By Karen Mahoney, Special to the Catholic Herald

LYONS — Among the shopping, the wrapping, the baking, the cooking, the transporting children to pageant rehearsals, signing Christmas cards, getting a tree, decorating a tree, not to mention dealing with snow, and winter colds — it can be difficult to meaningfully celebrate the Christmas season.

For Burlington’s Deanna Page, music minister at St. Joseph Parish in Lyons, juggling the holidays around an extended family of liturgical musicians requires planning to ensure the spirit of Christmas is not lost among the crumbled wrapping paper.

Following mom’s example

For much of her life, Deanna’s home has been in a church balcony, sitting on a piano or organ bench playing for weekly Masses or other liturgical services. Working rehearsals and services around her four children’s busy schedules would be a reason to discontinue playing for church, but that is not an option Deanna entertains.

“Playing music in church is in my blood,” she said, “When I was very young I accompanied my mom to church, climbed the rickety stairs to the balcony, sat in the creaky old wooden pew, and watched my mom play for church. I had been taking piano lessons, and when I was about 9 or 10, my mom asked if I’d like to play a piece on the organ while she went down to take Communion.”

Nervous, but proud to be able to assist her mom, she played a Communion song, and later began performing preludes and offertory pieces. By high school, Deanna was handling entire Masses by herself.

Feeling a strong pull to give back to the Lord through her music, Deanna began filling her schedule by performing for a variety of denominations in the community.

“I also began cantering at St. Mary Church in Burlington on Saturday nights while my mom played the pipe organ,” she said. “I personally don’t like my voice, but it has gotten me through. That was a special time — to have that special bond with my mom, worship together and give to the Lord.”

Sacrificial scheduling

In the more than 20 years that Deanna has served as a liturgical musician, planning holidays around Mass schedules of her mom, sisters, daughters, aunts, cousins and nephew has been challenging. Setting aside small increments of time seemed to be the best solution for the active family.

“We have to work around everyone’s Masses,” Deanna said. “At any holiday, but Christmas in particular, it does become a challenge to get everyone together. We generally start early on Christmas Eve for a noon dinner, provided everyone is done working his or her regular jobs by that time.”

Following dinner, the family opens a few gifts and is off on its separate ways by mid-afternoon. Following each member’s Mass schedule, they return for more gift opening and depart for church to serve for late Christmas Eve Masses.

“Every year seems to be slightly different depending on who is doing what,” she said. “Sometimes my kids would be involved in programs or children’s choir at church. My nephew has played at different churches over the years so Mass times are always different.”

On occasion, the ministry can be sacrificial, especially during periods when Deanna is forced to forgo a school activity or a needed girls’ night out, she manages with prayer and perseverance to fulfill the needs of her children.

“There is a peace that flows through me when I am at the keyboard,” she said. “A chemistry and a oneness I feel between me, the choir and the congregation in offering our musical prayers to God.”

Deanna’s mom, Liz Page, understands similar feelings of peace and confidence in God’s call upon her life.

Opportunities for fulfillment

“I cannot imagine my life being anything other than what it has been with my music,” she said. “After every service that I play for, I feel fulfilled and complete and satisfied with what I was chosen to do by God and grateful that he has helped me through it.”

Early on, Liz realized the sacrifice her ministry would place upon her family, especially during the holidays. In order to help her children appreciate the experience of worship, she included them in her ministry. Whether instrumentally or vocally, Liz encouraged her growing family to worship through music.

“As soon as the children could play, I put them to work with me for the experience and it gave them many happy times to remember and a good background to work with when they were ready to go off on their own,” Liz said. “Our girls all learned to play the piano and organ, plus another instrument of their choice.”

Another generation

With three of her five children involved in the music ministry, it has indeed become a family affair as one of her grandsons, David Bonofiglio, recently became the associate director of music at St. John Vianney Parish in Brookfield.

“Because we have similar interests and understand the ministry, we can sit back and talk for hours about our mutual interests.” Liz said.

David agreed, and added that his ministry has become an effective bridge against the proverbial “generation gap.” He credits his grandmother for instilling a love of musical worship in the family.

“This is something that I have been passionate about since I was 13 or 14 years old when I went to St. Matthias in Milwaukee,” he said. “It played such a formative role in my development as a musician that it has become a very grounding and centering aspect of my musicianship.”

Liz said she is also motivated by praise from grateful parishioners.

“I have had many people say they were inspired by my music over the years,” she said. “I often have to hold back tears as I play hymns such as ‘Silent Night,’ ‘Jesus Christ is Risen Today,’ ‘Amazing Grace,’ ‘How Great Thou Art’ and my other favorites.”

Although distance doesn’t allow Liz’s daughter Denise Lanser to join in holiday celebrations, she, too, is faced with juggling her music ministry alongside the hectic schedules of her children and grandchildren in Minot, N.D.

“My ministry has made it next to impossible for me to ever go back home for the holidays,” Lanser said. “Holidays are not the time to find a replacement. I do recall though, when I did live at home, that holidays were planned around the church schedules. My music ministry is a huge commitment — one that I take very seriously.”

With 32 years devoted to her ministry, Lanser said she is proud to come from a family where there are several musicians and that she has many fond memories of playing and singing in church with her mother and sisters.

“Now I am taking my grandchildren to church with me,” she said, proudly. “My 4-year-old granddaughter loves to pretend she is me at the piano leading the praise team. She is very comfortable with a microphone in front of her.”

For Deanna, using her ministry as a springboard to bring her and her teenage daughter, Paige, age 16 closer, seemed to blossom a similar interest in the teen’s heart. While Paige has no interest in professional performance, she is beginning to view her work in the church as more than an attempt at recognition and notoriety.

“I started realizing that playing at church was using my abilities for the enjoyment of others,” she said. “I feel really special helping people pray with my music and I feel like God has a purpose for me, and I think it is to continue to play for the church like the rest of my family.”

Her grandmother is proud the musical legacy continues.

“On any given Christmas Eve at midnight, I know that as I am playing a Christmas hymn, so was another daughter or family member playing in another church,” Liz said. “At that particular moment, although we were not together in body, we were together in mind and spirit. No one can take that away from us. It is our bond and our gift from God.”

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