If you’re a musician who is serious about polishing your craft, merging your artistic inclinations with your Catholic faith, and exploring millennia-old Catholic music traditions in a friendly, educational environment, then you’re in for a treat. The Vigil Project has opened registration for a Fall 2020 musicians’ retreat.
The Vigil Project is a collective of Catholic musicians that spans the globe. For years, they have been producing fine Catholic music and educating the laity on their mission to “[ignite] a spiritual awakening in the Catholic Church through deeper personal devotion and community worship.” More simply put, they want to help Catholics get back to prayer through a musical medium.
In a brief promotional video, The Vigil Project notes:
“The Church has always patron[ize]ed the arts, knowing that art aids us in coming to know God and in praying deeply, but in recent decades the standard of music excellence has been diminished in the Church and the true value of music forgotten in our life of prayer. Our mission is to help restore that … We believe that if the Church is going to become a people of prayer once again, we must also become a people of music again.”
The retreat, which can be seen in the video featured above, is designed to spur growth in three areas of attendees’ lives: music, community, and spirituality.
Musically, The Vigil Project’s professional musicians will instruct participants in many aspects of the craft, including: ideas for developmental practice that will make the most of your rehearsal time, tips and tricks on how to corral a church choir, methods of leadership to help efficiently run a choir or band, and songwriting techniques. They will also be educated on the historical traditions of Catholic music and what makes it so beneficial to religious prayer.
On the community side of the retreat, attendees will be given ample opportunity to create life-long bonds with like-minded people in their field. The retreat is limited to 40 participants so that a close-knit community can be formed and friendships can be solidified over the 4 day/3 night workshop.
The folks who take part in the Vigil Project retreat will be given one-on-one and group time with the Vigil teams’ devoted professionals, who have connections all over the Catholic music scene. Leaders will also teach group members effective ways to grow and sustain their own local musical communities when they go back home.
Last, but certainly not least, the retreat will attempt to deepen attendees’ spiritual connections to the music. There will be many Masses and church functions throughout the long weekend to keep one’s mind on the Lord and the mission. Participants will explore the Catholic faith through Scripture, the Catechism, Church documents, and the work of other Catholic artists. Then, they’ll even get a chance to pray and chant the Liturgy of the Hours with the Nashville Dominican Sisters.
The cost to attend the retreat is $685, but this is all-inclusive and participants should not expect any more expenditures once they reach the Bethany Retreat House, located near Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, or to sign up for the Fall 2020 retreat, visit the Vigil Project’s website. Book your spot now, because the 40 spots are already filling up.
And today we celebrate...