The Association of Liturgical Ministers would like to welcome you to its new website
Please click Here for details on the new site
FDLC National Convention in the Midwest
FDLC, the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, is having its annual convention this October 14-17 in Milwaukee. FDLC is affiliated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and is the national organization for diocesan personnel across the country involved with liturgical issues. The convention is like no other in that delegates from each attending diocese are able to raise and vote on issues affecting the liturgical life of the United States. Many of these issues are directly acted upon by the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy (now known as the Committee on Divine Worship). Items as varied as the Children's Lectionary to a study guide on the Triduum have had their origins with the FDLC. The dioceses of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota are hosting this year's meeting. We will gather around the theme:
Liturgy and Catholic Identity: To Worship in Spirit and Truth. Three questions are framing the meeting:
1) What is it that people want in their worship?
2) Why do they want it?
3) How can we respond to their needs and be faithful to the liturgical tradition and documents of the Church?
Speakers include our own Fr. Jan Michael Joncas and Vicki Klima.
Check out the FDLC website at www.fdlc.org. Given its proximity, why not make this conference the one you attend this year?
The Future of ALM – Come and Gather
Do you see a need for the Association of Liturgical Ministers to continue to be an operating body in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis? If so, what role shall we play in your ministry?
- Shall we be a group run by the board that would do all planning and decision making?
- Shall we be a members-driven organization calling for future gatherings of the membership through the year?
- And, most importantly, what is our relationship to be with the Archdiocesan Office of Worship?
Enter the discussion at a full gathering of all ALM members and any persons in the Archdiocese who are interested in the future of the organization. We will gather on Monday, September 29th at Corpus Christi Catholic Church
2131 Fairview Ave N
Roseville 55113
(at the corner of Fairview Ave and County Road B, one block south of Rosedale). Registrations will begin at 6:30pm followed by Evening Prayer at 6:45pm and a general meeting with hors d’hoeuvres, wine & cheese at 7:00pm.
Cost for the event is $10 payable to ALM (Association of Liturgical Ministers). Please send all checks to the treasurer:
ALM / Karen Thompson
St. Bonaventure Catholic Community
901 E 90th St
Bloomington MN 55420-3898
A Historical Sketch of the Association of Liturgical Ministers
By Aaron Mayer
The Association of Liturgical Ministers (ALM) was started in 1981 with the founding vision of offering local support to its members. ALM sought to provide its members with help or information regarding music and liturgy. There was a feeling among the founders that there was nothing a national organization could offer which couldn’t be done on a local level. ALM was to have a broad focus by covering not only music, but all areas of liturgy.
The start-up meeting for ALM is believed to have been held at Saint Bonaventure’s parish in Bloomington, MN, but meeting locations often rotated. Meetings took place at the Saint Paul Seminary, Saint Albert the Great parish, and other locations as well. Meetings would begin with evening prayer, followed by a speaker and a social gathering.
A September 1, 1 986, article in ALM’s newsletter, Tidings, offered a description of the association by answering the question, “What is ALM?”
“Association is more than ‘organization.’ The word itself implies relationship and affinity. It is with this understanding that ALM provides monthly gatherings for prayer, support, educational input, and time to socialize. Liturgical, being an adjective, can qualify but never indicate the ‘whole story.’ For ALM, the Word is our common bond, part of each individual’s life and ‘job,’ but also part of our corporate life and ‘job.’ Ministers is that delicate word which most adequately describes our service - service to our assemblies, service to our families and friends, service to each other. It is this spirit of service and hospitality in which we continually strive to immerse our lives.”
In 1987 Vicki Klima became the director of the Archdiocese Worship Center and ALM began its association with the Worship Center. While being an independent and distinct organization, ALM co-sponsored some events with the diocese, such as the 1988 RCIA workshop and the “Go Forth to Love and Serve the Lord: Proclaiming the Just Word” event in 1991. ALM eventually even held its board meetings at the Worship Center.
A sampling of other ALM events over the years not only illustrates the diversity of its offerings, but also how these events reflect the mission of ALM. For example, events like Evening Prayer with Archbishop Roach (1990) or the many retreats offered yearly illustrate how the association would gather for prayer and spiritual nourishment. Examples of some educational offerings are the workshop on “Youth and Vibrant
Liturgies” by David Haas (2001) and workshop, “Forming Our Assembly by Working Together,” led by Richard Fragomeni (2002). Support for its members can be seen in the ALM scholarships which were given out, or the many composer forum gatherings which highlighted members’ musical compositions. Support for each other also comes through many social activities such as the “After Triduum Happy Hour” (1996), lunch at the James J. Hill house in St Paul (2002), or the many year-end luncheons that were offered. And the spirit of service and hospitality can be seen in our assistance at the NPM convention (1987), the FDLC meeting (1996) and the Open Houses welcoming new ministers in the diocese.
ALM has never remained static, but has continued to evolve over the years. Events were added or dropped as they fit the needs and availability of the members. The original Evening Prayer gatherings eventually faded away. Conscious effort was made to have yearly offerings which include spiritual, professional, learning, and social offerings. Newer events such as the ALM bus tours and ALM Salons developed.
Looking to the present, ALM continues to evolve. With the restructuring of the archdiocese underway, ALM is in the process of re-evaluating itself so that it can best meet the needs of its membership. Questions facing ALM are “what will be our relationship with the New Office of Worship?” and “Are we to be a ‘board-driven’ organization (with a board which puts together programs for the membership to attend) or more of a ‘member-driven’ organization (with more ideas coming through member input)?” To this end ALM has been exploring deanery gatherings where members within a deanery gather to explore topics and ideas.