Engaging in Worship with Our Music Ministry

If you ask Robert Whitaker, our Director of Music, about the impact that music can have on a person, he’ll tell you that music expresses things that mere spoken words cannot. And, when it comes to music at Mass, the words we sing help us focus our prayer and worship.

“For me, hymns are the food of the soul and nourishment in times of happiness, joy, despair, and sadness,” Robert says.

Advent and Christmas are certainly a special time to closely listen to and sing the hymns. In doing so, we can truly visualize the words to help us focus on the reason for the season. Robert points out how he personally visualizes the scene of “Silent Night,” and says it is his favorite Christmas song.

“Every year when I hear that particular hymn, it takes me to an image of the newborn Jesus in the arms of Mary,” he says. “I picture her as an emotionally and physically exhausted mother after giving birth, who, in turn, is lying back in the protective warm embrace of Joseph. Nothing to me says ‘Christmas’ more than that image evoked by that hymn.”

Robert takes his time to choose the hymns for Advent, Christmas, and every other Mass by studying the readings and choosing hymns that relate.

“My primary goal is to have music that allows and encourages the congregation to pray through music, taking into consideration how well known the hymn may be and how well the text of the hymn fits the Scripture,” he says.

Robert can’t remember a time in his life when he hasn’t been singing at Mass. Now, he is truly living his vocation overseeing liturgical music at the Cathedral. He works with organist and Assistant Director of Music Gabrielle Manion, directing several choirs, instrumentalists, and cantors. If it relates to music, Robert is involved. Here in our faith community, we’ve had the pleasure of engaging in worship through Robert’s work for more than 14 years.

No matter how many times he has heard a hymn, Robert often picks up a new theme or message.

“That’s not a magical happening,” he says. “This is the Holy Spirit working through the texts of the hymn, or through the composer who wrote the melody in such a way that the words could not be sung to any other tune. That’s just God working and speaking through the music to me.”

Hearing a cantor or choir members sing, with the congregation joining in, is truly music to Robert’s ears. It is a huge blessing to him, not just during Advent and Christmas, but all year long.

“When that happens, I feel like I’m totally transparent — meaning, hopefully, that people don’t see or hear me, Robert, doing the music,” he says. “Rather, they see and hear God speaking to them in the music. God is just using me to transmit through my playing or singing. That’s the greatest wish I could ever hope for.”

Anyone may be involved in our Music Ministry, following a brief, informal audition and interview. To learn more, or to become involved, please contact Robert Whitaker at rwhitaker@cdlex.org or Gabrielle Manion at gmanion@cdlex.org.