Come to one of our dynamic liturgies and instantly connect with the uplifting energy created by our musicians! We have two weekly music groups — the Spiritus Mass Choir and the Thursday Night Mass music group (which will be NEW as of 11/7/24!) — and several excellent smaller ensembles.
Musical Groups
Our group is an exciting and vibrant gathering of musicians and singers. We explore a range of songs, focusing primarily on Gospel and contemporary Christian music INCLUDING SOME TRADITIONAL HYMNS, by artists whose values and beliefs align with the inclusive spirit of the Spiritus Christi community. The Spiritus Christi Mass Choir's mission is to provide a full musical worship experience - attracting choir members to lift their voices with us, and parishioners to join our heart-stirring service with a range of exciting music.
- Weekly mass – the Mass Choir will sing at the 9:30 am service each Sunday at The Hochstein School
- Special events – we anticipate opportunities to sing at events, both for the Spiritus and Rochester communities
- Rehearsals – will be held each Tuesday evening, starting at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary at Spiritus
- Music – all Sunday music is pre-selected and will be provided in a user-friendly mobile app with lyrics and other links so choir members can familiarize themselves with the selections beyond rehearsals
- Auditions – are not required
THE FUTURE!
Our Thursday Night Music Group will be NEW starting at Thursday Night Mass on November 7th, 2024! Come join us at 7 pm in the Spiritus Sanctuary to help us welcome in this new era!
IN GRATITUDE
At Thursday Night Mass on October 24th, 2024, a full house of parishioners bid a fond farewell to Music Minister Jim Ramerman and his team of Thursday Night Musicians, including bass player Lyn Heatley, rhythm guitarist John Jenkins, drummer Phil Fogarty and harmonizing vocalists Ron & Laurie Way, Bonnie Krzyzanowski, and a host of alumni. We thank Jim for his 39 years of beautiful music ministry at both Spiritus and Corpus Christi Church, and for his warm and embracing spirit. His quote to his musicians sums up his gift: "Remember this is a prayer, not a performance." Thank you to ALL OF YOU for adding such richness to our parish!
from Rev. Myra Brown's Pastoral Letter, 10/22/24 Bulletin:
"In 2020, when our world was thrown in the midst of COVID, we were isolated from each other and dealing with lots of divisions and fears on a national and local level. It was during that time when our choirs were paused, and we were left with small ensembles of singers from both the Gospel Choir and Spirit Singers coming together. These singers first began on Livestream together, and eventually started singing live at the Masses.
Toward the end of the pandemic, something amazing happened. The leaders of both music groups approached the leadership team at Spiritus and said: “We believe that we need to be asking what God needs from us in this moment of time.” The answer they came back with was UNITY. The leaders of both the Gospel Choir and the Spirit Singers were clear that they did not want to go back to being separate groups. They wanted to model the beauty of unity, and become one Mass Choir, with members from both groups. It was a long process of several meetings and conversations between leaders and singers. Once there was a consensus to be together, they simply approached the administrative leadership team and parish for support, which we were happy to give. You may remember the Parish Forum where this was presented, the bulletin announcements that were written, or the preaching about it from the pulpit.
From that time on, the Spiritus Mass Choir has delivered lots of unified genres of music – from Caroline’s beautiful violin rendition recently, to Margo’s amazing heartfelt version of Great is Thy Faithfulness solo, to Savonne’s heart-stirring version of “On Time God.” They have truly become one sound, one voice, with lots of diversity in their song selections. And the diversity of our music doesn’t just reside at the 9:30 am Mass – you will find diverse music at our 7:30 am Mass which is more traditional, and our 5 pm Mass which is a combination of traditional and progressive.
Periodically, you may hear rumors of how the musical transformation happened in our parish that may or may not be accurate. Now you can have an informed conversation about how this gift came to be. A parent this week told me that she is really grateful for the 9:30 am Mass and its music, because it makes it more accessible to those who are hard of hearing, allowing them to not only hear but feel the music. I love how God meets us in the moments we find ourselves in, as we are called on to be more, to be one, to be love! If you want to talk more or learn more about our journey of living into our core values as a Spiritus family, feel free to reach out to me."
mbrown@spirituschristi.org; (585) 325-1180 x 117
Connect
We would love to have you join us – a music ministry at the heart of the Spiritus community. Please reach out to Terri Pease, Music Minister Liaison at music@spirituschristi.org