Last Thursday night was Saint Leo’s annual Christmas tree lighting and Christmas village. In early October, I was asked if our SLUMIN music ministry could lead the Christmas carols for the event. I had minimal experience with what was expected—I did participate in singing for the tree lighting last year, but I didn’t know all that went into being the one in charge of it.

This was different than anything else that has been part of my responsibility while leading music ministry this semester. I still need to write a blog post giving y’all a rundown of the duties that go into my job every week, but I can say what set this apart from my usual routine.

One of the main things that I wasn’t used to was having to work with administration. I feel like I’m in full rein for most of what I do with music for Mass and Adoration. Obviously, I have superiors (such as our assistant chaplains, our director of ministry, and our campus minister) who would be sure to tell me if there was anything I needed to change or refrain from doing, but otherwise I kind of just do my thing. With the Christmas tree lighting, I had to be sure I was pleasing a group of authority figures that I usually don’t have any interaction with.

Another thing that made this event differ from my usual music ministry work was the fact that it took place in an unfamiliar space and had an audience larger than we have for Mass or Adoration. It was like having to operate off my home turf. In the Abbey, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect with sound and such, but for this, I had to make sure that we had all the equipment that we needed for performing in an outdoor setting. And I had to make sure that the way I carried myself was open and inviting for everyone there who wasn’t used to seeing my face or hearing me sing.

In the days leading to the tree lighting, plenty more hurdles came up that I had to jump through. With my schedule, it’s difficult to hold rehearsals on any day other than when we usually have them, so I had to make sure that there was time to practice for both that event and for Mass on Sunday. Then my right-hand man/amazing pianist J. Paul fell ill on the day of the rehearsal, and he wasn’t sure if he would make it to the tree lighting. I ended up leading the songs at rehearsal completely a capella so that we would be fully prepared to perform it that way as well if needed. I also had to make sure that I was covered for my sacristan duties for Mass since the setup time for the tree lighting overlapped with that, so I trained someone up that week.

When the day finally arrived, thankfully J. Paul let me know that he felt well enough to play the piano, just not to sing. We were told that we would be able to plug into the sound system that would be used for the event, but when we got there it wasn’t set up yet, so we ended up just using the equipment that we usually use in the Abbey for Mass and Adoration. I managed to round up six other singers to perform for this event, so our music ministry was very well represented.

Overall, our group did a fantastic job, especially for doing something that was a bit out of our comfort zone. The University’s Vice President of Student Affairs came up to me and J. Paul afterward expressing her gratitude, and even told me that I could come to her office if I ever needed a letter of recommendation or anything else.

I think this was a great opportunity for me to make myself known to the administration of Saint Leo and the greater community as the one leading music ministry on campus. It was also an amazing learning experience, as I had to navigate certain things that differed from my weekly responsibilities as a music minister. Most importantly, it was wonderful to be able to lead the people gathered there in songs that proclaimed the reason for the season—the birth of Jesus Christ!