Singing and the Elements that Go with It

It’s believed that the first form of singing was individualistic and improvisatory due to the singer imitating sounds heard in nature. The process of properly singing took a while but surely enough it got clearly defined. Musical instrument were introduce shortly, which employs the principle of pitch matching to an individual’s voice or a group while being played. Slowly other elements were discovered that culminated the way we sing today. Chanting out words is considered singing. However, to sing properly one must be in the right posture, breathe properly, pronounce vowels correctly, practice scales and do warmups. These take time and effort but can be done by anybody to get to sing the right way. 

 

Religion Connected to Singing

Singing became a staple through the early Christian worship by being synonymous to its rituals. The activity even became more popular in the fourth century when Christianity became an establish religion in the Roman Empire. The religion dominating on a mainstream culture gave them the opportunity to control the development of western music for the next thirteen centuries. Leading to the development of polyphonic chorale style that is used by choirs today. 

The Church Choir

Polyphony requires the proper blending of high and low pitch voices. A lot of practice is required when singing in this style. Making a need for the choir director to be proactive in acquiring and retaining members, creative in selecting music, identify each member’s strengths and meet goals set. The reason is for the entire group to sing harmoniously.

The Singing in Holy Mass

Singing takes place during the entrance of the clergy, the first and second reading, offertory, on the Holy Communion and many more. The choir is in the spotlight throughout the entire ceremony. They are required to be attentive and remember by heart what practiced. And if everything goes well, a successful performance elevates the Mass to greater heights of inspiration.

Want to Help Your Parish? Here are Three Simple Tried-and-Tested Ideas

Mass is more than just a ceremony. For many people, going to church offers concrete benefits, like gaining enlightenment from the scripture, a chance to pray for certain intentions, and the opportunity to be one with other churchgoers.

With all the things your parish does for its members, it’s only proper to help out in any way you can. After all, no church is a one-man-show—parishes are only as successful as the congregants make it. If you want to pitch in, here are three simple ways you can be of assistance: 

Volunteer

Churches have many activities throughout the year and these events naturally require manpower to pull off. Fortunately, one of the best ways to help your parish is by volunteering your time and effort. Even something as simple making flyers or helping to decorate the venue goes a long way towards making the activity a success.

Share Your Talents

According to the Bible, God has endowed each person with gifts and talents. As this verse from 1 Cor. 14:12 points out, though, they are not meant for your gratification but for the edification of the Church: “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.” If you’re musically inclined, why not join the choir? If you have a knack for web design, why not update the church’s homepage?

Donate

While parishes don’t require their congregants to donate, any sum you contribute helps the church perform its myriad duties. Whether you donate money during mass or via online giving platforms like GiveCentral, know that every dollar you give is spent doing God’s work.

How Well Do You Know Baptism? Here Are a Few Interesting Facts about It

There’s a reason why baptism is called “the door to the Church.” In the Catholic faith, it is the first of the seven sacraments a person receives, one that officially welcomes him or her as a member of the congregation, aside from washing away the original sin. Of course, there is still so much more about this ceremony that many people do not know. For example, did you know that:

Words Matter

You’ve probably heard that in a pinch, even laymen can baptize others. However, the Bible has a very strict guideline about which words to use. According to Matthew 28:19-20: “Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Hence, the Catholic Church considers non-members baptized as long as “the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” are uttered during their baptism. If not, the Church deems it invalid.
 

You Can Only be Baptized Once

Many people convert to Catholicism each day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they get baptized in the process. That’s because an individual can only receive the sacrament of baptism once in their life—whether in the Catholic Church or in another religion, provided the proper words were used (see above). However, if there are grave doubts about the validity of the original baptism, a priest can perform what’s called a conditional baptism instead.

Being a Godparent is a Big Responsibility

If you think being a godparent is just ceremonial, you might want to think again. According to the sacrament, if parents cannot bring up their child in the Catholic faith, the godparents must fully assume this responsibility.