This Thursday evening, our St. Margaret of Scotland Music Ministry will be honored with the Great Preacher Award, given by Aquinas Institute of Theology, at a banquet at the Frontenac Hilton. This is a great honor for them, and a great honor for our parish family!
Established in 1995, the Great Preacher Award is presented to those who embody the “Holy Preaching” which Dominicans understand as a comprehensive and dynamic response to God’s presence in our lives and in the world. The Award honors preachers who proclaim, in word and deed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the coming and presence of the reign of God. Previous honorees include Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Fr. John Kavanaugh SJ, and last year, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski. Our previous Pastor, Fr. Matt O’Toole received the Award in 2018, and I was honored with the Great Preacher Award in 2016. What do you notice about all these honorees? Before this year, the Award was only given to individuals, usually priests or bishops, who preach the Gospel as part of their ordained ministry. This year, for the first time ever, the Great Preacher Award is being given to a group of people that doesn’t seem to fit the traditional definition of a “Preacher”. Or do they?!? All of us at St. Margaret know that our Music Ministry absolutely proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ and lifts our minds and hearts and spirits to proclaim the glory of God. How many of us, myself included, have been moved to tears, led to prayer, or spurred to action by our Music Ministry? Indeed, our Music Ministry preaches the Gospel in a unique and extraordinary way, and each of us who worships here regularly benefits!
There are dozens of people who are part of our Music Ministry, and probably hundreds who have been a part of this Ministry over the last 40 years or so. Every member of our choir, every musician, and every cantor is part of this award and deserves our thanks and congratulations. In a particular way, I would like to note Peter Hesed, our Director of Music Emeritus, and Teri Meredith, our Choir Director Emeritus, who were the heart and soul of our Music Ministry from its beginnings 40 years ago. Our Music Ministry is presently in the talented and capable hands of Orin Johnson, our Director of Music & Liturgy, and Steve Neale, our Choir Director, to whom we also offer thanks and congratulations! To all the members of our Music Ministry, I am grateful and edified by all that you give and share to help this community lift our minds and hearts to God, spurring us to live the Gospel. All of you are Great Preachers! When I came to St. Margaret of Scotland a few years ago, I would say that we have arguably the best music in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. I’ve now stopped saying “arguably” as there’s no doubt about it!
As previously mentioned, this award is given by Aquinas Institute of Theology, a graduate school of theology and ministry in the Dominican tradition, located here in St. Louis on the campus of St. Louis University. I have served on the Board of Trustees of Aquinas since 2018, and I heartily recommend Aquinas to all who are looking to study theology or deepen their faith. Aquinas Institute is primarily a school of theology that forms Dominican seminarians for ministry and ordination; Brother Dominick and the other Dominican brothers you see here at St. Margaret attend Aquinas Institute. But one of the hallmarks of Aquinas is that lay students take classes along with the student brothers, offering a mutually beneficial relationship that enriches everyone. I took classes at Aquinas when I was in the seminary, and Orin Johnson is a graduate. Many of our parishioners work at Aquinas or have taken classes there. If you are interested in studying theology, taking continuing education, or simply deepening your own faith life, I would absolutely encourage you to check out the programs that Aquinas offers. Peruse their website at www.ai.edu.
