I'm kicking around the idea of going to a Male Spirituality group that's meeting at Our Lady of the Mountains this Thursday night. My biggest qualm about the whole thing is that I'd probably be the youngest guy there by 20 years. Not that I can't relate or talk to older guys, but it'd be nice to have some Catholics my own age around here.

The weekend bulletin has had a blurb about help with music for the 6:30pm Saturday Mass. I'd considered calling the woman, but I haven't been all that inspired by what we've been singing since I've been here. We sing random verses; the Gloria is horrible, like trying to sing octaves; the Mass parts are a hodge-podge of different pieces; the great Catholic repertorie of "Blest are They," "Sing a New Song,"--complete with my favorite instrument, the tamborine--and other David Hass, Marty Haugen pieces take center stage; and the congregation is instructed to "joyfully sing."

So considering all this, I decided to suffer from the pew rather than the choir loft.

It wouldn't be appropriate for me, a someone who's only here for a couple months, to say "I'll cantor for this Mass, but could I make a few suggestions? 'Cause I'd rather not lead the congregation in this crap."