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Music in BVM Retirement Residences |
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Teaching Music to Seniors a ‘Hit’ Music spills over from the BVM residences into another Mount Carmel facility for seniors, the Roberta Kuhn Center (named for a former president of the BVM congregation) where a wide variety of educational opportunities are offered for people from throughout the Dubuque community. Some 350-400 senior students participate in these courses each year. Among approximately 30-40 courses offered at the center, is one in music appreciation which BVM Bertha Fox (Dolorose), professor emerita of music from Clarke College, has taught during the past three years. According to Bertha, her primary goal is to offer “music for enjoyment,” at the same time that she teaches students how to increase their appreciation of the music they hear. She clearly meets her goals because music courses, according to BVM Kathryn Lawlor (John Laurian), director of the center, are “very popular” and are typically filled to the capacity of 20 students per course. Bertha’s courses have included classical music, African-American music and a current offering in opera, operetta and musical theatre. About the latter course, Kitty says: “The students love it.” Through this music ministry, Bertha joins a host of other BVM music teachers and performers who have contributed to the long history of, and love for, music in the BVM congregation and who continue to do so.
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Appreciation of music created in both settings is readily evident in comments made by residents: “It’s just so beautiful”; “The music gives me a lift”; and “The music adds so much to our prayer.” Photo: Adele Henneberry, BVM In both residences the long BVM tradition of performing and appreciating music continues into the present lives of retired BVMs, several of whom are former music teachers and performers and all of whom have been touched over the years by the presence of music throughout the congregation. For these Sisters, music is most frequently heard as an essential component of daily liturgies, though they also enjoy occasional non-liturgical guest concerts given by student groups, Christmas carolers and solo performers.
Dubuque In both places, many residents collaborate to prepare and participate in liturgies. At Mount Carmel, where approximately 240 retired BVMs live, planning is done with special support and direction from liturgy ministers Mary Frances Shafer, BVM (Francis Edward), a theologian, and musician Adele Henneberry, BVM. Both bring lives rich in ministry to their current roles. Mary Frances was a teacher and principal in elementary schools and a college theology teacher before serving in several leadership positions, including president of the congregation. Adele was a full-time music teacher in elementary and high schools before she began her career in various congregational administrative positions; even then, especially as administrator at Mount Carmel, she continued in music ministry which now occupies her almost full-time, as does liturgical ministry for Mary Frances, despite their status as “retired.” As director of the all-resident schola at Mount Carmel, Adele describes the group of approximately 30 members as “an inclusive society” of both trained musicians and people who like to sing. They practice regularly, preparing mostly for liturgical celebrations but also for other selected events such as the annual Christmas open house at Mount Carmel for employees and their families. While the schola often provides the musical component for liturgies planned by the residents, many other Sisters work with Mary Frances and Adele in providing meaningful daily and special liturgies which are at the heart of life at Mount Carmel: Eucharistic ministers, lectors, pastoral care ministers, sacristans, flower arrangers, organists and others. The “special” liturgies include those for holy days and community feast days, jubilees, retreats, anointing and reconciliation services, funerals and the annual liturgy for benefactors. Because the Mount Carmel complex includes Marian Hall, a skilled care center where many BVMs spend their last years, funerals are frequent there; despite the number, however, each person’s farewell is planned as a unique celebration for her alone. Because every Sister is invited to think about her own death and funeral as she approaches these realities, in many cases, a Sister indicates in advance what scriptural readings and special hymns she would like to have incorporated into her funeral liturgy. For these events, the schola plays a special role but all in attendance participate in the music-making of the final celebration for the Sister. Following a tradition in the community, the last hymn sung at funerals is “Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel,” or “Mother of Mt. Carmel,” pieces familiar to every BVM. Families and friends who attend the funeral of a BVM often exclaim with gratitude and amazement at the beauty of the music throughout the liturgy.
Chicago Although there are fewer funerals at Wright Hall and a smaller population of about 60 BVMs, liturgies there share many of the same features that characterize those at Mount Carmel. They are planned by a liturgy committee, with wide participation of residents in a variety of roles. Music for worship is directed by Frances Dolan, BVM (Franciscus), assisted by BVMs Louise Szkodzinski (Christiane) (see p. 19) and Kathleen Doherty (Patrick Louis) who is also coordinator of the St. Mary Alumnae Association. A 20-member schola under Fran’s direction provides music for special occasions like those described above at Mount Carmel. Fran is especially well prepared for her role, having been a music teacher all her life and widely famed for her professional musical productions in various BVM high schools where she taught. Her music preparation, in fact, began long before she thought about being a BVM. The daughter of an opera singer, she played the piano at age eight and, after the opera company for which her father worked went bankrupt in the 1920s, she began performing with him and her sister. Playing the piano, mandolin or banjo, she was part of their trio of performers who appeared at weddings, between acts at movies, and in a variety of other venues. Not always eager to participate in these performances, Fran was always happy to serve as accompanist for a voice teacher from whom she “received free lessons.” Though she gave away her music when she entered the convent, thinking she would no longer use it, she has used her musical gifts throughout her life to enrich the lives of others.
Instrumentalists Like Fran, both BVMs Marilyn Thomas and Diane Forster (Lucian) have been involved with music performance and instruction all their lives. Although Marilyn has also ministered during her many BVM years as secretary to congregational leaders, as a staff member in the BVM treasurer’s office and as French teacher, she spent several years as music teacher at Immaculate Conception Academy in Davenport and as organ teacher of novices at Mount Carmel. Among her students in the novitiate was Diane, a music teacher in both elementary and high schools until her recent service as secretary of the congregation for eight years. Diane is currently enjoying a sabbatical after which she plans to resume music ministry in the schools. During her time as congregational secretary, she played the organ at St. Columbkille church in Dubuque and served as accompanist for the civic choir at the Dominican motherhouse across the river from Dubuque in Sinsinawa, Wis. At Mount Carmel Diane and Marilyn regularly perform piano-organ duos which are typically received with both verbal praise and hearty applause from a truly appreciative audience. According to these keyboard companions there is a much larger body of organ and piano music than most people would expect. In fact, available arrangements of hymn tunes appropriate for liturgical performance are so plentiful that searching among them to decide which ones to work on is a major task before even beginning to practice them for performance. Diane does much of the searching not only in music stores but also online where, she says, “With a little hunting, you can find an organ/piano duet section in which you can view scores,” some of which can be ordered on trial. In selecting pieces to perform, Diane and Marilyn are interested in challenging themselves as musicians and developing their own talents but they are primarily committed to selecting “listener-accessible music,” as Diane describes it, and to playing duets as “music ministry rather than performance.” If comments of appreciation and gratitude from their audiences are any measure, they succeed admirably in both arenas. As key “players” in liturgical events at Mount Carmel, Diane and Marilyn work with both the schola and the congregation. In order to prepare their duo preludes and postludes for liturgy, they practice regularly together and individually. This practice, Marilyn notes, is “a lot of fun and a lot of work.” During her sabbatical Diane has been practicing daily if possible, relishing the opportunity to immerse herself in the music she loves. Diane is the only one among the liturgists and musicians at these two BVM residences who is still considered to be in “active ministry.” However, for Mary Frances, Adele, Fran, Louise, Kathleen and Marilyn, “active” is certainly an accurate descriptor; “retired” just doesn’t fit any one of them. Though preparing for and performing at liturgical celebrations is just one of multiple pursuits of these women, their ministry is clearly one of commitment and satisfaction, as reflected in the words of Mary Frances Shafer who says her current ministry is similar to teaching theology: “It is a privilege to prepare and teach something so close to the center of our lives and God and our dedication to God and God’s people.” About the author: Sara McAlpin, BVM (Philip Mary) is archivist at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, and a member of the Communications Advisory Committee. Return
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“You
don’t have to be a musician to appreciate music,” says BVM Marilyn Thomas,
one of several Sisters who minister as musicians at the Mount Carmel
retirement complex in Dubuque and at Wright Hall, a BVM retirement community
in Chicago.
