Church Participation

[Friend_forever]

I need to start a new choit from scratch because the girls singing for this one Mass are leaving for college.

This is a very apathic community. For the whole last year, we tried to recruit because we knew this was going to happen by no one seems to be interested. Other choirs have the same problem.

The congregation of this Mass is composed of mostly young families. Mom, dad, and a couple of kids.

I tried to recruit children since they are there but they say they “don’t speak Spanish” (Mass is in Spanish) They do but that’s an attitude going around here with immigrant families.

I tried to recruit youths, but they are too busy in school. I tried young adults but they are either gratuating from college, starting their professional career or getting married.

We play traditional and comtemporaty church music with piano and guitar. People like it, They just don’t want the commitment.

Has anybody had that problem?

 

[aggiecatholic05]

well i don’t beleive there is a rule saying the music and Mass have to be in the same language. A Latin song is ok for an English Mass so why not English songs at a Spanish Mass. If language is their excuse offer to have an the choir sing in English.

If they were being honest it should fix the problem short term. Besides once you have a choir you can teach them songs in another language. they don’t have to know the words just how to sing them, and if ita a familiar song they will probably know the gist of it anyways.

as to the other slackers just try to get any small group you can. if they sing and the rest do from the pew it still makes music for God.

 

[NewUlm1976_2000]

I need to start a new choit from scratch because the girls singing for this one Mass are leaving for college.

This is a very apathic community. For the whole last year, we tried to recruit because we knew this was going to happen by no one seems to be interested. Other choirs have the same problem.

The congregation of this Mass is composed of mostly young families. Mom, dad, and a couple of kids.

I tried to recruit children since they are there but they say they “don’t speak Spanish” (Mass is in Spanish) They do but that’s an attitude going around here with immigrant families.

I tried to recruit youths, but they are too busy in school. I tried young adults but they are either gratuating from college, starting their professional career or getting married.

We play traditional and comtemporaty church music with piano and guitar. People like it, They just don’t want the commitment.

Has anybody had that problem?

Commitment for any ministry is at best 20% of any parish. There are 80% you can usually never reach. Do you have any idea personally (or through others) about which of the families are interested or have done ministries at other parishes in the past?

Other people just are not up to singing for whatever reason. Do you know which of these groups are more musical than most? One-on one recruiting may be what you will have to resort to.

Could you get your pastor to help plug the choir at key times, sometimes his word holds more weight.

To reach parents, try to schedule practice around CCD times, when they come to drop off or pick up their kids, you might be able to rope them in.

 

[MoBeck]

I need to start a new choit from scratch because the girls singing for this one Mass are leaving for college.

This is a very apathic community. For the whole last year, we tried to recruit because we knew this was going to happen by no one seems to be interested. Other choirs have the same problem.

The congregation of this Mass is composed of mostly young families. Mom, dad, and a couple of kids.

I tried to recruit children since they are there but they say they “don’t speak Spanish” (Mass is in Spanish) They do but that’s an attitude going around here with immigrant families.

You certainly don’t have to speak a language to sing it. When I was in grade school we used to do “Stille Nacht” (the German original of Silent Night) for Christmas and also Latin hymns. We certainly didn’t speak German or Latin though some of the nuns may have known Latin.

Next time somebody says he doesn’t speak Spanish ask him if he thinks Beverly Sills speaks Italian, French, Spanish & German.