The members of our parish choir gathered for rehearsal several weeks ago for the first time in months. Our last Sunday singing was March 15. It was on this day that we sang Herbert Howells’ chilling anthem that quotes Psalm 42 - “When shall I come to appear before the presence of God.”
ittle did we know that we would soon be separated from God’s Eucharistic presence for a time. If you’ve heard any of these singers talk about their experience in choir, you know that our choir is a family, a small faith community. While we cannot yet operate in full-force by gathering on Wednesdays for music, faith, and fellowship. While this modified version of choir is not ideal, being around one another and knowing that some day things will be back to normal is getting us by.
Early on in the pandemic, a few stories of choirs having a majority of their members infected were in the news cycle. Over the spring and summer, a study on aerosol particles was funded by several national education, music, and sports organizations; the study took place at Colorado State University. In short, the results showed that with proper precautions, choral singing could return in a modified format. Since there are still many unknowns and variables on this subject, the recommendations of this study are very conservative.
At St. Clare, we are following these recommendations for the safety of our choir members and, on Sundays, the parishioners in the pew. Last weekend we returned with a group of 6 singers at the 10:30 Mass. We will continue exploring new, creative ways to minister at Mass until we are able to return with our full compliment of singers.
The purpose of the Mass is to glorify God and sanctify the gathered members of the faithful (Sacrosanctam Concilium 10). Our choir’s mission is summed up in this statement, as we first seek to give God His due praise and worship, and contribute to and elevate your prayer in the Mass.
Through the divine encounter of the Mass, may we all be conformed to God’s holy will.