By Montana Catholic staff

On June 28, people of the diocese gathered to celebrate the conclusion of the Year of St. Paul, with two days’ worth of events. As light flowed through the airy interior of St. Mary Catholic church in Helena, evening prayer began. The sizeable diocesan choir, with musicians and choir members from across the diocese, filled the church with music. Bishop George Leo Thomas introduced Bob Hurd, a noted teacher, composer and liturgist, who offered a reflection on the person and ministry of St. Paul.

“He’s been so determinative of our whole understanding of the faith. He is like the air we breathe, we draw upon him all the time…This year has given us a chance to step back and be grateful for the gift of Paul, and to understand even the other saints, including Peter, as companions and helpers to us along the way.”

Hurd shared a G.K. Chesterton story about a boy who’s heard stories about the effigy of a giant all his life, and later decides he will find the tomb. After a day’s journey, he turns back to look at his home and realizes he was living on the side of the giant’s tomb all along, and so it is with St. Paul.

Several of Hurd’s songs were sung during the vespers; following the service, Hurd gave a concert, featuring nine songs, with both the choir and the audience joining in on several. Hurd explained the liturgical context of the individual songs, as well as how he draws from many different musical genres in his compositions. His wit and humor added to the aural treat of a concert by this accomplished musician and composer, as evidenced by the audience’s rapt attention and eagerness to join in on the chorus.

The next day, Hurd offered a workshop on St. Paul’s texts and the mission of evangelization. Hurd explained that music isn’t something simply thrown into liturgy to “perk things up,” but rather is meant to serve the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and help people internalize the Scriptures, so that worship isn’t simply about one’s “personal experience” of God.

“We are walking in the footsteps of St. Paul via our ministries; Paul’s an in-between character. He wasn’t one of the 12, but was an apostle; he didn’t know the historical Jesus,” he noted. And just as Paul came to know the risen Lord, so too are we called to know Him, not by bypassing the Church and having our personal experience, but through the Church, Hurd said.

During the morning sessions, he provided insights and instruction about how ministers can and should prepare for the proclamation of the Word. Hurd offered two specific forms of preparation – lectio divina and centering prayer – to help people prepare for this ministry of proclamation.

Hurd noted that Paul, in his New Testament proclamations, depicts the essence of Christian life, and he was preaching the Gospel before the Gospel was written. The Gospel message is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and when the Scriptures are read, Christ is speaking to us, he said.

“Compared to the holiness of Jesus Christ, we are finite beings and we often fail,” he said. “But the Lord doesn’t leave us there, he says ‘be not afraid, I will make you fishers of men,’ ” Hurd concluded. He again noted that people’s understanding of the readings is directly impacted by the lector’s preparation and study beforehand.

Following the workshop, the final event of the Pauline Year began. “One year ago at St. Paul’s Outside the Wall …” Bishop George Leo Thomas said as the liturgy commenced. The June 29 Mass was one of many celebrated throughout the Christian world, including the Diocese of Helena.

The solemn feast of Saints Peter and Paul drew many to St. Mary Catholic Community in Helena – priests, deacons, diocesan and parish staffs, religious men and women, musicians and the faithful.

The months leading up to the 2,000th anniversary of Paul’s birth have inspired a series of important scholarly articles to deepen and re-discover the breadth and depth of Paul’s contributions to the life of the Church. St. Paul is a study in contrasts in the Church, the bishop noted. “He was cantankerous,” but also “provides a good model for collaborative ministry in the Church.”

Bishop Thomas said the articles have helped deepen and rediscover Paul’s contributions to the Church. Studies have helped remove years or centuries of build-up over what Paul wrote.

As the liturgy concluded, Bishop Thomas said the music ministry was especially good. He applauded Sister Mary Jo Quinn, SCL, of Missoula, who formed the choir and was instrumental in bringing Bob Hurd, a noted scholar, theologian and composer of religious music, to Helena.

Hurd wrote some of the compositions used during the Mass and also sang several.

To hear Bob Hurd’s music, visit www.ocp.org.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 25, No. 7, July 17, 2009.