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In this episode, members of our Board of Directors and NACCM’s Executive Director sit down together for a candid conversation about a major milestone in our organization's journey. We explore the genesis of our recent name change: why it happened, what it signifies for our future, and how it aligns with our broader mission. The team also addresses some of the most common questions and feedback we’ve received from our community so far. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or are just tuning in, this conversation offers a transparent look at where we’ve been and where we’re headed next.

Today we’re stepping inside a truly monumental moment in modern Church history. When a beatification takes place, the music doesn't just accompany the liturgies—it gives voice to the joy and devotion of the entire faithful. The recent beatification of Blessed Fulton Sheen is no exception. Joining us today is long-time NPM member Monty Bennett, who served as the assistant organist for the beatification liturgy. Monty shares what it was like to support such an historic celebration, how the musical team selected and rehearsed the repertoire, and the unique pastoral responsibility that comes with playing for an altar crowded with history and grace. Not only that, we get to hear the special story about the organ used for the Beatification liturgies, and where it is now.

Every year, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians honors an outstanding local body that embodies the heart of our mission—fostering vibrant liturgical music, forming ministers, and building bridges across parish borders. We are thrilled to highlight NPM's 2026 Chapter of the Year: the Detroit Chapter! From dynamic workshops and mentorship initiatives to supporting church musicians through every season of ministry, the Detroit Chapter has set a powerful standard for what it means to serve the local Church. Joining us today are leaders from the Detroit chapter to share their journey, discuss the strategies that built their thriving community, and offer actionable inspiration for chapters and pastoral musicians everywhere. Whether you're looking to revitalize your local NPM chapter or simply seeking fresh ideas for local collaboration, this conversation is for you.

In today’s episode we explore how pastoral musicians can elevate their liturgical and musical knowledge, thus serving their communities with renewed confidence. We’re joined by Michael Ruzicki from Liturgy Training Publications (LTP) to discuss the brand new Music Ministry Leadership Certification, available in partnership with NPM through LTP’s “Essentials of Catholic Liturgy” program. Whether you are a seasoned director or just starting out, discover how this certification provides the practical tools, theological foundation, and spiritual formation needed to thrive.

Today's Ministry Monday features Annie Donnellon, an NPM certified cantor, as well as Rebecca Schaffer Wells and Joe Simmons, both cantors and leaders in the field. In this Ministry Monday episode, we explore the call to being a cantor in ministry, ways to strengthen ministerial and musical skills, and considerations for Directors of Music to support inclusion for both blind and sighted cantors for music ministers in a program.

Today our “Story Series” continues with a conversation I had with Brother Louis Canter. Brother Louis is a member of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans and founder of Franciscan Ministry of Peace. Louis has been involved with ecumenical and inter faith dialogue. His work as a composer and concert artist for International Liturgical Publications has offered him a wide variety of opportunities for dialogue with many faith communities. Brother Louis was kind enough to sit down with me and discuss how he decided to become a Brother of Ecumenical Franciscans, his pastoral music initiatives, and why he thinks NPM is as important as ever in our ministry of the Church today.

In today’s episode, we turn our attention to the Responsorial Psalm—one of the most familiar, beautiful moments in the celebration of Mass. What is the purpose of the Responsorial Psalm within the Liturgy of the Word? And how does it invite the assembly into prayer through Scripture and music? We are honored to welcome Fr. Michael Joncas to guide this conversation. Known for his deep insight into liturgy and sacred music, Fr. Joncas helps us explore the theological, spiritual, and pastoral significance of the psalm, and why the Church continues to call us not only to hear the Word, but to sing it back in faith. Whether you are a cantor, music director, clergy member, or simply someone who prays with the liturgy each week, this conversation offers a deeper appreciation for the Responsorial Psalm as Scripture in song and prayer for the gathered Church.

Ministry Monday’s Story Series continues with Rodolfo López and Estela García-López, a husband and wife duo who serve in music ministry in the pacific northwest and are two of NPM’s Pastoral Musicians of the Year. Rudy López and Estela García-López are pastoral musicians, composers, and event presenters originally from Los Angeles, California, and from Portland, Oregon, for the last twenty-six years. They have been committed to enriching the liturgy -- in both English and Spanish--through music. They have served as music directors, cantors, choristers, and instrumentalists in parishes throughout Southern California and Portland, Oregon, for over four decades. Today I sit with Rudy and Stella and discuss their pastoral music journey with its joys, challenges, and many blessings.

Introducing "The Story Series", a recurring series of episodes on Ministry Monday! The Story Series interviews pastoral musicians across the country and shares their pastoral music journey, both in its rewards and challenges along the way. Today we speak with Rick Gibala, a lifelong pastoral musician who started his ministry in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He was the first layperson to be the Diocesan Director of Music, and founded the Pittsburgh NPM chapter. His ministry led him to the DC-Virginia area where he's ministered there since 1986. Rick shares how he began to serve in pastoral ministry, what brought him to Virginia, and why he thinks NPM remains a critical part of music ministry in the Church today.

Pastoral ministry seeks to include all those who feel called to offer their talents for praise and service to the Church. Music is a unique ministry in that, while we want all to join us, those who participate must have some sort of experience in music. It doesn’t necessarily need to be professional experience - singing in the shower can count as experience for a new potential choir member, and a simple handbell workshop can familiarize a music minister with starting in the handbell choir. But when it comes to instrumental ensembles, how do we make sure that all those who join us with their instruments in hand feel rooted in an ensemble and confident to work within it? Today we speak to Luke Rosen about just that. Since 2019, Luke Rosen has served as the Director of Choral Music at Evergreen Local Schools, where he has taught middle school and high school choir, music theory, songwriting, and voice class. For 15 years before that, he served as Director of Choral and Liturgical Music at St. John’s Jesuit High School. In addition Luke is a published composer with multiple companies, including ECS, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, OCP, Liturgical Press, and GIA/WLP. Today we speak from compositional, directorial, and ministerial viewpoints, all focused on arranging for the unexpected. It’s a great conversation as we approach Holy Week.

Even at a young age music was very important in our house. As my father was once a live and radio DJ, I spent many nights in my father’s game room, (gently) dropping the needle onto an album with him, discussing the historical and cultural importance of music from the 1960s and 1970s in particular. One of the most impactful albums in my memory was the Moody Blues’s “A Question of Balance”. Now, the Moody Blues were a mainstay in our musical repertoire. “Days of Future Passed” were on regular rotation. But there was something about “A Question of Balance” that has always stuck with me. The album discusses finding the balance within societal unrest, technological advances, and humanity in the late 1960s into 1970, but the phrase, “a question of balance,” is deeply etched in my guiding principles. I’m not necessarily good at it, but it’s something I try to improve on every day. I’ll confess to you, listeners, that I think music ministry sometimes becomes a question of balance. The demands of music ministry and balance are sometimes, in my opinion, mutually incompatible. With parish mergers increasing nationally, we sometimes find ourselves doing more Masses across more church sites, sometimes with no discussion of pay increase despite the additional workload. (I know a pastoral minister who had 9 Masses across 4 locations each weekend, not mentioning funerals and weddings!) It is, of course, part of our ministry to be fully present on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, often with 3 hours of sleep in between. If a parish requests music for any additional occasion- a Mission Mass for Lent, Stations of the Cross, a Lenten penance service, you name it- music is very often requested, adding to the commitments, spiritual, and musical demands of a season. And yet in the midst of these challenging commitments, there are beautiful moments of God’s presence that we find in our music ministers, our parishioners, and the community at large. It’s a divine calling to be sure. In the midst of this calling are the practical realities we face every day. We must make ends meet, which can at times be challenging on a parish musician’s salary. Furthermore, the National Office has seen a trend of job listings that ask for 4-6 Masses/weekend covered, 2 choirs to direct, covering all weddings and funerals, as a part-time position. These are the realities many ministers face. And while some work to re-establish a music ministry’s value with their clergy and church leadership, others seek another career path, leaving church ministry less and less covered than it used to be. This is not a new story to many of you listening, I’m sure. But if we were open to this conversation, how would it go? If we cannot maintain a full-time status for our Directors of Music, how can we invite more music ministers to serve, knowing that they have jobs somewhere else? That, dear listeners, is a question of balance. Today we chat with Sean Holland, a part-time music minister in Kansas City, Missouri, who also works full-time as a manager of the largest garden store in the city. Sean discusses the things he does in both his part-time and full-time jobs to balance the two, both prayerfully and practically.

Ministry Monday is back with new episodes, new topics, and a new video intro and outro! If you haven’t seen our podcast in its video form, check it out. The links are in the show notes of this episode at ministrymonday.org and at our YouTube page, youtube.com/npmlivestream. It’s been a true joy to take a few weeks off of the podcast to gather these new conversations for upcoming episodes. I think you’re going to like it. I’d also like to thank those who reached out asking why we hadn’t returned yet from our Christmas break! It shows that you listen and enjoy the podcast, which is great news to us. We hope you keep listening this spring. Today we begin season 9 of the podcast. Our season begins with a conversation with Fr. Roc O’Connor, a Jesuit priest and founding member of the St. Louis Jesuits. Since October 2021, he has served as a staff member at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, Illinois. Our conversation today centers around the Word of God. Fr. Roc’s initial reflections to start our interview best reflect where we begin: "The Word is spoken. It can elicit feelings from attraction to aversion. These locate adults in relation to God, to Christ in the moment. It's how we become present to the Word." Fr. Roc joins us today from Barrington, Illinois.

Taken from the Ministry Monday archives in 2019, this episode features multiple pastoral musicians who share their reflections on preparing ourselves for Christmas- while preparing so many others. This episode features an article by Chris Titko (J.W. Pepper) as well as interviews with Matt Maus and Anna Betancourt.

I once had a cantor who recently had a baby. She wanted to minister quickly after her child was born, but balancing two children with varying work schedules was a constant challenge for her. I told her that we would welcome her back as a minister in any way that her schedule would allow.   One morning, her husband had an unexpected work commitment, so she brought her toddler and infant with her to church. They were both incredibly well-behaved until the preparation of the gifts, but this didn’t stop my cantor. With her toddler next to her leg and her infant on her hip, she sang “How Great Thou Art”. She looked at her infant as she sang, “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hands have made….” There was not a dry eye in the house. She ministered to all of us in multiple ways that day, and she reminded me of the power of lay leadership. You know, we are so quick to cling to the role of the clergy, I think we often forget the presence of God that lives within us and flows through us as we minister. And that is the conversation we’re having today. I sat down with Brother Louis Canter to discuss the importance of Lay Ecclesial ministry, a term that is either fresh or incredibly well-worn in your local diocesan vocabulary. Brother Louis believes that the key to the church’s future lies within the lay ministers who serve the church with their time, talent and treasures, big and small:

Today on the podcast we feature the leadership team of the Jefferson City, Missouri, chapter. They are NPM's 2025 Chapter of the year! We discuss the ways the chapter has increased their membership, cultivated consistent programming, and some of the most important relationships that have strengthened the chapter.