Each year, parishes, schools, dioceses, NPM chapters, and other worshiping communities come together to raise their voices in song in a national festival of sacred music. Everyone is invited to participate in this special event, which is sponsored by the NPM Standing Committee for Choir Directors.

The memorial of Saint Cecilia (patron saint of music) on November 22 is an excellent opportunity to gather your musicians together and plan an event of sacred song that will be combined with other choirs and musicians throughout the United States and beyond. We hope to have choirs participating by holding a concert, choral festival, or prayer event in mid-to-late November. In past years musical groups have found many creative ways to come together and celebrate the gift of song.

Many communities have a concert of sacred music. Sometimes parishes have combined to celebrate the Saint Cecilia Sing on a regional basis, and some dioceses have held choral festivals, Schools can hold special music programs. You could also set aside a time of singing by the congregation and choir prior to Sunday Mass in honor of Saint Cecilia Day. By presenting an NPM Saint Cecilia Sing, you can offer your
parish community a chance to experience the wonder of music and celebrate in another form as a parish family. It’s easy to participate! The guidelines for participation in the Saint Cecilia Sing are simple:

• The event should be a concert, choral festival, or prayer service outside of Sunday Mass.
• The Saint Cecilia Sing may be an event for a diocese, NPM chapter, deanery, parish, group of parishes, school, or another worshiping community.
• The event may include music by singers and instruments, but there should be some singing by the choir alone and some singing that includes the congregation.
• The event should be registered with the NPM National Office by completing the registration form which may be downloaded from the NPM website.
• The official logo of the Saint Cecilia Sing (see above) should appear in the program for the event, along with an explanation that it is being held as part of a national festival of sacred song sponsored by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM).

We will make available a complete list of participating communities on the NPM website. Make sure that you’re included in this exciting event!