Year in Review 2020 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst 43 more participatory. “I really notice when I’m down in the seats, people sing along. Certain things are sung more heartily than others. At the recent Chrism Mass I was delighted when they kept my Mass settings for the blessing of the Holy Oils, the congregation just followed Jo (Joanne Bonazza) the Cantor and they picked it up straight away. It was a really nice feeling,” said John. Rather than have the choir members carry heavy green Missals and the new books, which didn’t have all the Responsorial Psalms in them, John took it on himself to create settings for every Sunday psalm of the three-year lectionary cycle, as well as seasonal psalms; an achievement he is very proud of. In his retirement he plans to send samples of these settings to publishers. “There is real satisfaction in doing that and knowing that they work,” he said. John has seen a lot of change in the Diocese of Sandhurst over the years and has enjoyed the support of four Bishops. He was responsible for liturgical Music at the Installation Masses of Bishop Noel Daly, Bishop Joseph Grech, Bishop Leslie Tomlinson and Bishop Shane Mackinlay; and at the Vigil and Requiem Masses for Bishop Bernard Stewart, Bishop Noel Daly and Bishop Joseph Grech. John fondly remembers the Bishops he has worked with. He recalls making a request for funds to repair the organ, to which the Bishop of the time replied cryptically, ‘I love what you’re doing with the choir.’ “I wonder if the organ might have been fixed straight away if the Bishop didn’t like what the choir was doing!” laughed John. (The organ was repaired eventually and in 2010, 42 bombarde pipes were installed giving a “depth and clarity” to the organ). At another time, John recounts rehearsing for the 1982 Centenary of Henry Backhaus celebrations, when Bishop Noel Daly, who had shown John no signs of interest in music; suddenly turned up at rehearsals with the Nuncio by his side. “He introduced us, and then as they were leaving, Bishop Daly began to explain to the Nuncio all about the Mass setting we were singing, who the composer was, the history of the composer and, so on.” A baffling and amusing experience for John. One of the many memorable Masses for John personally, was Bishop Bernard Stewart’s Funeral Mass. Bishop Stewart retired for some months prior to John commencing at the Cathedral but was still rather particular about the music played there. Perhaps it was because he confirmed John when he was a child that Bishop Stewart took a special interest in John’s work. “Bishop Stewart chose the music he wanted for his funeral and we practised it many times over the years, because every now and then, Bishop Stewart got really sick and we thought we just can’t turn that on in a moment’s notice; but then — for Bishop Joe’s funeral, we just did.” There have been so many highlights and remarkable moments in John’s long career that there are too many to list here. It’s interesting that he says it’s not always the big events that are highlights, sometimes the smaller celebrations can be deeply moving on a personal level. John’s advice to anyone considering a path in liturgical music is to “Get in and enjoy it thoroughly. Don’t just play and conduct, sing also. Find yourself a good group and if you find a parish to work with, don’t always ask them for permission to do things, just do it,” he said. “It’s important to join relevant professional associations and keep your reading up,” he said, “I belong to the National Association of Pastoral Musicians in America, I receive their journal and I went to one of their annual conferences in Indianapolis where there were 3000 people; 800 people went to the Catholic Mass; there were people from everywhere, it was a real eye-opener,” he said. “For many many years I went every year to the Royal School of Church Music Summer School, and I built a network with Choir Masters and Directors of Music from the Anglican and United Church worlds. I’ve enjoyed the connections built up over the years,” said John. For John, enjoying the camaraderie of choir members, seeing his students, such as Paul Taylor grow and develop into fine musicians, hearing a young organist say it was John who inspired them to play the organ, the friendships he has formed in the Diocese and the appreciation people have shown to him are all things he values. He was deeply moved when Catholic Education Sandhurst’s Council for the Arts created two scholarships for choir members, one named after Rev. Henry Backhaus, the other after Mr John Hogan. In his retirement, John plans to catch up with all the things he’s wanted to do but hasn’t had time for, including travel when restrictions ease. But for now —“I’m very happy and very comfortable joining the congregation at Mass and listening from the pews,” he said. IDENTITY & COMMUNITY
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ0MTI=