A lasting romance and a special summer memory connect to the gift of a song
Mark and Siming Hummer will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary on Sept. 1, a gift of marriage that has led to their three daughters, Ava, middle, Lilly, second from right, and Valarie. (Submitted photo)
(Editor’s note: The Criterion has invited you, our readers, to share a song that has led you into a deeper level of faith, humanity or love. Here are some songs—and why they are special—that have been shared so far.)
First in an occasional series
By John Shaughnessy
As he’s dealt with kidney disease for the past 10 years, Mark Hummer has focused on what he considers the important parts of life.
“The older I’ve gotten, the more I think life is like a scrapbook of memories. You look back on the importance of all the little things that mean a lot,” says Hummer, a member of St. Christopher Parish in Indianapolis.
One of Hummer’s favorite memories is tied to the song “Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra.
He heard the song playing during the first day he arrived in Shanghai, China, in 1991. He had come from Indiana to meet for the first time the woman he was pen pals with, the woman he would marry on that trip.
“Every time I hear that song, I get transported back in time,” he says. “I first met my wife’s Uncle Victor in 1990 in Fort Wayne, where I was working as a nursing home activity director and social worker. He observed me helping the patients and even when I helped with Mass.
“In November 1990, he invited me to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. At the end of the meal, he asked me if I was married. I said, ‘No, it’s too hard to meet a nice girl.’ He said, ‘Very good.’ And he gave me his niece’s address in Shanghai and said, ‘You can be her pen pal.’ ”
The letters led to love.
“I traveled by myself to Shanghai in August,” he recalls. “We were married on September 1 at St. Ignatius Cathedral in Shanghai.”
Hummer and his wife, Siming, will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary soon. Their love has led to three daughters, Valarie, Lillian and Ava.
“As the last 10 years I’ve been battling kidney disease, I want to thank my wife and our daughters for their help and support.”
Hummer focuses on two songs when he thinks of the love he has received from his family—“House of Love” and “Find A Way,” both by Amy Grant.
“They are ones I can relate to in terms of family support,” he says. “Spending time and doing small things with each other means a lot. And the phrase, ‘Love will find a way,’ is powerful in the sense of trying to deal with life’s challenges.
“We all need to count our blessings and not take anything for granted. Tell the people around you how you feel about them.”
A special summer memory
Rachel Gilman and Andrew Motyka share their musical talents to showcase the hymn that’s close to Gilman’s heart, “O God, Beyond All Praising.” Gilman is the director of youth ministry for the archdiocese and Motyka is the director of music for the archdiocese and for SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral Parish in Indianapolis. The combination of Gilman’s singing and Motyka’s accompaniment on organ for the song can be heard at tinyurl.com/GilmanMotyka. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
Songs about summer have a way of taking people back to carefree times of hanging out with friends, strolling on the beach, driving with the windows down and cranking up the radio, and …
We’ll leave it up to you to continue your own memorable connections to summer.
For Rachel Gilman, the summer of 2014 evokes a set of memories that includes making new friends and drawing deeper into a relationship with God.
During that summer, Gilman was in the Echo Graduate Service Program at the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana, a program that offers a master’s degree in theology while training young lay leaders “to pass on the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith.”
“I decided to join the choir we put together during our summer studies on campus,” recalls Gilman, now the director of youth ministry for the archdiocese. “I was thrust into a community of passionate young adults that was given full responsibility to plan the music at our program’s liturgies. One hymn in particular that was a favorite of the community was ‘O God, Beyond All Praising.’ ”
As the choir rose and began singing that song as the closing hymn, Gilman says, “It created a moment that I will never forget and one that I return to frequently.
“I was immediately impacted by how the church was filled with the voices of my fellow classmates singing this hymn at full volume in a way I had never experienced before at Mass. Our little community of only 30 students made the chapel feel like it was filled with hundreds.
“I got chills as I felt the music and my classmates’ voices swell during each verse. And I basked in the profound gift of being a part of a community that truly worshipped the Lord with full heart and voice at Mass. It not only brought me gratitude for the community I was now a part of, but it also led me into deeper worship and connection.” (Related: Hear Gilman singing the song for The Criterion here)
That feeling stayed with Gilman as the choir continued to sing that hymn during summer Masses at Notre Dame. That feeling also continues 12 years later.
“Now today, every time I have the opportunity to sing ‘O God, Beyond All Praising’ at Mass, I’m transported back to this initial profound experience with my classmates,” says Gilman, a member of Christ the King Parish in Indianapolis.
“As I sing, I can’t help but smile and feel the joy of not only the memories this song brings me, but also how it draws me in deeper to my worship at Mass. I’m grateful for the way this hymn continues to connect me to my classmates and this memory, even so many years later.”
(Whether it’s a song from popular culture or from a church hymnal, you are invited to share your story of how that song has led you to a deeper level of faith, humanity or love. Send your story and song[s] to John Shaughnessy at jshaughnessy@archindy.org or by mail in care of The Criterion, 1400 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46202. Please include your parish and a daytime phone number where you can be reached.) †
