The musician next to you at mass

Imagine walking into a church and being part of a service where not just the choir members are performing with their instruments but the entire space is also filled with musicians performing from the pews And in this case even the priest is a guitarist This isnt your typical mass but it will be a truly special service at Bandras St Peters Church this Friday on the feast of St Cecilia the patron saint of musiciansSt Peters ChurchOrganised by a team of dedicated musicians in its ninth year in this parish the mass will see musicians and singers accompanied by their families come together from across the city with their instruments This brainchild of Father Alben DSouza who is himself a guitarist and will assist Father Clement DLima this year goes beyond the usual stipulated choir or keyboard player on stage to include everyone in the space So far 20 violinists 15 guitarists six trumpet players seven saxophone players two flautists and a harp player have already signed up to comeIt was born out of the desire for likeminded people and wellwishers to come together and do something And also because we wanted to do a performance in which musicians entire families could also come as they usually cant attend private gigs or those at pubs which you have to play to survive as a fulltime musician in the city says Ernest Flanagan who has been playing the guitar keys and bass for the last 40 years in the city The other founding members include Marie Paul Michael and Sunita Noronha Roland Fernandes Felix Flor Wendell Daniels Raymond Alberquerque Ralph Xavier Pereira Vivek Sundera and Meldan DCunha Today Romi Furtardo is the chief Roland Fernandes the treasurer while Karen Vasvani designs the posterFlanagan has also penned the lyrics for the final hymn of the evening the Hymn to St Cecilia composed by Clarence DiasAlannah Carol FernandesBesides this some common joyful hymns have been put together that also talk about thanksgiving the chords and lyrics for which will be displayed on screens at the church And as more than 100 musicians have already confirmed their presence aged between five and 90 years this year violinist Alannah Carol Fernandes who has set the music for the service is planning to seat the guitarists together the wind instruments in another section and so on for ease of accessibilityFor the Catholic community music is an essential element of any mass We believe that God gave us music so that we can pray without words We will pray for musicians around the world But its not just about us Music builds ties says Fernandes about the opentoall mass adding that they also want younger musicians to take up this legacy via this mass And music is their legacy she explainsThe music continues after the mass as they shift to a nearby area and have a small gettogether this year its a biryani party while the community and their families socialise The musicians will also have a jam session at the gatheringON November 22 545 pmAT St Peterrsquos Church Hill Road Bandra WestCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates