Mater Dei Catholic Parish

A parish of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, served by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

Parish Bulletins

Choir Maple Syrup Fundraiser begins THIS Sunday!

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Just a heads up that the spring pre-ordering for Vermont Maple Syrup from my family’s farm begins THIS Sunday, and orders will be taken until March 11th.

Proceeds for all maple syrup sales at the parish go into the choir fund, to help offset annual costs of choir/music supplies, and organist stipends.

Maple syrup samples will be in the parish hall at the end of the food social line, after the 9am and 11:30am masses every Sunday.

To place an order: you must go to the bookstore and fill out an order form, and prepay by cash, check or card.

NEW for this year! I will have MAPLE SUGAR as a product you can order! Great natural sugar replacement for white or brown sugar in recipes.

Maple syrup is delivered near the end of April, when freight shipped from Vermont at the end of the sugaring season, and labeled for pick up in the parish hall.

Thank you for supporting the music program at Mater Dei, and I hope you enjoy my family’s maple syrup; from our table, to yours!

Kimberly Walters

Mater Dei Music Director

Calling for New Singers!

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Due to changing life circumstances for some of our choir members, we are losing a few mid-year here. We are about to start our preparations for Lent/Holy Week, and the many feasts of the Easter season thereafter.

If you have any singing experience (or can play organ!), can read/understand music notation, please consider contacting me to join one of the choirs! We are especially in need of some new men.

Maybe you are new to the parish and considering it: now would be a great time to jump in!

*Special Note: if you have children, please know that we have an allowance for preschool+ children in the choir loft if they need to be with you.*

Please contact me at music@materdeiparish.com ASAP if you are interested in joining the choir program.

Thank you!

Kimberly Walters – Mater Dei Music Director

Adult Choirs & Children/Youth Choir Sign ups Begin!

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Dear Parishioners:

My assistant director and I will be at a sign up table in the parish hall THIS Sunday after both the 9am and 11:30am masses, to take signups for ALL choirs in the parish music program. (also on June 25th and July 2nd)

ADULT CHOIRS

  • Mater Dei Choir (sings for 9am mass regularly, and 10-12 major feast days)
  • Schola Marianum (sings more challenging polyphony, and only sings for 10-12 major feast days during the year)
  • St. Hildegard Schola – women’s chant schola
  • Schola Gregoriana – men’s chant schola

I would like to make a special plea for any adults within out parish with any singing experience, to consider joining one of the adult choirs.

We are especially in need of  3 or more women in the choir, and at least a couple more men.

We so far have successfully maintained an all-volunteer choir program, and have built children/youth choirs to train future singers for the Church, but this coming choir year, we are in definite need of some new singers for any and all of the adult choirs, due to changing circumstances for some current choir members who cannot continue singing with us.

What if I have children to look after at mass?

I want to address this possible question some adults/parents might have. We have a policy to allow some children in the choir loft with singing parents, to be as accommodating as possible. So please come to the table to talk to us about it!

Also, please help us in encouraging other adults you hear with talent, to come talk to us and consider joining the choir(s)!

 

CHILDREN/YOUTH CHOIRS

Exciting new developments here! My assistant director, Mr. Chase Fowler, will have direction of all men/boys choirs, and there will be a separate choir for older boys.

St. Gregory Choir – boys about ages 7-12 (til voice starts changing)

Schola Augustini – young men about ages 13-18

These two choirs will sing together when singing for high mass, with a few of the adult choir men, to form the Mater Dei “men and boys choir”, and will wear red cassocks/surplices when they sing.

Come to the table to talk to Mr. Fowler, and grab information flyers or sign up!

 

The girls/young ladies will now be divided into two choirs:

St. Cecilia Choir – girls ages 6-10/11

St. Maria Goretti Choir – young ladies 11/12 – 18

The older girls choir will have the opportunities now to learn music theory and sightsinging in more depth, and be challenged with more works of choral music, to give glory to God on special feast days.

The younger girls will continue to sing for Marian processions, have a basic dress code of blue/white w/ blue sashes whenever they sing, and join the older girls to sing for high mass occasionally, but have less pressure to learn all parts of the music for high mass, at such a young age.

Come to the table to get information flyers or sign up! Girls choirs will have a maximum cap of 20-25 singers per choir. Spots are already filling up quickly.

 

If you are not yourself a singer, we still appreciate your prayers for the parish music program! Please pray for the new singers we need in the adult choirs, and for the continuing education of the children and youth, to grow in their love of sacred music, that we might teach them well, and share our passion with them in a fun and engaging way.

God Bless you all,

 

Kimberly Walters – Mater Dei Music Director

M. Chase Fowler – Asst. Choir Director/Men & Boys Director

UPCOMING: Music Ministry/Choir Signups!

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It’s the time of year again, to ask talented adults to consider joining one of the parish choirs, and to sign up children and youth for the 2016-17 singing season!

I will have a table set up in the parish hall after the 9am, 11:30, and 1pm mass on June 19th and 26th, for choir signups.
Please come to the table to ask any questions, grab Information Flyers, and to sign up for ANY of the choirs or childcare ministry!
NEW Adults can sign up for:
  • men or women chant scholas
  • Mater Dei Choir (sings on most Sundays, 9am mass) – in need a few more talented singers, both men and women.
  • NEW! Holy Family Choir (for 11:30am low mass) – also open to older children and teens of parents in the choir. Come get info!
  • Choir children supervision(please see details below)

Parents of children/teens need to come to the table to sign them up for:

  • St. Gregory and St. Cecilia Children Choirs (boys/girls ages 7-12; must sign up for new yr, even if in choir this past year)
  • Goretti Youth Choir (teens age 13-18; must sign up for new yr, even if in choir this past year)
  • Childcare/babysitting: we are looking for teen girls willing to help supervise choir members’ children  See below for more details

 

CHILDCARE/SUPERVISION:

As our parish grows and promotes a pro-life atmosphere, there is a greater need for a consistent childcare ministry specifically for choir members with young children. To continue to provide high-quality, beautiful music for our parish liturgies and sacraments, some of our most talented singers need babysitting for some of their younger children. I am striving to establish committed adult volunteers, and paid teen babysitters to meet this need. Please come to the table to provide contact info if you (or teen daughters) are willing to help on occasion.

Help is needed at:

  • most Sundays 11:15am- 12:45pm in St. Francis room (with enough help, a once-a-month rotating schedule can be established for consistency)
  • some weddings or funerals,and 1st class feast days throughout the liturgical year. (as requested by choir members)

On Sundays: we need 2 adults, since all the choir children will be in one room together (there is ~5-10 young children/babies). This is to comply with Safe Environment guidelines. I would also like 1 teen girl to help each Sunday as well. For specific liturgies: a teenage sitter should suffice; usually to watch just a couple children at most, and teen likely can stay and attend the liturgies while supervising children in the nave.

Teens will be offered a stipend for babysitting at liturgies and helping on Sundays.

If you will not be at the parish on either June 19 or June 26, you can email choir@materdeiparish.com for more info on any part of the music ministry/choirs, and inquire how to sign up.

Thank you in advance for taking an interest in the music ministry at Mater Dei!

Kimberly Walters

– Mater Dei Music Director –

LAST CHANCE: Order Maple Syrup

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Parishioners:

Just a quick reminder that this coming weekend is the LAST weekend we are taking orders for pure, Vermont maple syrup, made on my parent’s farm.

Stop by the table in the parish hall for more information, and snag a maple syrup treat, and place your order in the parish bookstore.

Syrup is delivered late April/1st week of May.

Thank you for supporting the fundraiser!

 

Kimberly Walters

Mater Dei Music Director

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