The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art.

The Second Vatican Council defined the purpose of sacred music to be "the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful" (Sacrosanctum Concilium #112), and this is exactly what we try to achieve in the liturgical music at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Parish. We seek to glorify God through music of many styles, from Gregorian Chant to hymnody to sacred choral music to "contemporary Christian" liturgical music. We seek to follow both the letter and the spirit of the Catholic Church's liturgy documents in an effort to provide music of "dynamic orthodoxy" (SC #14).

The St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Parish Community is blessed with musicians who give generously of their time and God-given musical talent to lead our community in sung prayer. Each ensemble is responsible for particular Masses, and all are invited to sing at other special liturgies throughout the year. Shared prayer is a vital component of every rehearsal; our ministry is grounded in service and devotion to our God.

This ministry includes:

• Cantors: Individual Singers who fill the dual role of song leader and psalmist

• Schola Cantorum: 4-part small choir specializing in gregorian chant and polyphonic choral music in Latin and English 

• Children's Choir: Open to all children grades 3-8 at any school, public, private, or home school.

• Folk Choir: Small ensemble providing contemporary liturgical music, accompanied by a piano, guitar, and flute

• Women's Ensemble: Treble choral music, ranging from classic to contemporary

• Choir: We are looking to form a full choir to sing at Masses once a month and at seasonal liturgies during Triduum, Easter, Advent, and Christmas. 

Cantors
Our cantors are scheduled at the 4:30pm, 9am, and 11am Masses via  Ministry Scheduler Pro (MSP) for scheduling periods of 9-12 weeks. MSP allows you to personalize your scheduling preferences including Mass preferences, dates you can't serve, and you can request a substitute with a click.  

Serving frequency depends on the number of cantors also signed up to serve at your prefered Masses.  

Schola: 9am Mass, 1st & 3rd Sundays of each month (Sept - June)
Women's Choir: 11am Mass, 1st & 2nd Sundays of each month (Sept - May)
Folk Choir: 11am Mass, 3rd Sunday of each month (Sept - May)
Children's Choir: 11am Mass, 4th Sunday of each month (Sept - May)
Instrumentalists: scheduled individually by the Director of Sacred Music.

If you are interested in serving as a liturgical musician, fill out a Ministry Signup Sheet. You can return your sheet to the parish office or drop it in the collection basket at Mass.  Or, you can contact:

Bryan Finkelstein
Director of Sacred Music
574-282-2308, ext. 202
bfinkelstein@stasb.org