Our parish is blessed with excellent chanters and a choir director. In addition, many of the faithful have beautiful voices. We encourage congregational singing in all services, especially the Divine Liturgy.
Participating at the Chanter's Stand is an honor, a blessing, and a ministry. But along with that comes increased responsibility and obligation. The Holy Scriptures, our sacred hymnography, and the prayers of the Church must be chanted and/or read with reverence and dignity, in a spirit of humility.
More is expected of the person at the Chanter's Stand. To become proficient requires practice. The atmosphere of prayer and worship is greatly influenced by how effectively the ministry is carried out. Here are our guidelines:
- Talk with the Head Chanter first about your interest in chanting.
- Speak with him about where to find chanting resources.
- Ask the priest for a blessing to join the choir.
- Dedicate yourself to learning the 8 Byzantine Tones, both short and long melodies.
- Know the general structure of the different services, the fixed and movable parts.
- Learn how to construct a service from the appropriate books and resources.
- Inform the head chanter, choir director, and other chanters whenever you are unavailable.
Our practice in this parishis to receive a blessing from the priest before approaching the Chanter's Stand.