Calling church muso's: free sacred music conference!

Latin Mass Chaplaincy promotes sacred music conference for all

Monday, March 20th, 2023

The Auckland Latin Mass Chaplaincy is inviting church musicians to take part in a sacred music conference.

The organisation says the October conference will celebrate the Catholic Church’s musical treasure.

It says the weekend conference aims to help and give tools to anyone involved in a music ministry.

According to the Catholic Catechism, when a person sings, they pray twice.

“Address . . . one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.” The person “who sings prays twice.” (Number 1156.)

Keen on beauty in the Liturgy, Pope Francis recently said in a letter that the liturgical elements – aesthetic and artistic features surrounding the liturgy must foster prayer and a sense of communion.

Quoting the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium 112, the organising group says the musical tradition of the Universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art.

It says the main reason for this is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.”

In 1963 Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council directed that “bishops and other pastors of souls must be at pains to ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs.

“To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs.

“Full and active participation of the people is a recurring theme in the Vatican II document.

“To achieve this fulsome congregational participation, great restraint in introducing new hymns has proven most helpful.”

On February 21, Francis further tightened the screws on Catholics over the use of traditional Latin Mass.

He rebuked bishops who had allowed it to be said in parishes without previous permission from the Vatican.

The Auckland Latin Mass Chaplaincy operates with permission from the Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Stephen Lowe.

A panel of experts in liturgy and sacred music from New Zealand and abroad has been selected to help conference attendees with their music ministry – regardless of the attendees’ personal experience.

Speakers’ panel

Rev. Fr Jeremy Palman (NZ): Jeremy was ordained in 2014 and has been serving in the Diocese of Auckland ever since. He is currently the Parish Priest of Holy Family Parish.
Rev. Fr Antony Sumich, FSSP (NZ): Antony was ordained in 2008 and has worked in Nigeria, Canada, US & NZ. He speaks English, Croatian, French, German and is learning Maori. He is currently the chaplain for the Auckland Latin Mass Chaplaincy.
Helen Tsang (NZ): Helen will share her testimony on her conversion to the Catholic faith. Helen’s conversion to the Catholic faith is due to the Church’s beautiful church.
Ronan Reilly (AUS): Ronan is one of the founders of the Australian Sacred Music Association. Besides travelling widely to teach schools and about their musical heritage, he is the choirmaster of St. John Henry Newman Parish in Melbourne.
Dr Robert Loretz (NZ): Robert is the former Head of Music in Massey High School, Auckland. He is described as “an extraordinary speaker and an accomplished church musician”.

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