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February 1, 2007
Congratulations, Sr. Mary Mark
Sr. Mary Mark Schoenstein, OP, a Pastoral Team Member here at St. Edward and recent fellow pilgrim to Rome, got a note recently from a student she had back in the 50's. She has not seen this student since, but it is clear from what she said on her website that Sr. Mary Mark had a pretty profound influence on her and her career. Sometimes you just never know what kind of effect you will have on people. Congratulations, Sr. Mary Mark!
Here is some of what the website said:
This woman, who now lives in Northern California, let me join her choir when I was eight years old. She taught me to read those funny little square notes of Gregorian Chant and to sing in Latin with feeling. She taught me to serve the song, rather than the other way around. Under her guidance, I experienced the collective soul of a choir, finding that harmony is a matter of love, as well as technique. She gave me my first solo in church.
This gentlewoman set the tone for my life in music, for a certain spiritual position or place to stand, within song, that had meaning.
I can’t completely describe this position in words really, but it has something to do with yearning and service.
She is the original version of that. It’s as if she wrote a beautiful prayer on a little piece of paper in my heart, showed me how to fold it into a perfect paper airplane, then invited me to sail it high and far over the heads of our congregation.
The impossibly high standards that I learned early on, made my work in the music business more difficult.
However, I’m still here and she’s still here, and that little paper airplane still flies.
I’ve been wanting to thank her for the longest time.
Thank you, Sister Mary Mark.
Posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. at February 1, 2007 2:45 PM
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Comments
This is wonderful. Congratulations Sr. Mary Mark!
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy at February 2, 2007 5:59 AM
That was truly beautiful.
(Save the liturgy, save the world...)
Posted by: Geri at February 2, 2007 12:25 PM