UIW Hosts the National Association of Pastoral Musicians for their “On the Road” Mini-Conference

On Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) hosted the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) as they presented their “On the Road” mini-conference on the Broadway campus. In previous years, NPM has hosted its annual national convention in a singular location in the country, allowing parishes to gather to enjoy the conference’s many resources and events. However, this year NPM decided to take their annual event to six destinations in the country during its first “On the Road” event, making their presentations more accessible to parishes established throughout the nation.

With UIW as the San Antonio host location, the event welcomed approximately 120 guests, representing about 32 churches spread over 13 dioceses.

UIW’s Director of Music Ministries and Coordinator of Liturgy and Media, Lena Gokelman, was excited to help host this event, as she’s been a member of NPM since 1979. Through her work with the organization, she’s personally been able to nourish her passion for music ministry and has supported UIW students who have travelled to participate in NPM’s events.

“The fact that people who would not have normally come in contact with NPM or who would not have been able to travel to a national convention had the opportunity to experience an event like this is amazing,” shared Lena. “They were able to participate in keynotes, breakouts, concerts, beautiful liturgies and pre-convention “extra beats” (pre-convention events).”

The two-day long event was unique as San Antonio was the only destination that featured bilingual opportunities that allowed Spanish and English-speaking parishes to build connections and share knowledge. Notably, attendees were able to hear a keynote address titled “Many Gifts, Un Solo Espíritu: The Beauty of Our Ministerio Compartido” from Mr. Peter Kolar, director of the Diocesan Choir in the El Paso Diocese. During his presentation, Kolar shared key moments from his career including teaching music to at-risk youth, offering musical services at the funerals of gun-violence victims, forming El Paso’s first clergy choir and co-directing the music for Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico which became known as the “Border Mass.”  

Lena was proud to witness the unification that the event initiated, as community-building and networking has been a hallmark of NPM since its inception.

“All breakouts were offered in English and Spanish,” noted Lena. “An opportunity such as this starts drawing people who have similar needs. That’s how beautiful conversations happen, and people realize that many questions they have about ministering in bilingual communities (or ministry in general) are shared among those in the NPM community.”

Additionally, UIW’s Cardinal Singers were invited to perform their concert “Being Light” as part of the event. The Cardinal Singers were previously invited to perform at the NPM national convention hosted in Raleigh, NC in 2019. This year, they were able to perform and represent the University at the Nest.

“Their (Cardinal Singers) performance at this conference was absolutely beautiful,” expressed William Gokelman, UIW director of Choirs and husband to Lena. “Their singing was spirited, prayerful and incredibly expressive. They understood the purpose of the conference and responded accordingly. The Cardinal Singers were great ambassadors for UIW. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Lena hoped that when the event concluded attendees felt less alone and better informed about available resources that they could utilize when furthering the work of their music ministries. However, she was confident that experiences were shared, knowledge was gained, prayers were raised and hearts were ignited on UIW’s Broadway campus.