20year

Our community has more than twenty years of history in Dallas. What began as five or six families coming together to study the Bible and pray together, quickly became a community that regularly gathered at nearby churches for Masses and meetings. As the numbers grew, they requested that the Diocese of Dallas help establish a permanent Chinese Catholic community in 1990. In 1992, we put our money together and purchased a small office building in Richardson, Texas. By the end of 1993, we had renovated it to become our sanctuary and activity hall. With the guidance of priests seconded from Taiwan and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, our small community grew stronger in numbers and in faith.

弦歌、琴聲、主恩

章其鳴



記得唸書的時候,音樂和體育都是附科,是不受重視的。沒想到如今它們都成了我生活中的重要項目。除了合唱團的練唱和演出以外,聖詠團的活動和彌撒中的伴奏及領唱都佔去了不少時間。在教堂的事工雖說是義工、是付出,但是我自己也有收穫,也得到一些樂趣。

講起來彌撒中的伴奏要感謝蕭康宜,因為她的推薦我才有機會開始伴奏聖歌。並且藉這個機會,我個人也換了一台夢寐以求的 Steinway。雖然彌撒中大家常常要被迫聽我的弦外之音,但是它給了我為讚美天主盡一點力量的機會。當然我相信天主會適當地協助我改進的。

至於唱歌的事說來慚愧,從大學參加合唱團,到八幾年參加華聲,直到最近兩年,我個人覺得一直沒有甚麼進步。大概兩三年前參加了黃秀芬的個人聲樂指導課,在黃老師耐心的教導及反覆的糾正下,稍許有了一點感受。上了黃老師的課以後,在合唱團再聽到指揮說發聲和共鳴的要領時,就比較容易領會。我在此誠摯地向有心唱歌,但發聲或用氣有疑問的同道推薦黃老師。上過黃老師的課以後,連從來就嫌我唱歌難聽、聲音太小的章太太也說有進步。我享受彈琴和唱歌的樂趣,也感謝天主安排來協助我的人。