One of them is a confrere in liturgical music ministry, Chris Ferraro, who lives out on Long Island. The Folk Choir visited his parish last May. And – I kid you not – as the bus drove up to the front of his parish, the carillon started pealing out the "Notre Dame Victory March" for the whole neighborhood to hear. He and the parishioners he gathered went on to host one of the most amazing evenings of our Folk Choir NY/Metro Tour, bringing together a packed church of avid singers and congregants.
Chris and I have stayed fast friends. Last summer, he invited me to teach at his week-long Liturgy Institute on Long Island. And just last week, he sent along a mysterious video message to me. I'm including it here:
It says something rather profound when you turn the hallway corner of your home and discover your child, quietly putting together the pieces of a puzzle, singing the antiphon to Psalm 40: Here I Am, O God without a care in the world. I wonder – a generation from now, when she's putting far more profound pieces of the puzzle together – I wonder if that refrain will come back to her. I bet it will.
Chris, I want to thank you for allowing me permission to share this precious vignette with those who read my musings online. I hope you know how much I admire you, both as a musician and a father; this little film clip illustrates why that is so.
And I want to let you know that your daughter nailed her Folk Choir audition (and is now probably the youngest to do so). The only downside for me is that, by the time she reaches her college years, there will be another Director at the helm of the Notre Dame Folk Choir.
Still, the tune might just last longer than me....
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Location:Woodhurst Rd,Granger,United States
She sings it much better than I, even though I've been singing it for much longer than she! lol!
ReplyDeleteSteve, it has been a blessing to see (and hear) Grace growing up in the faith and witnessing music ministry playing such an important role in her religious formation. She heard the psalm at Sunday Mass at our home parish, St. Patrick's in Bay Shore. Thanks for sharing it.
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