Men in the Morning began at St. Raymond Church in 2002 with a couple of loose guidelines: No practices. No commitments. Sing once a month, usually the first Sunday of the month at the 7:30 AM Mass. Our motto is Real Men Sing Real Loud. Our slogan is Sing Loud, Sing Proud.

We also have a patron saint. We are part of that long line of men who have risen early in the morning to praise God. We found the words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 - 1153), one of the 33 Doctors of the Church, who was spoken of as Doctor Mellifluous - mellifluous meaning that his words flowed like honey. He was known for his gift of being able to bring scripture to life, to give it richness and meaning. We call upon him to inspire us to do the same thing for our liturgy.

So, dearest brothers, I exhort you to participate always in the divine praises correctly and vigorously. Vigorously that you may stand before God with as much zest as reverence, not sluggish, not drowsy, not yawning, not sparing your voices, not leaving words half said or skipping them, not wheezing through the nose with an mealy-mouthed stammering in a weak and broken tone, but pronouncing the words of the Holy Spirit with becoming manliness and a resonance and affection and correctly, that while you chant you ponder on nothing but what you chant.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

The US Catholic Bishop’s letter Sing to the Lord opens with these words:

God has bestowed upon his people the gift of song. God dwells within each human person, in the place where music takes its source. Indeed, God, the giver of song, is present whenever his people sing his praises. A cry from deep within our being, music is a way for God to lead us to the realm of higher things. As St. Augustine says, “Singing is for the one who loves.” Music is therefore a sign of God’s love for us and of our love for him. In this sense, it is very personal. But unless music sounds, it is not music, and whenever it sounds, it is accessible to others. By its very nature song has both an individual and a communal dimension. Thus, it is no wonder that singing together in church expresses so well the sacramental presence of God to his people.