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MUSIC Jun-5-2006 (680 words) xxxn
Nun collects music resources for hurricane-damaged parishes
By Anne Marie Amacher
Catholic News Service
DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNS) -- While cleaning shelves in the music and arts room at the Humility of Mary Center in Davenport, Sister Nancy Wooldridge thought to herself, "What can I do with all this sheet music? I can't recycle it -- it must be of value."
Shelves and boxes were full of sheet music featuring classical, traditional and religious arrangements, lesson books, accompaniment music and other material that the sisters had collected over the years.
The retired music teacher, a member of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, talked with other sisters in the motherhouse about ideas as to what to do with the materials. Someone suggested donating the music materials to Hurricane Katrina victims. That was an idea Sister Nancy hadn't considered.
A few days later she was talking with sisters over breakfast. One of them, Sister Rosemary Eich, had spent many years ministering in Biloxi, Miss. Sister Nancy asked Sister Rosemary whether she still knew anyone in Biloxi. The answer was yes.
Within no time Sister Nancy had written a letter to Phil Beining, music ministry director and parish administrative assistant at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Biloxi. She asked whether the cathedral could use any of the items she had sorted.
"He called me the day after he got my letter," she said. Beining told her that the parish had received offers of money, food and clothing -- but not music. He was in need of choral music for the church and advanced organ music.
Beining, who had worked with Sister Rosemary for many years at the cathedral, told The Catholic Messenger that he was delighted to hear from Sister Nancy.
"It's a big process for her to go through 60 to 70 years of choral music and piano methodology music. It's a delight that she wants to help," he told The Messenger, Davenport's diocesan newspaper.
Sister Nancy also sent off a letter to parishes in Davenport, seeking donations of used music ministry materials.
Among those responding was Monica Overberg, choir director and youth minister at Holy Family Parish in Davenport, who offered 300 hymn books from three different volumes of the "Glory & Praise" hymnal series. That was an answer to Sister Nancy's prayers.
She called Beining, who said he had hymn books. The cathedral "was very blessed" in that it "only received about $250,000 in damage," he said. "Our diocese had 10 parishes entirely wiped out or left with shells of buildings," he said.
But he gave Sister Nancy contact information for Sacred Heart in Pass Christian, Miss., which had lost its music and religious education supplies as well as desks and chairs in the hurricane.
The parish said it would take the "Glory & Praise" hymnals, but also needed CDs, videos, DVDs and anything of a religious nature for youths. A second letter went out to parishes in Davenport and surrounding areas seeking music materials.
Our Lady of Victory Parish in Davenport responded, sending boxes of choral music to Sister Nancy. "They were the most wonderful boxes. They were filed in perfect order. I didn't need to sort. It was fabulous," she said.
Two other Davenport parishes sent tapes; she was pleased with the response, but wanted to do more.
With her cat-sitting money, she purchased cassettes, CDs and DVDs to add to the donations. Because she works for the church, she received a discount: $110 worth of items for $80.
Now the materials are waiting to be shipped. Beining has said he will take what he can and distribute to other parishes in need. Sister Nancy's dream is to personally deliver the music materials. If not, she plans to ship them in July.
"I would love to meet Sister Nancy," Beining said. "It has been a delight to work with her."
Sister Nancy is amazed at what has transpired. "It is truly the work of the Holy Spirit. I just couldn't throw the items away and this is what developed," she said.
END
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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