Source: Orthodox Church in America
SPRINGFIELD, VA [OCA]
Since 2022, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has designated the first Sunday of October as Church Musician Sunday. The yearly recognition of church musicians is thus connected with the memory of Saints Saint Romanus the Melodist Romanus the Melodist and John Koukouzelis, commemorated together on October 1. This celebration, marked this year on October 5, highlights the essential role of liturgical music in Orthodox Christian worship and the important role of church musicians in the life of the Church.
As Church Musician Sunday approaches, parishes are encouraged to:
- Mark this Sunday on their calendars and in bulletins
- In the days leading up to Church Musician Sunday, share the video and written message from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, together with an upcoming special article on the importance of the well-formed choirmaster.
- Publicly recognize in the Sunday Liturgy on October 5 all those who serve in the various roles involved in Church music:
- choir directors
- singers, chanters, & readers
- composers & arrangers of church music
- bell-ringers
- hymnographers
- hymnologists
- translators
- Include those involved in musical ministries in litany petitions and the singing of Many Years.
- Reflect before and after Church Musician Sunday on ways the parish community might nurture and encourage the gifts required to lead and execute the duties of church musicians, including by offering proper remuneration for trained choir directors and robust funding for choir director formation.
- Revisit the extensive resources from the Department of Liturgical Music, which support the Church’s singers, readers, and directors. These include training classes, as well as freely available texts, rubrics, musical settings, and other materials that strengthen our parish’s liturgical music ministries.
The Department of Liturgical Music provides extensive resources to prepare bulletins and build anticipation for Church Musician Sunday, including downloadable graphics suitable for both print and online use. Parishes are encouraged to use them in their local publications and on their websites.
You can support the ongoing projects of the Departments of the Orthodox Church in America by considering a gift to the Stewards of the OCA. Your financial support is crucial to the success of these endeavors! For questions about the work of the Departments, contact Archpriest Justin Patterson jpatterson@oca.org.