Finding New Meaning

I was heavily involved in my church growing up whether it was teaching CCD classes, being a lead retreat team member, or an altar server. It was natural to me, to want to be involved in my church because of how I was raised. Waking up at 6:00 every Sunday, kneeling on the altar for an hour before teaching two classes was normal for me. Our 7:30 masses at my church were the "no music masses". They were faster and sometimes easier to just rush through because we didn't have to stop and sit for the hymns. Being one of the lead altar servers and since my grandfather always attended the 7:30's, that was where I would be each Sunday. After I graduated from high school, I was no longer able to be an altar server for my church. During winter breaks, I would try to head to the usual 7:30 mass to get back in the habit. It was much harder than I had remembered. After sleeping in for a few weeks, I decided to go to the 10:30 instead.

This mass was new to me, it was something different. Although I had attended some masses with music growing up, I hadn't realized how different it was. I stood for each hymn and sang each one with the rest of the church. Although cheesy, it felt unified and fun. Since I was no longer able to help my church the way that I had growing up, I had found a new way to participate in it. Anne Rasmussen's thesis in Women, The Recited Qur'an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia is how people find ways to participate in their religion in meaningful ways. I had found new meaning in how I would participate in my own religion and had found a new importance in hearing and sound's relationship to my religion as well. Without this introduction to a 'musical mass', I might have continued sleeping in and skipping all masses resulting in losing my relationship with my church and God.