I am a cantor in the Catholic Church. Some days I love volunteering and taking on the responsibility. Other days it’s a drag and a burden.

Why, you ask? Is it simply because I have two young children who take much of my time and attention? It is because I volunteer and am not paid for this position?

What is it?

Like any ministry position in the church, it varies depending on where you are spiritually, mentally, and sometimes even physically. It depends on how your parish views your particular ministry.

Let me tell you 5 different stories of experiences I had cantoring at different churches throughout my career. All of them taught me something different, and all of them led me to where I am today.

Where is that? I’ll let you know at the end of the article. Feel free to scroll down and ruin the surprise, or just read through. I’d really appreciate it.

Cantoring Role #1: Home Parish

The parish I was born and raised in is a beautiful country church, standing tall in the midst of cornfields and blacktop roads.

It was customary for all 6th-grade girls to join the choir. Since it was a small parish, there were never more than 5 singers at a time (and many of them also served). My dad never thought I should be a server, so I happily sang in the church choir.

The acoustics in this church was incredible, and I discovered the power of my own two lungs while singing there. It didn’t take much to make it echo back, but I took pride in knowing that I could hear myself sing.

Probably not the best when it comes to singing with humble praise, but it did aid me in finding my voice. I have a strong voice and it was fun to sing as loud as I could during the songs I loved.

My role there was mainly part of the choir. Once I entered high school and worked on my vocal skills through choir there, I was able to help sing the Psalm at times and to sing harmony during certain songs.

Setup and Expectations

We sang from a balcony at the back of the church. No gestures were required of us. We never went down front to sing the Psalm.

The microphone was used to announce the hymns, as well as project the Psalm better.

We were not required to take voice lessons. All girls were welcome in the parish choir at 6th grade. It didn’t even matter if you could sing softly or loud. All types of singers were accepted, which I love.

Our main organist would make all of the music decisions by herself, and she would collaborate with other parishes during Holy Week and Christmas. Otherwise, we were on our own with what we had in our library.

The library was small but extensive enough for a small parish. We sang the same songs often, but the congregation sang! So the repetition was worth it.

That encompasses the experience I had with my first singing church.

Cantoring Role #2: College Campus

I moved to away to a state college, where they had a fantastic Catholic campus center. The church there wasn’t considered a parish, but it still had a pretty constant congregation from the college and other people in the area. I had the most “fun” and “stress” at this church. It seemed that it was out of my comfort zone to sing in the front with just a music stand. I don’t remember that aspect now, but I’m sure it took me a while to really feel comfortable singing in front of people. I got to a point where I could look at people while I sang, and where I wasn’t worried about what the pianist was doing.

Fun and Challenging

Many new songs were introduced to me here, and I enjoyed the challenge of learning new repertoire. At Christmas and Easter, all the cantors would get together and sing a choir piece like “How Beautiful”. I loved singing that song with them The cool part was, four of us who helped out with the music ministry were also a part of the college A Cappella Choir. So we were used to singing with each other and enjoyed the complexity of church music. We also enjoyed proficient pianists and never had to worry about them faltering. That particular aspect really helped me have confidence in my accompanist, work with them correctly, and gain confidence in my own ability to lead the congregation. I learned a lot of positive things about cantoring here. For that, I will always treasure this particular experience.

Setup and Expectations

The piano and the cantor music stand were on the left side of the altar, opposite the ambo. Here I learned the hand gestures necessary to bring the congregation in for each song and the Psalm. We also sang the Psalm from the ambo. A microphone was utilized for every piece since the acoustics left a little to be desired. It was expected that we arrive at least 30 minutes early to practice the Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and any songs we with which we were not comfortable. After practice, there was time for praying and reflection before Mass started. No voice lesson or continuing voice education was expected. The church simply relied on the Catholic musicians from the college to run its music ministry. It worked very well. The college music ministry leader was in charge of schedule all of us (there were 3 weekend Masses, I believe) so sing. I think she also picked out the music with the help of other ministers at the campus center. This was my second type of cantor role that I fulfilled.

Cantor Role #3: Large Tourist Church

I transferred colleges during my sophomore year. Still bent on becoming a music teacher, I continued with my music training, voice lessons, and other teaching classes.

The dynamic of this college was so different from my last college that it took me a while to adjust.

My weeks were much more filled with work, a heavier class load, and more homework. I didn’t even think about joining the music ministry because it was farther away and more of time commitment.

The small group of Catholics on campus carpooled to Mass. A few of us were not good at getting up in the morning to go to the 8 am Mass. At times we had to because until we were seniors, we were required to attend the campus’ chapel services 15 times a semester. Either way, we never got to Mass early.

Gentle Nudge

As God would have it, nearly every time I sang out during Mass I had someone turn around during the exchange of peace or after Mass and compliment my voice.

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. At this point in my “music career” I was becoming more conscious of what my voice sounded like and was not as blindly confident as I had been before.

Our priest there would also talk about using your “time, talent, and treasure” for the church at least once a month. That was a sure nudge to do something with my time and talent since I didn’t have money as a poor college student.

It took me a while, but after being there for about 6 months (and from some urging from close friends and my cousins) I approached the music director and asked her about being a music minister.

I can still remember that meeting. She might have been unsure of who I was and why I wanted to volunteer, but she was sure was happy that I had approached her. Apparently, they were in the process of losing some other college musicians who were graduating that semester, and in need of some younger blood, as they called it.

Most Satisfying Cantoring Experience

I can’t even begin to describe to you the kind of growth I experienced in my 3ish years of cantoring here. It was incredible.

I attended the weekly practices as religiously as possible. The community of older women and other cantors was welcoming and warm and honestly hilarious. Thursdays were a day I looked forward to all week to share that experience with them.

At this parish, I not only learned new songs yet again but was given the chance and encouraged to be a part of other ministries. I  became involved in going to adoration when I could, part of food ministries, Bible studies, and watching the younger children during religious ed. I also became involved in the parish spiritual retreats, which more than anything, transformed my life and my relationship with Jesus completely. Those other ministries helped me grow spiritually and mentally as a person, forming a more well-rounded cantor.

This church was a tourist church, experience large volumes of visitors from March to December. The actual congregation was much smaller but a tight-knit community.

It was the first time I had sung in such a large church, and using the microphone was necessary for the songs, announcements, and articulating entrances.

The only thing I disliked was reading all the announcements. They had very specific wording for the beginning and end, as well as reading weekly announcements. I didn’t feel like that was part of my job description, but as a gracious cantor, you do what is asked of you.

I was also accustomed to slower paced music and tempos. What I love about this parish was that the music director would not allow a fast song to be played slower than needed. The closing songs were my favorite: they had a joyful, upbeat feel, and at times I would add a little Gospel spin (not saying I did it on purpose, but I just felt the music so much that I couldn’t help it!)

When I left, they had another college singer step up and a few high schoolers who could take the reins if needed. I was so sad to leave that church, but life was changing yet again, and I had to go to the next chapter of my life.

Setup and Expectations

The piano and music stand placed to the right of the altar. Since it was such a large church, it seemed the cantor was so small. We would gesture as large as we could for people to see us enter, especially for the Mass music.

The Psalm was sung from the ambo with the appropriate gestures. That view was a bit startling if you started to look out among the hundreds of people. For a small town girl, that was the hardest thing to get over.

It was expected that you attend weekly practice, and to arrive early before Mass to brush up on things, warm-up if necessary, or prepare your “cantor station”. With just a music stand, it was hard where to put your order of things if they were in several different binders and books, and where to put your water. Oh, the complexities of being a cantor. I’m only kidding here.

Frustrations and Triumphs

The expectations sometimes left me really burnt out, with the rest of what I had going on in college. I sang for almost every single 8 am Mass for those 3 years. It was really hard to keep getting up that early when I was exhausted from everything I was doing (school, campus job, off-campus jobs, homework, involved in ministries, singing, etc). It was my fault that I got burnt out, but the other truth was that there was simply no one else to replace my position during that Mass. I think they had just gotten used to me being there. My position didn’t come with much appreciation (not necessarily from the director or organists, but it seemed everyone else)

No voice lessons were required of you, but you were expected to know a little bit of music theory. How music worked, how to read music, and keep time were desired traits in cantors.

It wasn’t a requirement to be involved in other areas of the church, but I think it was natural for me as a growing Catholic to become involved in those other areas.

Cantoring Role #4: Part of the Choir

There was something satisfying and amazing about being part of a choir again. Who sang in parts, and sang well. And the congregation sang along, as did the priest.

When I moved to take my first teaching job after college, I went to a new town where I knew essentially nobody. It was scary, real, and different.

It took me almost no time to be involved in the church choir. A few teachers I had met through the school sang and it was easy to show up and be involved.

They sang simple music and the most beautiful Mass settings. A few high school girls would intone the alto part with some of the others, and I became accustomed to singing the descant while everyone else sang the melody.

That church was built like my home parish with fantastic acoustics. It was a joy to sing in that church.

Not a Sung Psalm

The Psalm was never sung, and it was a different take for me. I asked the director if anyone had ever sung it. She said most people didn’t feel comfortable doing that, so they just read it instead of singing it. It made me a little sad, but it worked for that parish.

I sang there for a little under a year as I transitioned to yet another parish and becoming a married woman!

Setup and Expectations

This was the most low-key my church music experience had been since my home parish. If you were able to make the Mass, great, come and sing. If you weren’t, no big deal.

There is a balcony choir loft here as well, and the acoustics were wonderful.

They would accept anyone who wanted to sing, and thankfully, there were many talented people to sing.

However, there were only 2 organists and 2 weekend Masses. Most times the Saturday evening Mass didn’t have music.

Also, the lower expectations kept the singers mostly happy and satisfied with their role. But the organists and the priest did the majority of the work when it came to song-choosing and other duties.

Cantoring Role #5: My New Home Parish

I can safely say that my parish now will be my home parish for many years, unless the Lord has something drastic planned for us (which He always does, in one way or another!).

Almost as soon as I moved here did I also become involved in the music ministry. There were five of us in our small parish that sang, all middle-aged women or younger. All the wonderful singers who enjoyed it.

Change of Pace

Unfortunately, after I showed up, two of the women retired from singing. I liked that setup of having more than a few people up at the front. It is now to the point where we have two of us alternating cantoring each Sunday.

I don’t mean to be negative about this, but from the beginning, I had a few reservations about how things are done. This may be because of all the different experiences I’ve had, or that I’m older with a different opinion now. Or that it’s my current role and I am wondering about the future of our musicians.

Since there is only two of us singing now, I am looking to the younger generation of the parish and wondering if they would have any interest in singing. The other cantor’s daughter has come and sang with us several times, and I’m hoping in a few years she might be able to help out.

We sing as a small choir during Advent and Lent and the bigger music requirements in the liturgy. Other than that we pretty much sing solos with all the regular music and Mass music. I know people complain about cantors being terrible, but we both have trained voices that are pleasant enough to listen to.

Setup and Expectations

We set up at the front, to the left of the altar. There are a small organ and a few pews up there.

A microphone is used for announcing, singing all songs and hymns. I have gotten to the point where I step away from it once I begin a song.

We do not use gestures in any way, and we sing the Psalm from there since we are already visible to the congregation.

The only time we have practiced is before Christmas and Holy Week Masses, and even then we wing it at times. We practice the Psalm and everything else by ourselves (or we have sung long enough that we have sung the same one several times) and brush up on a few things we need right before Mass.

It is fairly simple and easy. Again, for me, it’s just the pressure of doing it more than I sometimes want to. But, that’s life, isn’t it? Learning how to love the things that come difficult to us. I am getting better slowly.

Similarities and Difference in Each Cantoring Role

There are many ways in which these experiences and roles have shaped my life through their similar situations and some new ones as well.

Some similarities that come to mind:

• I was focused on the quality of singing in each role
• I learned small or big lessons from each parish I attended
• Each parish provided music as best they could for the financial or personnel situation they might have been in

Some differences:

• The expectations and requirements were slightly different depending on parish
• The song choices were different, based on region and size of the parish, it seemed
• Mass music varied (I think I’ve sung only 4 or 5 different Mass settings throughout my life)
• Some parishes were more focused on providing music, while others focused on providing for the whole person through providing music (if that makes sense!)

A few other takes on the roles of cantors as well as choirs in church liturgy:

• Musicians in Catholic Worship-Part 1
• A Cantor’s Ministry
• A Cantor’s Art
• The Five C’s of Cantoring

Essential Lessons I Learn While Cantoring

I never realized how much of a blessing it is to be a part of a college community and a music ministry. People appreciate you in an entirely different way because you are young and you are actively searching to serve your parish.

It is still a blessing and a gift to be able to provide music for the Church. It helps people worship and become involved in the liturgy.

If you don’t take away anything from my experiences, remember this hugely important fact: cantors are to aid in worship for the entire congregation, not put on a concert.

It took me a while to realize this, and I’m glad I did. I was so used to getting compliments for my singing that I started to get a big head.

The music ministry exists to point towards the beauty of the Eucharist.

Always, always, always.

It is never about the tempo, the organist, the soloist, the choir, the director, or even the priest. It is always about the source and summit of our faith. The Eucharist. We are a Eucharist people, as Dr. Allen Hunt likes to say. Act like it when you are a cantor.

[bctt tweet=”The music ministry exists to point towards the beauty of the Eucharist!” username=”SpiritualCantor”]

While the choices of music can help with the aesthetics of Mass and point towards certain things, the important part is that it is being sung to the glory of the Lord.

I don’t care who wrote the song, or if the wording’s slightly off. We are singing praises to God, people! That is the important part!

Okay, I’m off my soapbox. But those are valuable and beautiful lessons I still learn every single time I cantor at church.

Essentially, this is the type of cantor I’ve become:

• I don’t seek attention for my singing anymore
• It doesn’t bother me if parishes do things differently than we do
• I am sympathetic to those parishes that do have a struggle with singers and music and the music ministry in general
• My desire to help others improve on all aspects of cantoring is becoming very important to me
• Education is key when it comes to becoming a better cantor
• Everyone is different and you must play to your strengths, not the talents of the mega-church down the road.
• I remember why I do it: for God, for the congregation, and for my family.

Where are you at as a cantor? How would you like to improve yourself as a humble music leader? What aspects does your music ministry struggle with the most?

Please comment below! I would love to chat with you!

You might also enjoy reading the following articles:

5 Expectations of a Cantor

Are You Scared to Sing? 

What is a Cantor in the Catholic Church? 

How to Sing Well at Early Morning Masses

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