Adult Choir
Message from our Music Director, Joe Labozetta
Our music ministry is, for many parishioners, an important reason why they choose to make St. Josaphat Parish their spiritual home. With dedicated preparation and rehearsal, we seek to enhance the liturgy at St. Josaphat and make a joyful noise!
My goal for our choir is threefold:
- Reflect the character of the celebration, and convey beauty through the expression of musical prayer. As music ministers, we sing sacred music that is meant to complement the prayer that is the Mass or liturgy.
- Encourage full, active and conscious participation on the part of the congregation. We do that by providing a confident and supporting musical fabric into which a congregation can
effortlessly join their voices. In this way, we lead the congregation in song.
- Offer appropriate music for prayer, reflection and meditation. Frequently, we will have a chance during the liturgy to present such music. This might be as Prelude (before Mass) or
during Offertory or Communion.
My goal for our choir is threefold:
- Reflect the character of the celebration, and convey beauty through the expression of musical prayer. As music ministers, we sing sacred music that is meant to complement the prayer that is the Mass or liturgy.
- Encourage full, active and conscious participation on the part of the congregation. We do that by providing a confident and supporting musical fabric into which a congregation can
effortlessly join their voices. In this way, we lead the congregation in song.
- Offer appropriate music for prayer, reflection and meditation. Frequently, we will have a chance during the liturgy to present such music. This might be as Prelude (before Mass) or
during Offertory or Communion.
Section leaders
We are fortunate to have four excellent section leaders as part of our choir. They are:
Natalie Felix – soprano
Maureen Davies – alto
Ian Stillmunks – tenor
Brian Acker – bass
If you are ever lost in a piece of music or confused during rehearsal, your section leader may often be able to clarify or help you out. Feel free to lean on your section leader when learning your music for the first time.
Rehearsals
We rehearse every Wednesday (with a few exceptions) at 7:30pm-9pm between September and June.
Masses/Performances
We sing at every Sunday 10am Mass that is NOT a Family Mass. It roughly comes out to two to three Sundays per month. We also sing at important holiday Masses (Ex: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Holy Week). We occasionally have the opportunity to perform at non-liturgical events like a concert or festival.
Attire
Typically, we wear our green choir robes at Mass, so as long as you have appropriate footwear, this shouldn’t cause too many problems. But just in case you’re wondering – shoes to avoid: stilettos, flip-flops, athletic cleats…