UPDATE: The video had its premiere at the conclusion of the "O" Antiphons liturgy, and watching it was a meaningful and moving experience for many. Huge thanks to everyone who participated, including community members from across the country and around the world! The completed video can be seen below, or with the other recent offerings on the Virtual Choir Video Collection page.
You—yes, YOU—are invited to be part of a video offering of “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” the closing hymn in Saint Mark's beloved annual tradition, the O Antiphons liturgy. The video will resemble one of the virtual choir videos our choirs have offered from time to time since the pandemic began, but this time EVERYONE is invited to contribute! No matter if you have no experience in choirs, if you think your voice isn't good enough, if you've only recently connected with Saint Mark's, or where you are physically located... your participation is needed!
The liturgy is offered on November 29 this year, so submissions must be received by November 15.
Record yourself (either alone or with your household!) singing along with the "guide track" video (below). Then submit your video using the button below. That's it! More detailed step-by-step instructions are below.
Here are the words and music for the last two verses of the hymn (Click to enlarge, or download a pdf here):
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
You will need (1) a device to film yourself with (a phone, computer, camera, etc), (2) headphones, and (3) a device to play guide track. It is possible to use one device (say, a laptop) to serve both roles, or you can use two separate devices.
- Set up the device to film yourself. The device should be sitting somewhere stable—not in your hand or on your legs. Make sure your entire face is in the frame, the camera lens is about eye level, there is enough light on your face, and that you are not lit from behind.
- Set up the device to play, through headphones, the guide track video below (or at this link). PLEASE NOTE: The purpose of the headphones is so that the video you submit will have only your voice, and none of the sound of the guide track.This makes the editing process a little easier. However, if you are filming your entire household, or if for any other reason it is difficult for you to record yourself without also having some sound from the guide track audible as well, that is okay! Turn the volume of the guide track as low as you are able, and submit your video anyway!
- In the video, Compline Choir Director Jason Anderson sings beginning at verse 7. Listen to him sing verse 7 by himself, then begin singing along when he gets to the refrain: "REJOICE, REJOICE!" Then sing along with verse 8 (which is, incidentally, the same as verse 1), then finally sing the refrain one last time. There is a slow-down at the end. (It is the custom at Saint Mark's to sing "Is-RAY-el" rather than "Is-RAH-yel.")
- Sing along with the video once or twice to practice. When you're ready to record your video, hit record on your filming device, hit play on your video-playing device, and go for it!
- Check that your video looks okay, and that it contains only the sound of your voice (if possible). Remember: Everyone hates the sound of their own voice recorded! Don't worry that you don't sound "good enough." It's much more important that you are together in time with the guide track.
- Submit your video by clicking the button below (or this link). If you have recorded your video on a smartphone, you should be able to open this page in your phone's browser, click the button, and then upload directly from your device. Then you're done!
Write to info@saintmarks.org if you are having trouble and we will try to help.
My coffee table was anything but pristine this morning, featuring at least nine different containers. The obvious ones were present: cereal bowl, empty mug, and tea strainer. Several candleholders occupied one corner. On the other side, a ceramic bowl was filled with buttons and stickers and, yes, dust.
Can Venmo be a sacrament? It has become one for me.
The stewardship collect for this year begins with, “Generous Creator, you knit us together into one common life.” For today’s stewardship reflection I want to muse a little on knitting as a theological metaphor. Knitting is known as a “single element” technique. That means knitting takes one continuous thread and then shapes it into something new. You begin with a ball of yarn and loop it in a specific way to form a hat or scarf or sweater. So being knit together implies that, like a strand of yarn, we are already connected to one another (as members of the human family and children of God). But being knit together means an added closeness and a new shape—which serves a fresh purpose. How have you felt knit into community at Saint Mark's?
Welcome to this week's Stewardship Reflection!
TC3 residents were not the only ones who had to adjust to covid-19. So did members from Saint Mark’s. In the past, many different groups at the cathedral would regularly interact with residents from the camp. While this summer’s building closure and physical distancing requirements made that more difficult, it didn’t stop ministry from happening. Instead, new ways developed to connect residents with the community. Members of Saint Brigid’s Banquet provided meals while adhering to the governor’s precautions. The cathedral provided pallets of water. Individuals brought other basic needs like socks, jeans, t-shirts, and can openers.
This Friday, October 16th, marks the opening day in this state for early voting in the November 3rd general election. As I consider my own ballot, I find myself prayerfully mindful of the right and privilege I have as a voting citizen in this nation. Not everyone is afforded the right, restrained either by law or by impediments of disenfranchisement or disinterest.
I often get questions, or challenges really—that the Church and its leaders should refrain from entering the political fracas. I appreciate their sentiment, which I take to mean we should avoid using the pulpit to make decidedly partisan pronouncements. They often cite “separation of church and state” as the prevailing reproach against such activity. A closer read of the founding documents of this nation, however, and additional clarifying statements made by those who wrote them, draws an important distinction between the need for a wall “separating church and state,” and some corollary premise to separate religion from politics. The latter is a fabrication not intended by the founders, and they made that very clear. They saw political and religious expression as inexorably linked and believed one’s values were derived from the intermingling of the two. [note 1]
Dean Thomason will offer some theological reflections on the element of surprise in scripture and in our lives. We’ve had a lot of surprises this year, good and bad! How do we understand them in light of the spiritual journey? (Note: this forum serves as opening plenary for the 