Integrating our music and our faith is so important to living an integrated life. Sometimes it's crystal clear as to how we're being asked to integrate the two. Other times, it's considerably less clear for various reasons. There are many moments and experiences that we could integrate the two but don't that we overlook simply because we don't take enough time to ask ourselves how we can incorporate our faith into our profession.

I remember the first time I was told that vocations applied to more than getting married or becoming a priest or nun. I was absolutely flabbergasted, while intrigued to know more. The word vocation comes from the Latin word "vocare", which means "to call." A vocation is how God calls us to Himself. And there are actually three different types of vocations!

As musicians, we work with beauty on a regular basis. It's true that sometimes we come across music that isn't appealing, and that we'd rather not do but need to for the sake of the job at hand. Regardless, we get to work with a significant amount of beautiful music in our day-to-day lives – and definitely more so than the average person.

Picture this. You're at a friend's Catholic wedding. The Mass is beautiful, tears are shed during the vows, and the bridal party looks phenomenal. And then, during Communion, the 70s come back in the most atrocious way with a song that was probably written for folk Masses (and one that you're pretty sure was banned from hymnals by the USCCB for being theologically inaccurate). The beauty of the day is marred, even just a little bit, by the out-of-place hymn.

It's officially the Easter season in the liturgical year! During this feasting season, the Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven) replaces the Angelus prayers at 6am, noon, and 6pm. Additionally, it is prayed after Night Prayer, or Compline, in the Liturgy of the Hours. The text dates back to at least the 1200s, where the earliest known appearance occurs in an antiphonary from this time.

Regardless of who or what, why or when, experiencing disappointment is part of the human experience. More often than not, the disappointments we experience are minor: the kind we can easily overcome with a hug, time in prayer, or a good night's sleep. But at other times the disappointment is crushing. What then? What do we do when a good night's sleep doesn't erase the disappointment, or when the setbacks last for months?

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the core practices of Lent; and while it can be easy to place the focus on fasting because of meatless Fridays and the practice of giving up something for Lent, prayer and almsgiving are equally important. Reading Sacred Scripture regularly, praying the rosary, or adding in extra prayer time in the morning are all wonderful (and popular) ways to incorporate more prayer into Lent, but today I want to talk about incorporating a special set of psalms known as the Penitential Psalms.

It can be remarkably difficult to spend time practicing without falling into harsh criticism of all the perceived ways you aren't doing your craft well. During my six years in music school + the four years I spent in my high school's music program, I saw how my peers suffered from being extremely hard on themselves. I myself struggled for years with negative self-criticism during my practice sessions, and it wasn't until I grew deeper in my relationship with Christ that I was able to generally overcome this struggle.

Christmas music is a category unto itself entirely, but how did it get started? Was music always important in the celebration of Christmas? I did some investigating, and here’s what I found.

Depending on who you are, the concept of silence may hold a different taste in your mouth. For some of you, a sense of relief might accompany this word. Finally, silence! I (and, I suspect, many other music educators) fall into this category. For others, this word might bring to mind artistic connotations: silence, when well timed within a piece of music, can be more powerful than the notes themselves. Still yet for others, silence may be paired with a sense of discomfort. It can be remarkably uncomfortable to sit in silence, even when alone.