Giving Tuesday!

According to the recently promulgated Consumer Sanctoral Calendar, today is Feria 2 in the Octave of Black Friday, also known as “Giving Tuesday.” Feria 1, of course, is Cyber Monday and (I am told) the online shopping deals continue through the whole week (and you can bet that the Chant Cafe will be telling you all about them).

The idea behind Giving Tuesday is that (after all the consumerism), you can go online and spend money on various charities and good causes.

Along with the usual large scale organizations that need your support, I’d like to draw attention to a small-scale project that really could use your help, and (when completed) will make a fantastic impact on the English speaking liturgy.

Chant Cafe featured this cause yesterday, but the smallish response (six donors, so far) tells me that you (you, personally, I mean) probably missed it among all the Cyber Monday shopping madness.

Musica Sacra Forum member Ryan Dingess has been composing (for free) organ accompaniments for the Simple English Propers. He has posted these online at the forum (for free) just because he thought they would be useful.

Unfortunately, Ryan’s laptop was STOLEN this past summer, so he has been unable to finish engraving the accompaniments. They are all composed (longhand, on paper), and he just needs a little help to get the equipment he needs to finish producing this project.

The goal is a tiny amount: $1000. I think this community can do better than that, don’t you? This site gets between 2000 and 3000 visitors everyday. Surely almost all of us can chip in a buck or two. Let’s get him his laptop and then some.

I hear liturgical traditionalist constantly bemoaning the loss of the patronage and commission system. Here is YOUR CHANCE to do something about that. Your donation will:

  1. Support a composer and church musician on an amazing project.
  2. Show the world that an old-fashioned community-oriented patronage project can work.

GO HERE AND PLEDGE RIGHT NOW.