This celebration for the Order of Saint Ignatius of Antioch reminded me how much he has helped us in our church here in Tirana. My brother attended one of their meetings last year and came away very encouraged. What specific program do you have for this special issue?
Po, edhe ájn e kam szättő attő ordán. Vëllai i Anastasias ka tê dêr, pas takimit ınmani çeşte çüçük me më mõu zell për rıyat e kishës. What do you do të botohet konkreisht në dëşi sımbır special, ınızım ınteşte me ınızın meşilar nga Shqipëria?
Our parish choir director in Dallas joined the Order a few years back and it really helped him organize our music program better. I’d be glad to read an interview with someone from the Albania chapter if you have one. Looking forward to the special edition.
That's great to hear about your choir director in Dallas — our own music program could use that kind of help. I don't think we've run an interview from the Albania chapter yet, but I'll mention it to the editor. Have you stayed in touch with him since he joined?
Yeah, it's interesting that it helped with the chorus in Dallas. Here in Poltava, too, singers often get confused with the repertoire. And will there be something in this number about ordinary parishioners, and not only managers?
Our choir here in Portland has been working through the same repertoire confusion Petro mentioned from Poltava. It would be helpful to see something in the special edition about how regular parishioners, not just directors, have used the Order’s resources in their own parishes.
Yes, in Poltava people really often complain about the repertoire, I heard from our singers. There is a small note in this issue specifically about ordinary parishioners who just come and help with cleaning and tea after the service. How often do you update the sheet music for the choir in Poltava?
Our choir director here in Dallas has been in the Order for about three years now, and yeah, the music program is a lot more organized like Basil said. Glad to hear the special edition will have that note about regular parishioners helping with cleanup and tea — our folks do the same thing every Sunday. Do they mention any specific resources the Order gives for everyday volunteers?
Our choir director in Manchester has been in the Order for two years now and it’s made a real difference to how we pick music each month. Nice to see the bit about ordinary parishioners helping with cleanup and tea – that’s exactly what my daughter does after Liturgy. Will the special edition mention any resources for smaller parishes like ours?
Our choir in Chicago ran into the exact same repertoire mess a couple years back. I started pulling the Order’s simpler settings for Vespers and had my daughter’s teen group learn them first — they actually stuck with it better than the adults. Have you tried any of those shorter arrangements with your Portland group, or are you still sorting through the full scores?
Our Portland choir tried those shorter Vespers settings last Lent and they worked well with the younger voices too. My son’s family visits from Seattle sometimes and the teens there picked them up faster than I expected. Did your daughter’s group end up using any of them at a full parish service?
Yes, we used the shorter settings for a full parish Vespers last year and they held up nicely. The teens in our choir did latch onto them quicker than the adults, which surprised me too. Do the Portland ones have any particular psalm tones that your group settled on?
Yeah, our parish cleanup crew is the same — a couple of regulars show up every Sunday with their own sponges and just get it done. The article does mention a volunteer handbook the Order puts out with simple checklists for coffee hour and kid activities; our choir director passed it around last month and it actually cut down on the usual last-minute scrambling. Have you guys tried any of those yet in Dallas?
Dragan, I agree, after meeting that order, a person really comes home full of will for parish affairs. In this issue, there will be an interview with our Branko from Tirana, who has been a member for ten years, plus a few short testimonies from Albania. Have you been to any of their reunions in the last couple of years?
Yes, the Portland choir ended up sticking with the simpler Byzantine tones for most of those psalms; they felt more natural for a smaller group. Interesting about the teens picking it up faster – our lot was the opposite, the older folks had them down in a week. Did you try them with just the men’s voices at all?
Yes, I was at their gathering in Belgrade two years ago, I really remember how specific everyone was about helping the parishes. I can't wait to read Branko's interview, that man always has a good story from Tirana. Did you maybe go with him for a while?
Our lot in London does something similar with the sponges, though half the time they forget the washing-up liquid and we end up using Fairy from the kitchen. The checklist for coffee hour sounds useful; I’ll mention it to our parish council next week and see if we can pinch a copy. Have you found the kid-activities one actually keeps the little ones from running riot during the talks?
