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Music Ministry

 

 

MINISTRY INFORMATION

We at St. Mary's are pleased to welcome all those interested in our wonderful music program.  Below you will find out about the many different types of music ministries available at St. Mary's as well as some information about our current staff.

If you are interested in participating in the Music Ministries, please contact Charles Culbreth via email at worshipmusic@stmarysvisalia.org.

Below is a picture of our Schola/Ensemble Choir with our Music Ministry leaders, Charles and Wendy Culbreth (bottom row, left).

 
bulletENSEMBLE ST. MARY'S

Ensemble St. Mary's is a choral and instrumental group that provides musical support for the congregation at the Sunday 10:00 AM and Holy Day parish liturgies. Contemporary, post-Vatican II repertoire is predominantly employed by the Ensemble.

This group has been providing service music for over a quarter century to St. Mary's and has many veterans and newcomers already participating. So, if you are somewhat "shy" about "standing out," have no fear. All are welcome.

This group welcomes parishioners who are of high school age or older with little or no formal choral or singing experience. The ability to read music is not a requirement for singers. Instrumentalists interested in participating should contact Charles Culbreth at worshipmusic@stmarysvisalia.org.


bulletSCHOLA ST. MARY'S

This choir provides music ministry for the Sunday 8:30 AM and High Holy Days liturgies. This group invites men and women of high school age and older who have had prior and formal choral experiences and who have music reading skills. Interested parishioners should contact Charles Culbreth via email or personally at church for a brief conversation about participating in this more "advanced" choral ministry.

The schola repertoire is broad and eclectic, ranging from Gregorian chant, polyphony and classical sacred song to contemporary hymns, songs and choral anthems of the present era.

Rehearsals for Schola are held during the school year on Wednesday evenings in the church from 7:00 PM to 8:30PM. Occasional summer rehearsals are held and members of both Ensemble and Schola are notified when and where those practices will occur.

bulletCORO SANTA MARIA

Our Spanish language choir under the director of conductor Dolores Quiroz and accompanist Trent Barry provides music for the Sunday 1:00 P.M. mass in Spanish. Coro rehearses on Thursday evenings either in the church or in the Serra Building. For further information contact Charles Culbreth through the parish office or by the email link listed above. Coro's primary hymnal resource is the collection "Flor y Canto." Membership is open to all parishioners who are Spanish speaking, bilingual or have a facility and interest in singing Hispanic liturgical music.

 

bulletVIGIL CHOIR

This choir sings at the Saturday 5:30pm Mass and on assigned HolyDay masses.  The group is open to anyone who is high school age or older and has an interest in singing. The choir practices before Mass in the choir loft and also at arranged special rehearsals.  

Contact Mr. Mario Galatro through the rectory office if you are interested in joining the Saturday Vigil choir.

bulletYOUTH CHOIR AND ENSEMBLE

Under the direction of Mr. Armand Amerando, this group is open to young people from high school to early college ages. This group provides musical leadership and ministry at the Sunday evening mass at Interested young people who are singers (especially in their school choirs) or instrumentalists should contact Armand through the rectory for more information regarding this ever-evolving group.

The Youth Choir leads congregational singing at the 7:00pm Sunday evening mass. The group is open to anyone who is high school age or older and has an interest in singing and/or playing an accompaniment instrument. 

Choir rehearsals are currently held on Wednesday evenings in the Parish Center. Call Ruthann Parlier, parish secretary, for further information.

 

bulletCANTORS

Mr. Roger Brown and Mr. Trent Barry cantor and accompany congregational singing at the 11:30 am Sunday morning mass. If there are persons interested in becoming cantors for the parish music ministry, please contact Mr. Culbreth or Mr. Brown through the rectory. 

OUR PARISH MUSIC DIRECTOR

Charles Culbreth, parish music director, has been involved in Roman Catholic music ministry for thirty seven years. He and his wife Wendy have served the community of St. Mary's for fifteen years this coming September. Charles completed both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in the California State University system, his Master’s degree in Choral Music Conducting and Church Music. He retired as the choral instructor at Redwood High School here in 2005 and has been a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians since 1979, and a member and officer of the regional division of the American Choral Directors Association. He was also a member of the Tulare County Symphony Board and had an original composition performed in the fall of 2006 by the symphony. Charles’ original worship and sacred compositions and arrangements have been published by Resource Publications and Oregon Catholic Press. Charles and Wendy, along with their daughter Charlotte DaRosa, our parish organist Trent Barry, and our Psalmists Ed and Shannon Olivarez now comprise the ensemble CROSS SEVENTH STATION and released their first compact disc, “And Herein the Dust” last year.

 

 

JOB DESCRIPTION DIRECTOR OF MUSIC AND LITURGY - ST. MARY'S VISALIA

Position has been created so that one individual may communicate the liturgical vision of the pastoral staff to all of the individuals and groups providing musical support at Masses, assisting them with performance practices and liturgical direction as set out in the GIRM and as prescribed by the Bishop and the pastor, including, without limitation, the following:

 
Offer classes, seminars and individual consultation to parish volunteers that is designed to augment participation in the various choirs and ensembles.
 
Institute a cantor program for individuals who could then be incorporated into service at one or more of the parish weekend Masses.
 
Provide the pastor and associates with scheduled regular and formal evaluations of the progress and performance of all paid and volunteer musical ministerial staff.
 

 

 Advise the pastor should the occasion for re-mediation of any individual’s compliance with pastoral policies and directives become necessary, as articulated in public by printed material, communications between the Director and volunteer/professional staff via email, letters or documented conversations.
 
Serve in advisory capacity to the pastor in connection with the design and building of the worship space of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.
 
Assist the pastoral staff in any search, interview and hiring processes for additional personnel needed in connection with the music and liturgical ministries of the new church site.
 
Provide and/or secure musical resources and personnel for Masses offered at the new church site, as needed;
 
Solicit and train additional parish cantors and musicians for service in all church sites administered by the Employer, including possible rotation of existing cantors and musicians from St. Mary’s Music Ministry to augment the music ministry of the new church site, as needed.
 
Consult and assist in the formation and publication of parish policies for music at weddings, funerals and other special liturgies and events.
 
Participate in the ecumenical endeavors proposed by the members of the Downtown Churches organization that involve liturgical and musical needs.
 
institute a regular series (on a bi-annual or quarterly basis) of a parish "hymn-sing" event wherein parish members, interested catechumens and candidates and the general public can assemble to learn worship music contained in the parish hymnals (in both English and Spanish) that is new to each yearly edition of the hymnals, or requires special attention and catechesis outside of actual liturgy, such as the communal singing of plainsong chant or newer hymns from Roman Catholic and other theologically compatible sources.
 
Assist the pastoral staff with the ongoing formation of various other ministries., including Lectors and Ministers of Hospitality.
 
Assist the pastoral staff in outreach ministries to the prisons, Visalia Rescue Mission, and those in convalescent, hospital and shut-in settings.
 
Assist the ordained clergy with training and formation with chanting/singing that is requisite to presiding and Deaconal duties.
 
Assist the pastoral staff with the development of guidelines for and the formation of a Liturgy Committee.

The following services for the benefit of  the children and staff of George McCann Memorial Catholic School are also included in the job description of the Director of Music and Liturgy:

 
Provide classroom music for Grades 2 - 8.
 
Organize a middle school (Grades 6 - 8) choir that will prepare both sacred and secular literature for use at Masses and in concert settings and, with the permission of the school principal and pastor, which will begin participation in MENC/CMEA sponsored, adjudicated choral festivals and their like as the choir evolves.
 
Provide leadership and planning support to each grade on First Friday and Holy day Masses.
 
Promote the inclusion of the school choir as the music group leading the congregation for at least one Mass on each weekend during which St. Mary’s sponsors a second collection for George McCann School.
 
Explore the possibility of creating an opportunity for students to take guitar and voice lessons, including the coordination of services of other instrumental instructors for after-school lessons.