June-July 2013

1 Mercy Connection • June/July 2013 June/July 2013 The Ministry of Melody: Musicians in Community Auburn Burlingame Cedar Rapids Chicago Detroit Omaha West Midwest Newsletter Musicians abound in the West Midwest Mercy Community. Sisters are... More

1 Mercy Connection • June/July 2013 June/July 2013 The Ministry of Melody: Musicians in Community Auburn Burlingame Cedar Rapids Chicago Detroit Omaha West Midwest Newsletter Musicians abound in the West Midwest Mercy Community. Sisters are harpists, psalter players, violinists, and, of course, pianists and organists. Among them are a bass guitar player, accordion players, and a Native American flute player. They are cantors, choir directors, music teachers and composers. Some of these musicians entered the Mercy Community convinced they would have to sacrifice their playing and singing. “That’s what I thought God wanted,” said Sister Cecile Ley, a pianist who entered 58 years ago. After years of teaching and chaplaincy, she began ministering by playing the piano in the lobby of Scripps Mercy Hospital in 2002. "I can t imagine being alive and not being able to do music, " she said. The musicians who entered wouldn’t let the music go. It was too pre Less