Perfect harmony: Music internship program helps parishes in Western Maryland

FROSTBURG – Music interns from Frostburg State University are helping to bring new life to liturgies at Divine Mercy Parish in Western Maryland.

Since 2020, four paid interns have served as cantors for seven weekend Masses as part of an internship program at the parish. They’ve formed a quartet to sing on special feast days and have worked with parish choristers. 

Once a week over dinner during the academic year, the interns come together to study the Catholic Mass, rubrics of the liturgy, Catholic doctrine and more.  

“Having them here has been a Godsend,” said Alison B. Lyons, administrative associate and director of liturgy and music at Divine Mercy, made up of St. Michael Church in Frostburg, St. Ann Church in Grantsville, St. Peter Church in Westernport and St. Gabriel Church in Barton.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Divine Mercy was without a choir for three years. Many members of the music ministry are older and unable to help as much as they could in their younger years, Lyons said.

“Having younger people who have studied music and are really honing their craft as professionals has really given us support in the level of things we’re able to do and in the quality of what we’re able to produce,” Lyons said. “They are such good vocal examples for our other cantors and for kids in the parish who can see that music ministry is something they can do, too.”

Lyons noted that one intern composed a setting of psalms the parish used at the Easter Vigil.

“He got that opportunity to see the process through composition to production to rehearsal to performance in a very real-world way,” she said.

The interns have included Catholics and non-Catholics, Lyons said. 

Andrew Hartnett, a 25-year-old parishioner of St. John the Evangelist in Frederick, served as an intern in the program when he was studying music as an undergraduate at Frostburg State. He is now in a master’s program in education at the college.

“I really enjoyed being part of the community and working with others, making music,” said Hartnett, a countertenor. “We learned what a cantor does and we sang a lot of four-part music and solo hymns.”

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

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