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Lincoln, Neb., Sep 1, 2016 \/ 04:11 pm (CNA<\/a>).- The Diocese of Lincoln held its first \u201cSacred Music Clinic\u201d Aug. 27 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.<\/p>\n The event was sponsored by the diocesan liturgical commission at the suggestion of Bishop James Conley.<\/p>\n The turnout of diocesan musicians \u2013 cantors, adult or youth choir directors, singers, organists and other instrumentalists \u2013 far exceeded organizers\u2019 expectations. A total of 230 people attended from 59 parishes in the Diocese of Lincoln and two parishes from the Archdiocese of Omaha.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were overjoyed with the turnout,\u201d said Father Daniel Rayer, chancellor and chairman of the diocesan liturgical commission. \u201cIt far exceeded our expectations. We maxed out the facility so we are thankful to the participants for bearing with cramped spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that several members of the diocesan commission who have attended the annual Catholic Music Association of America colloquium \u2013 as Bishop Conley did this summer \u2013 wanted to start a smaller version for musicians in the diocese. The goal of the commission is to make this clinic an annual event.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the response of the people indicates that there is a hunger for formation in the sacred liturgy,\u201d Father Rayer said. \u201cThe Church offers us direction for beautiful liturgy in her liturgical documents. Our aim is to offer assistance to our musicians to help them implement the Church\u2019s vision for sacred music in the liturgy.\u00a0 As Bishop Conley reminded us in his homily at Morning Prayer, this implementation will need to take place in \u2018small steps\u2019 and in a way that takes into consideration the talents, abilities, and needs of each parish all while aiming for the beauty called for by the Church.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to strive for excellence in the liturgy since this is where we come to worship God and we should give our best to God,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis was our first event, so there is much room for us to grow and learn on how we can better help our musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n The clinic, which was open to beginning, intermediate and advanced musicians, included presentations by several experienced educators, including organist Matthew Meloche, director of sacred music at Sts. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, and Adam Bartlett, a composer, conductor and teacher of sacred music. Local instructors and directors included Nicholas Lemme, the Latin chant director at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, and Amy Flamminio, who was recently named choir director at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, and Jessica Ligon, music teacher at Cathedral School. Father Michael Zimmer, diocesan master of ceremonies, led a breakout session on Church documents pertaining to music and liturgy.<\/p>\n As Father Rayer reiterated in his homily at the closing Mass, \u201cWe\u2019re called to sing the Mass, not just to sing at Mass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChant has really been the Church\u2019s musical tradition for centuries.\u201d Literally practicing what he had preached, Father Rayer chanted the Eucharistic prayer, something he\u2019d been hesitant to do in his priesthood.<\/p>\n \u201cI am not a natural musician,\u201d Father Rayer said, \u201cso I had to listen to audio recordings of it and practice it many times. It was worth the commitment to do that and I plan to sing it at Mass on special feasts in the future. Audio recordings of the priest\u2019s chants of the Roman Missal are all available on the internet. With a little time and practice, most priests should be able to sing the chants proper to them.\u201d<\/p>\n All participants were welcomed to test out the skills they were learning. Breakout sessions focused on different aspects of liturgical music such as chant, organ accompaniment, hymn selection, leading the responsorial psalm at Mass and other pertinent topics. The instructors led music at Mass so that all could participate.<\/p>\n Wayne Ringer attended the conference from St. Mary Parish in Denton, where he is a member of a three-man schola cantorum led by Andrew Vinton. They just started three years ago, but he said attending the conference gave him great hope for the future.<\/p>\n \u201cI could see from the enthusiastic participants in the clinic that a great movement (toward use of chant) is afoot in our diocese. It will still take time to mature, but the seeds have been planted.\u201d<\/p>\n He called the clinic \u201can awesome opportunity for formation in the rich tradition of sacred music that the Church has asked us to implement in our parishes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think that many people do not realize,\u201d he explained, \u201cthe emphasis that Vatican Council II and the subsequent popes have placed on returning Gregorian chant to \u2018pride of place\u2019 in the Mass.\u201d He said he thought the clinic would be a \u201creal force for years to come\u201d toward achieving this goal for the diocese.<\/p>\n \u201cI would encourage anyone in the music ministry to attend next year\u2019s music clinic,\u201d Ringer said, \u201cto gain a deeper love for the Mass and for sacred music. One of the primary ways to evangelize is through beauty, and I think that everyone who participated in Saturday evening\u2019s Mass was overwhelmed by the grace, dignity and solemnity of the liturgy.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, the night before the clinic began, artist and writer David Clayton delivered a free lecture at the Newman Center on \u201cThe Way of Beauty.\u201d He explained how beauty can be the most basic form of evangelization, a detail Katie Dubas also took from the conference.<\/p>\n Dubas, who is director of youth ministry for the parishes of the Grant Deanery, also occasionally serves as a cantor. She said she learned a great deal about the different styles of music and how they are best suited for different occasions.<\/p>\n \u201cI never thought about how some music is best for basic evangelization, some for private devotion and then the sacred music that was designed for the liturgy,\u201d she said. \u201cGregorian chant has a rich history in the life of the Church and it was good to learn about the history and role it plays in the Church today.\u201d<\/p>\n She got to see firsthand how chant can be brought to the present Church, when she attended a Sunday morning Mass at the Newman Center.<\/p>\n \u201cI was surrounded by college students,\u201d she said. \u201cMost of the Mass used chant, and all of the students around me were joining in song, so that showed me that they have been taught about sacred music and are embracing it wholeheartedly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think young people today are open to learning about sacred music and how it was designed to help us have one united voice in response to Jesus\u2019 invitation to be inserted into the mystery of the Trinity.\u201d<\/p>\n \nThis article originally appeared in the Southern Nebraska Register<\/a>. Republished with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n