A call to serve God and others through music
By Catherine Sheehan
When beautiful music accompanies the Mass it can have a transformative effect, lifting hearts and minds to contemplative prayer, and the liturgy to a moving experience of communal worship.
Anyone who has attended the 10.30am Mass on a Sunday, or the Sacred Tridium during Holy Week, at St Mary’s Cathedral in Hobart, would have experienced the wonderful, angelic sound of voices singing in harmony, accompanied by the magnificent pipe organ.
For at least 145 years, since the late 19th century, there has been a choir at St Mary’s Cathedral providing liturgical music. It has always been a voluntary choir, dedicated to serving God and the faithful through music ministry.
The Cathedral choir is currently looking to recruit more members and Director of Music Clair Stanelos said all that is needed is a desire to serve God.
“I think the most important thing for a liturgical musician is they must have a love of wanting to serve their God, because that’s what we do,” Clair said.
“We are in service to the liturgy and we’re in service and praise of God.”
Beautiful liturgical music “lifts our hearts to God”, she said.
“It lifts our spirits and… it brings us closer to God in our prayer.”
Clair grew up in the Cathedral Parish. Coming from a musical family, she remembers as a child playing the maracas during Mass while sitting on her grandmother’s lap. Her mother led the music for the Saturday evening Mass.
She began singing the Psalm during Mass when she was just five years old and she joined the choir when she was only 12.
Clair believes that the most important aspect of liturgical music is helping members of the congregation to participate in the Mass.
“We see it as a supportive role to the liturgy, in that it is part of the wraparound of all the bits and pieces that go to making the experience of attending or being part of the liturgy.
“The mission of a liturgical choir is not to perform. It is to lead the assembly in song. And so that means that we have to be careful that we’re not doing things that are going to make things difficult for people to be involved in the Mass.”
When it comes to song choice, she said, “we are having a focus on prayer and a focus of supporting people’s prayer, rather than a focus on performance”.
“Everything we do has the focus of, can the people join in? Can we help them pray better?”
Clair said anyone interested was welcome to join the choir. The ability to read music was not necessary, she said, and no audition was required.
“What we want to focus on is inviting a broader range of people,” she said. “There’s a bit of a change in focus so we can grow the choir.
“Most people are able to sing. There’s not many people who can’t sing at all and all we ask is that they come along.”
Alexander Rodrigues joined the Cathedral choir in 2015 and said there were plenty of benefits to singing with a choir.
“Singing itself has lots of benefits health-wise,” he said. “You become good friends with your fellow singers, develop good breathing techniques and lower stress levels.
Music ministry was “extremely important” in the life of the Church, Alexander said, quoting St Augustine of Hippo who famously asserted that, “He who sings well prays twice”.
“Music should uplift the liturgy of the Mass and those participating in it,” Alexander added.
A freelance conductor with the Tasmanian Youth Orchestras, and a guest conductor with the Queensland Ballet, Alexander said he loves singing at St Mary’s Cathedral.
“It’s a dream,” he said. “St Mary’s Cathedral is just the right size so a strong, unamplified voice can carry clearly through it. The acoustics are wonderful.
“When you perform in secular settings, it’s usually for your own enjoyment. In a liturgical setting, you’re doing it for the glory of God.”
His favourite piece of liturgical music is J. S. Bach’s ‘St Matthew Passion’, which he describes as “the pinnacle of humanity’s musical output”.
“Nothing compares to the Passion text sung, with musical reflections interspersed – it’s always so moving!”
Alexander encouraged anyone interested in joining the choir to “give it a go”.
“It can be daunting at first because there’s lots to learn, but it gets easier the longer you stick at it.
“It’s great to use your God-given talents to praise God.”
The Cathedral choir rehearses on Sunday mornings before the 10.30am Mass, and on Wednesday evenings.
Anyone interested in joining the choir can contact the Cathedral Parish Office at cathedral@aohtas.org.au