Faith and music have always been intertwined for Isis Valero, 33, a native of Mexico who lives in Big Lake. Her parents met at a music school in Guadalajara. Later, they married and owned their own music school in Mazatlan. When they immigrated to Minnesota, the family settled at St. Henry in Monticello, which has a Spanish Mass, and helped with music. Now Valero, whose boyfriend is an opera singer, serves as music director at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul.
“They have an open heart to the Lord,” she said of the parish. “Getting to know the people and building community has been one of the greatest blessings from my job.”
Q) You’re the third of four daughters. What are your memories of growing up in Mexico?
A) We lived in the back of the school, so our play was going into one of the classrooms, putting on costumes and singing in front of the mirror, seeing who was the best. There was always music.
My dad was always pushing instruments. “I see talent in you!” My mom was always cultivating the faith –– going to church, doing our sacraments. We would go to catechism on Saturdays. It was all morning and into the afternoon. Before we split into classes, we would do praise and worship music.
My mom always said, “The one who sings once prays twice.”
Q) Quoting St. Augustine!
A) Yes. I have that in my head all the time. Music is my favorite prayer. Through that I talk to God. Music touches your heart in a way words can’t. It can’t be explained.
Q) Your oldest sister had come to Minnesota for work, and your parents decided to move the rest of the family to be near her. You were 13.
A) I was sad. I was the age where I didn’t want to leave my friends. We flew here. We left everything behind. My parents are not very attached to things. I think they just sold our car. We didn’t have luxurious stuff.
After a year, everything was much better. I grew so much. What made us stay is we were all together as a family. That was the most important thing. We didn’t need anything else.
Q) You were starting over.
A) Yes. Now, I’m in this relationship with God, and I can say: God was there all the time. He never left us. He always has a plan for each one of us. He knows everything. But he also wants us to say yes and keep moving forward. We have to prepare for the unexpected.
Q) Do you ever imagine how different your life would be had you stayed in Mexico?
A) We always talk about that –– especially with the circumstances now. In the town where we grew up, there’s been a lot of violence from all the drugs.
Our life could’ve been fine because I feel like God was always with us. But following what the Lord put in our hearts brought a greater blessing because we continued that path –– especially our service in the Church. We’re so grateful to be here. We thank God all the time. We have everything we need here. We’re in a safe state. We have our family. We can still praise the Lord.
Q) Your dad works in a sort of parallel job over at St. Odilia’s in Shoreview.
A) He’s the music director for the Spanish choir. He started at the same time I started at Guadalupe. We’re always helping each other out.
He’ll ask me about the liturgy because I have more time to sit down and plan it carefully. He’ll ask what’s appropriate for the weekend.
But I ask him for a lot because he’s the expert on the music. He helps with a lot of technical stuff. We had a Mass in the park at Guadalupe, and he was helping with the speakers and the mixer and many microphones. He helps me coordinate all that stuff, which is new to me.
I never went to music school to get a degree. For me, it’s always a growing experience. Every single day I have to learn something. Even if I already learned it, I have to learn it again, and it takes time. Whenever I have a specific question –– about the tempo of a song or what the signature means –– I ask my dad. He always has an answer.
There’s a lot of traditional Mexican songs that aren’t written down in music notation. They’re not very accessible –– either you can’t find them online or the composer is unknown or it’s expensive. My dad writes the music so my pianist can play it.
We’re doing a Gloria right now, for example, by a Mexican composer. It’s a Mass setting called “Melodic Mass.” All the parts are here, but the Gloria is not. Somehow, I couldn’t find it. My dad wrote the music sheet for that. He also wrote the sheet for “Milagro De Amor,” a Communion song.
Q) What a gift to bring that familiar music to your parish.
A) Many people thought their traditions were fading. My goal has been to bring in traditional music from Mexico but at the same time help us grow in sacred music. We’re trying to be open-minded and learn but also bring what we know.
I try to balance what we play. For the 10 a.m. Mass, I ask the choir members for their favorite songs. We try to put those songs for reflection after Communion or maybe offertory. But I also introduce less common songs. Some like contemporary Christian music. Others like more traditional music: “Oh, I remember singing that in Mexico!”
Q) That must be nice to hear!
A) It feels good. I think God is perfect, and he knows what each person can give in the Church. A lot of people have come to us and thanked us. “Thank you for your music.”
Q) You started a young adult choir.
A) Right now, a lot of the youth want to sing and praise the Lord. We started with just one cantor for the 10 a.m. Mass. Now we have a group of nine young members.
There are moments, especially for adoration, when you see people crying. It’s not because of the music, but it’s a way of connecting to God.
Q) Is there a children’s choir?
A) There’s interest in starting a children’s choir.
Sometimes I feel like I’m moving slow(ly). But I think I’m moving how the Lord wants me to move. A lot of people come to me with ideas. But you know what? I’m not in charge. God is in charge.
So right now, the first thing was the youth choir. I want to start a kids’ choir, but I have to bring it up first with Father Bernard (the pastor) and talk to him so he can guide it.
Q) Sunday is your game day.
A) I get there by 8 a.m. I’m there to make sure everybody has what they need –– technical stuff, microphones, copies of music. Mass starts at 8:30 (a.m.). We have three Masses. The last Mass ends at 2 p.m. I leave about 2:30 or 3 p.m. I feel tired, but I also feel blessed. It’s a gift.
Q) What are your hobbies?
A) My No. 1 hobby is dancing. My heart jumps when I dance. I like being in nature, trying new restaurants –– and I love, love, love the beach.
I enjoy being by myself. I love to write. It’s kind of a ritual. I collect notebooks. I have to find the right one! I go to Marshall’s. They have really good ones. It has to be hardcover –– and small but not too small. I like the floral covers, bright colors and also black-and-white.
I write down a little bit of everything, usually in the morning. My ideas. Random stuff. Organizing my day. Nutrition. Scripture. My daily prayer –– what the Lord is saying to me. Financial stuff in the back. Goals. It’s nice to look back on old notebooks and see what I accomplished and the way I grew.
Every single day I ask the Lord what he wants from me, and I’m just obedient.
Q) What do you know for sure?
A) The only thing I know for sure is God’s promises. Everything is uncertain in this world. But nothing can separate us from God’s love –– not even death. We’re all going to die. The only thing I know for sure is what he speaks in the Bible to me about eternal life. I will be with him, and his love will continue.
