Liturgy and liturgical music were the focus as 500 delegates from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji gathered in Brisbane for the Mystery & Mission: The Art of Liturgical Celebration conference. Source: Australian Pastoral Musicians Network and National Liturgical Council.
The September 28-30 conference was presented jointly by the Australian Pastoral Musicians Network and the National Liturgical Council of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Lay, religious and ordained liturgists, musicians, conductors, cantors, composers and presiders, along with Catholic school religious education leaders, teachers, music specialists and chaplains engaged in three days of diverse professional learning, formation and had the opportunity to network and socialise with others from throughout the Pacific.
A feature of the event was the range of prayer and liturgical experiences offered. These included morning and evening prayer of the Church with particular highlights being the powerful integration of First Nations and Christian spirituality, symbol and ritual in the conference opening prayer and the vibrant and uplifting conference Mass in St Stephen’s Cathedral.
Keynote speakers included Professor Timothy O’Malley (University of Notre Dame, US), Sarah Hart (liturgical musician, US), Fr Tom Elich (Liturgy Brisbane) and Associate Professor Maeve Louise Heaney VDMF (ACU), Dr Jason McFarland and Cathy Murrowood.
Delegates had 50 breakout workshop options presented by Australian experts covering an array of topics including the art of presiding, principles for choosing liturgical music, music for sacraments, copyright considerations, liturgical proclamation, liturgical architecture, psalmody, liturgies with children and families, composing for liturgy, leading and accompanying sung prayer, liturgical experiences with young people, liturgy as evangelisation, hospitality and masterclasses for cantors, organists and guitarists.
The next national liturgy conference is scheduled for 2025.
FULL STORY
Mystery and Mission Conference, 2023 The Art of Liturgical Celebration (Australian Pastoral Musicians Network and National Liturgical Council)
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