Worship with a Puerto Rican Twist: A Liturgical Calendar Set to Song

A project titled Around the Word has brought together pastors, musicians, and laypeople in a creative collaboration that celebrates both cultural identity and faith.

“The church has resources and talents that the Lord has given us to compose music,” said Marielis Barreto, First Presbyterian’s pastor. “Around the liturgical calendar, several members who write music created a song for each season of the Christian year. It allows us to enrich worship in our congregations with something that is ours.”

A Purposeful Creative Process

The initiative took shape over a year of intensive work, from the first ideas to the creation of a manual and recordings. Barreto described the project as a multilayered process involving discernment, composition, theological formation, and musical production.

“It was a long but deeply blessed journey,” she said. “We started small, and each step brought new ideas and collaborations. When we saw the final product, we realized it had been guided by the Spirit.”

Time was among the team’s biggest challenges.

“We wanted a high-quality product worthy of our faith community and our region,” said Juan Carlos Mejías Muñiz, a lay leader and musician who coordinated the effort. “Because it was completely original, it required inspiration, composition, and then the entire musical process—melody, notation, and liturgical meaning for every song.”

Worship with Island Roots

The project was not about adapting traditional church hymns to local styles. Instead, it sought to weave the essence of Puerto Rican music directly into Christian worship.

“We included rhythms like plena, bomba, seis, aguinaldo, and other traditional styles,” explained Jorge Muñiz Monte de Oca, a professional musician and project collaborator. “We wanted the music to reflect our identity with lyrics that are deeply Christian, but melodies that sound Puerto Rican. It’s our way of saying that God also reveals himself through our culture.”

That fusion has sparked conversations about the role of cultural identity in worship. Though traditional genres may not always appeal to younger generations, Mejías Muñiz said the project is helping to bridge that gap.

“It’s a challenge, because what young people hear on the radio or on their phones is different,” he said. “But they’re slowly reconnecting with our roots. Many are rediscovering Puerto Rican folk music, and that helps connect their faith to their heritage.”

He added that this revival aligns with a broader cultural moment on the island.

“We’re living a renaissance of Puerto Rican identity thanks to artists who’ve put our name on the map,” he said. “We’re riding that wave of pride, but with a different purpose: to share God’s Word through the music that’s once again part of our cultural heartbeat.”

From Song to Testimony

For Barreto, one of the project’s greatest achievements has been helping the congregation understand the relationship between theology, art, and worship.

“We set out to integrate Puerto Rican identity into worship,” she said. “Rather than relying on music created elsewhere, we wanted something made by our people, for our congregations. We studied what liturgy means, what proclamation means, and prepared resources that can serve other churches.”

The worship manual developed by the congregation includes short explanations of each liturgical season along with lyrics and sheet music for the 15 or so original songs.

“Each piece is rooted in Scripture and theology,” Barreto said. “We also included songs for special occasions like birthdays, child dedications, offerings, and pastoral celebrations. It’s a complete and accessible resource for any faith community that wants to enrich its worship.”

All the songs were written and composed by members of First Presbyterian.

“One of the treasures of this project is that it was written from our own faith experience,” Mejías Muñiz said. “It’s our life of faith, sung and shared by us.”

Technology and Faith in Digital Form

The church also stepped into the digital space with a new podcast designed to share the fruits of the project and expand its reach.

“We already had the idea of developing a podcast as part of a larger program called Canta, a neo-technological support center,” Barreto said. “Our first episode introduced the project and featured people from inside and outside the church who serve the community. In the future, we plan to offer workshops and small productions and to help churches with fewer resources integrate technology into the life of the church.”

The full materials are available both in print and digitally.

“The advantage of having it digital is that we can keep updating it and sharing it with more congregations,” Barreto said.

A Shared Faith Experience

For the team, the project has been a testimony to the power of music and community.

“These songs range from poems to short hymns, all with theological depth and Puerto Rican rhythm,” Barreto said. “We wanted to create something that works for both large sanctuaries and small churches. What feels natural to us—one person writes, another composes, and we sing it in worship—can be a huge blessing to others.”

While there is still work ahead, including copyright registration and expanding the podcast, the group’s joy is unmistakable.

“It’s been challenging, yes, but such a blessing,” Barreto said with a smile. “We’ve discovered that worship can have Puerto Rican flavors. And that, more than an accomplishment, is an act of gratitude to the God who made us a people and gave us a voice to sing.”