As a child, I remember my father telling stories of his childhood and growing up in northern Minnesota in a devout Catholic family. His family loved to tell the stories of uncle Pope Pius X and how my grandmother’s grandfather ran away from home to save his future family from having to be nuns or priests. One of my favorite stories that my father used to tell was about they earned mass points as children.

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My daughter likes to ask questions.  A lot of questions. So many that we final bought her an Echo dot so she could ask Alexa several of her burning questions.  A few weeks ago, while I was practicing a piece at home, she asked why we had preludes and postludes in worship.   Perhaps you have wondered the same thing.  

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I love the season of Lent!  It’s not just that it provides us with a time for the spring cleaning of our souls, or that it has some of the most beautiful music of any of our liturgical seasons.  For me, Lent is anything but a sorrowful and sad season, but quite the opposite.  There is a quiet joy that pervades.  What I love most is that this season is about undergoing a transformation.  Lent provides the structure for self-examination in the midst of our chaotic world.  It provides that opportunity to re-order our lives, to put our focus and energy into that which is truly important - our faith in God…

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