The Church Year in Limericks

Christopher M. Brunelle's "The Church Year in Limericks" is an entertaining reflection on the liturgical year. His cheerful remarks are always appropriate to the earnestness of the season, and even add dimension. Here you will find a witty response to any occasion, including lots for choir rehearsal!

The Church Year in Limericks is the result of my desire to start choir rehearsals in a new way. Some choir directors simply launch in, others start with an announcement or a short prayer; I wanted to find something that would engage the choir’s attention, provide a comment on the day’s music or the week’s activities, and set a creative challenge for myself. Like an Advent calendar or a box of chocolates, The Church Year in Limericks is not meant to be enjoyed all at once. Each stanza exists on its own, and reading the entire collection straight through diminishes the individuality of its separate parts. Think of this book instead as a sort of hymnal, in which all the hymns happen to be written in the same meter but each one serves a different purpose in worship: contemplation, inspiration, insight, comfort, joy. Yes, there is perhaps a higher quotient of lively word play here than in a regular hymnal, but that’s all the more reason to appreciate each limerick for itself. - Christopher M. Brunelle

Christopher M. Brunelle has served since 2003 as the Director of Music at the First United Church of Christ in Northfield, Minnesota. After graduating magna cum laude from Carleton College in 1989, he sang with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, the first American to do so. He has taught in the Classics Department of St. Olaf College since 2002 and formerly sang with the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers. He lives in Northfield with his wife, three sons, and a dog; their former dog Portia was the original audience on many morning walks for much of the material in this collection.