Totus Est

Thus endeth the 2016-17 Regina Pacis Cantorum season.

I'd say the biggest thing we had to contend with this year would be the weather. We prayed for years for an end to our drought, and boy, did we get it, starting with flooding in Reno, Sparks, and Carson City in January, and following with epic snowfall in the Sierras. The flooding even impacted our rehearsals as a flash flood broke out in our parking lot, and a February rehearsal was cancelled when rain instead of snow again hit the mountains.

We suffered a couple losses as benefactor LTG Martin Brandtner, USMC and former soprano Helen Carrico went to receive what we pray are their eternal rewards. Also, we will be dealing with some uncertainty next season as we learned the Franciscans will leave the Cathedral in April June 2018.

We managed to make it through the tension of a brutal election season still unified.

We had to take the Harbor Freeway to any harbor, back up 5 miles to the spoon in the road, and get out and cut off our Slausons just to get to Immaculate Conception while construction was going on at Pyramid Highway and McCarran Boulevard. (I miss Johnny Carson.)

We sang at St. Mary in the Mountains church in Virginia City for the first time, accompanied by a barely-in-tune organ and dozens of motorcycles.

And since we could not get out of the season without one more weather note, we left our robes home for today's heated Corpus Christi Mass while a wildfire raged just to the west of Kathy's house. Looks like her development will be safe, although her home did lose power.

Thanks to all of you who sang for making the season memorable, especially those who had never sung with us before. Thank you to Jennifer and Nancy for accompanying us on organ. Thank you to all the parishes and pastors who had us sing for them. Thank you to our patrons and benefactors, known and anonymous. And thanks most of all to the indefatigable Kathy, who almost singlehandedly keeps RPC going.

Enjoy the summer, and as I like to say, find something else to do on Tuesday nights for the next few months. See you in the fall! If you need some summer reading and listening, look here.

BTW, Kathy and I are filling in for the ailing Bob Buschine (who can still use your prayers) as cantors at the Cathedral's 5 PM Sunday Masses, at least until we start singing again.