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.
(USCCB, Sing to the Lord)
St. Paul Adult Choir sings the 11:00 AM Mass from October through the Feast of Corpus Christi in June. Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings in the church from 7:30-9:00 PM beginning the week after Labor Day. There is also a brief warm up from approximately 10:15-10:45 AM on Sunday mornings. The ability to read music is helpful, but not essential. All that is needed is a good ear, a pleasant voice, and a willing spirit. Part recordings will be given as needed to help learn music.
St. Paul Festival Choir sings for special liturgies like Holy Days of Obligation, the last Mass on Christmas Eve, and the Triduum Liturgies. Singers are welcome to sing for one or all special liturgies. Rehearsals take place on Tuesdays from 7:30-8:15 PM (the first half of the Adult Choir rehearsal). This year the Festival Choir will sing an Evening Prayer (Vespers) on Tuesday September 24 at 7:30 PM, followed by a Dessert Social in the Narthex.
St. Paul Youth Choir is open to youth in grades 3-12. The choir rehearses on Monday evenings at 6:15-7:30 PM from the end of September through the first week of May. They sing approximately once a month at various Masses and events throughout the year, with one or two additional, optional opportunities to sing, including participation for grades 4-12 at the Pueri Cantores Mid-Atlantic Festival, held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Training in solfege & sight singing are an essential part of each rehearsal.
St. Paul Contemporary Music Group provides music at the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass on Saturdays, the 4:00 PM Mass on Christmas Eve, and the 9:00 AM Mass on Easter Sunday. Practice is before/after 5:00 PM Saturday Mass. New members are welcome. Contact Mark Flickinger at [email protected].
Cantors - Do you have a pleasant voice and love to sing, but don’t have the time to commit to one of the regular singing groups? Cantors are needed all year long at the 8:30 AM Mass and at both the 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM Masses during the summer. Cantors should be able to read music at a rudimentary level and possibly lead unaccompanied when necessary.
Mass Setting for Ordinary Time
On June 23, 2024 at the Sunday Masses, we introduced a Mass setting for Ordinary Time called Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea. It was written in 2013 by Michael Olbash.
Here is a link to a recording of the whole Mass, including the Roman Missal chants for the Mystery of Faith, as Mr. Olbash did not compose any music for those texts: Click here.
We will not be introducing the Gloria at this time. We will continue to sing the Gloria from Lee's Congregational Mass.
Please contact Celeste Pappas, Director of Music at [email protected] or 301-787-1044.