Still Loving My Roll As a Choirboy

Well, as you all may remember I joined the church choir back on February of 2010 and what an amazing journey that has been. I fought it for so long as I knew that it would be a big commitment and that it required time and effort yet once in it has been so effortless and very rewarding. Even when asked to cover two masses which last year was common it never felt like an imposition but actually I was glad to stay and serve.

It had been a month since I got sick and my throat had been so closed that no note was coming out, but today finally it opened up almost fully and I was able to finally sing without sounding like a teenager going through puberty.

Today we were mostly inspired because somehow every song we sang sounded fairly decent, considering that we are for the most part a very disorganized group full of limitations, when it comes to singing to the Lord we try to do the very best we can, when you sing to Him the limitations are out the window because He wants for us not to be the best but to be the best we can. Amazingly enough once inside the church we all sound different and the community really appreciates our efforts by always joining in while using us as their guides.

Notice that in many of the videos I post the congregation is singing as well and yet we all sing in unison as one. More than once I have gotten chills especially when I notice their participation. Today was such a day.

The priest whom also has a wonderful voice often joins us in song as well, it's kindda funny when we all of a sudden hear the additional male voice and don't realize it's him until we see him, his little lavalier mic is pretty powerful and he loves to harmonize and to add phrases that normally aren't in the book. When he does that I always think of it as a win win situation cause everyone loves it.

As my sister says, when singing to the Lord is not about singing ugly just because He will appreciate it anyway, because to Him we should always offer the best of ourselves.



I hope you appreciate these songs because we sure love singing them.

Pentecost

Maryvale Stadium, a baseball stadium but today the place where we celebrated our Pentecost mass.
Mass is at 9:00 but I want you all here at seven, is what my sister told us. But I knew that would be two hours of doing nothing so I got there at around eight. I was right, we had plenty of time since we didn't really have to practice, and there was a team that was in charge of setting everything up and they did that very early in the morning.

The Spirit who came as a great rushing wind and as tongues of fire on the first Pentecost will come more quietly but no less powerfully upon us today and upon the gifts we will place on this altar.

If we believe the Spirit will make of bread and wine we offer the presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacrifice of this Eucharist, will we fail to believe that the same Spirit will make of our wounds, a font of grace? Of our mistrust, a new-found hope? Of our brokenness a stronger Church, nourished by the bread and cup of this holy table?

Will these gifts be transformed - and us who receive them, too? Yes, says the Lord! He has promised and he will do it!

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created anew and you shall renew the face of the earth.


-- Fr. Austin Fleming, Homily for Pentecost, May 23, 2010

Maryita and I.
This princess on the photo is my niece. She has the voice of an angel. She has been singing in the choir since she was a little girl. Now as a young adult, she is our lead vocalist, she can easily direct the choir, if her mom is not available it won't be a problem for her to step in and lead us into singing in mass. She is just a joy to be around and if you ever listen to her sing you will agree with me.

My sister Maria Elena and I.
And this is my sister, she is our choir director and fearless leader. She asked me many times to join them and for different reasons I always declined her invitation, but now I am happy I joined. I am definitely having the time of my life serving in this ministry and have even told her to call me as much as she wants. There are times I feel we live at church with all the practices and masses but it's all good.

Rea, empty mike, Maryita, and Elena.
I was very comfortably sitting in the back with the rest of the choir ready to sing when Rea looked at me and exactly as I was snapping this picture she said, Jose come down here, yep, that microphone there with no one in front of it was now mine. I guess I am moving up in the world but I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go.


Well, the shirt says it all. Ever since we moved from Los Angeles back in 1990 we registered with St. Vincet de Paul Parish and have remain here. My dad was very active in the Parish and now my sister. And now some of my nephews and one of my grand kids have full scholarships and are attending the school.

This is my newest niece Cristina. She is in the choir and has adopted me as her tio Jose. I love when my family grows.

Here are a couple more images of this wonderful Pentecost celebration.

Part of the combined choir.
The Congregation.

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Update on Joe the Choirboy.

I know you are all waiting to hear how it went at the church with the solo. Well, wait no more, I believe yesterday I pulled it off just fine, my voice was still hoarse so I still got a little help from one of the other members but as soon as it warmed up I was fine.

So we are supposed to also do the six o'clock mass once a month, our turn is not due for another two weeks, however I received a text from my niece where she asked me if I could sing with her and my sister as the six o'clock had no choir. Somehow they found a lady that plays the piano during the English nine o'clock mass and that was going to be all the music we would have. No practice, no nothing, basically just show up and go for it. Wow!

Well, we did have a chance to go over the songs and I felt comfortable with the piano and the lady was comfortable knowing what tempo to play the music in. Keep in mind she is Anglo and sings the English mass, now she has to adapt to Spanish which she probably didn't even understood.

In the morning I still shook a little as I did my solo but somehow in the afternoon with the added pressure I had not time for that. I could be wrong but I think we did a really good job and I could hear the congregation singing with us, that in itself is the OK we need as choir members.

So my sister and niece tell me I do good but of course they will tell me that every time because they are my family and they love me, but when the pianist told me she enjoyed playing while I sang was an unexpected complement.

So, the bottom line is that my sister has a good chance of still making a choir boy out of me. As for me, just like Wanda, ChrisJ, Beth, Pennie and many other wonderful friends I have told me I would do, I want to thank you all for the vote of confidence and to let you know that I am really enjoying it. Make no mistake, it is a big commitment and I am spending more time at church. But that can never be a bad thing.



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