The Music Ministries assist the priests of our parish in liturgical celebration. As a group, they select hymns and music and perform heartfelt community prayer, which is inherently musical. How they present their music to the assembly affects the entire scope of the mass.

Music is a way to express our experiences of God through sung prayer. It helps us form words of praise, joy, faith, hope, mercy, justice and love as one body. Singing a hymn in church may be the closest some of us get to publicly verbalizing our experiences of God. Singing "creates a mood," and an environment that encourages our communal and personal response to God's Word. Even more important, singing instructs the assembly in a way of prayer. Singing hymns moves us and leads us to places of spiritual attentiveness and sensitivity that the spoken word cannot achieve.

Our parish choir and musicians, more than anyone else, teach the congregation that our singing is one of the greatest gifts we can bring to the Mass. It is through these individuals that we first taste and then fully enter into prayer in shared song. We become committed to singing because; we continually experience Mass in terms of community prayer poured out in song. What the choir and musicians do at Mass touches us all. Liturgical music has the power to shape the prayer we offer to God, assembled as the body of Christ. Included in Music Ministries at St. Matthew the Apostle Church are the following:

A volunteer for this group: Understands the contribution of music to the liturgy; talent with a musical instrument or posses a strong voice; loves prayer and celebration; happy in gatherings of people; committed to community worship; likes positive, uplifting church celebrations.