level of personal commitment that may exceed the normal weekend liturgical life: schedules are rearranged, extra music is learned to support the sacred days, and our bodies- especially our voices- have extra pressure put upon ourselves. Not only that, this season has seen a lot of sickness circulating, especially colds and upper respiratory infections. For...

Today we listen to an episode of Ministry Monday from 2020 that celebrates the role women play in music ministry today. We hear the stories of Nancy Douglass and Janèt Sullivan-Whitaker, both active, longtime composers and pastoral musicians. It is a great way to start our celebration of Women's History Month.

At the beginning of each year we look back at the episodes that made Ministry Monday in the last 12 months. We had several popular episodes in 2023, but one of them stood out from the rest. It featured a story of a father-daughter duo who both serve in music ministry in their respective parishes. In fact, Daniel Ladner - the father in our wonderful story - has served in music ministry for 72 years...

This week we speak to the creators of the "Meet Father Rivers" podcast: Emily Strand and Eric Styles. Emily and Eric share the stories of how their lives have been impacted by Fr. Rivers, which led them to create a podcast honoring the many ways the Holy Spirit flow through his life to others. For more information on this episode, visit ministrymonday.org. For more information on the Meet Father R...

I hope you had a lovely holiday season thus far, and are well-recovered after the immense amount of effort and time you contributed to Christmas season celebrations in our universal Church today. I’m happy to share this first episode of 2024 with you, listeners! January so often comes with New Year’s resolutions, which are oftentimes out of vogue for making. But what if we, as sacred musicians, ma...

This week on Ministry Monday we are excited to speak to leadership from the NPM Saginaw Chapter. The Saginaw Chapter is NPM's 2023 Chapter of the Year. Today they share the chapter's origins, some of the chapter's most-loved programming, and some of the reasons they find inspiration and motivation through NPM, both locally and nationally.

Today on Ministry Monday we are thrilled to offer an episode from Meet Father Rivers, a podcast celebrating the life and legacy of Father Clarence Joseph Rivers. Father Rivers - a little-known but essential figure in American Catholic history - was a composer of liturgical music as well as an author on music and spirituality. Today we hear from the hosts of Meet Father Rivers, Emily Strand and Eri...

This week's episode of Ministry Monday features composer and NPM member Luke Rosen. Luke shares his reflections on the many things a pastoral musician can consider as they compose music, whether it's for a parish music ministry or just for personal enjoyment.

Today we go to the Ministry Monday archives and re-discover one of the most popular episodes. We speak to Brother John Glasenapp, a Benedictine monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana, where he currently serves as the Director of the newly-formed Saint Meinrad Institute for Sacred Music.

Today we speak to Irish Catholic singer DANA. Her story begins in Northern Ireland, representing Ireland in the world-famous Eurovision contest. After winning this prestigious competition, her career carried her through both pop music and Catholic music, listening to the Lord's voice throughout each step. Her story is a decades-long testament to her spirituality and openness, and the music she has...