Director of Worship and Sacred Music
All Saints, Gladstone
With the major renovation of our church, choir loft, and music library nearing completion, All Saints Catholic Church is seeking a Director of Sacred Music.
All Saints is a vibrant parish, firmly rooted in Catholic Tradition, located in Gladstone, MI. The Director of Sacred Music will be our main organist and choir director, responsible for all aspects of the parish sacred music program, including planning and providing music for weekend Masses, holy days, funerals, weddings, some weekday Masses, and other liturgical events. The ideal candidate should be proficient in choral conducting, organ and piano, Catholic liturgy, and available for a full-time position with benefits. Our starting range for salary is $32,000-35,000.
Accepting resumes until January 2, 2024.
Resumes may be submitted here.
Job Description
Position Title: Director of Worship and Sacred Music
Employment Status: Full Time, Non-Exempt (35-40 hours per week)
Directly Responsible to: Pastor
General Statement of Duties:
The Director of Worship and Sacred Music works with the Pastor to plan music for liturgies and parish events. The Director develops and directs choirs to provide musical leadership on weekends, daily Mass, and for other special liturgies that will lead the parishioners of All Saints Parish “to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations called for the by the very nature of the liturgy".” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 14)
In recent years, All Saints Parish has been blessed to have various choirs and many cantors who lead worship music on a consistent basis:
The Adult Choir currently sings September through May at the Sunday 10:30 AM Mass and for special occasions.
The Children’s Choir begins weekly practice in November for Christmas Eve Mass.
Our parish is accustomed to organ/piano accompaniment and cantor leadership at every weekend Mass and special feast day Masses.
In the years preceding the start of the pandemic, a more contemporary Youth Choir had lead music September through May at a monthly Youth Mass on Sunday evening. All Saints was also fortunate to have had our own youth Brass and Percussion Ensemble which played for feast days and special occasions, and a Hand Bell Choir made up of youth members of the parish.
Duties of Director of Worship and Sacred Music:
The Director of Worship and Sacred Music (DWSM) is a member of the pastoral staff who:
works with the pastor and associate pastor in coordinating and planning all liturgies.
prepares the cantor outline for Weekend (Saturdays and Sundays), Holy Days, and special liturgies that may occur.
coordinates and schedules other liturgical ministries of the parish for weekend Masses (altar servers, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharistic, lectors, and ushers).
provides the parish with ongoing liturgical education by providing appropriate resources.
coordinates and works with parish musicians in the selection of music for liturgies, and in the recruitment and training of new liturgical musicians, especially organists, instrumentalists, and cantors.
oversees all music and parish choirs, inviting new parish members to sing by recruiting new choir members.
is the principle parish organist/pianist who plays for parish liturgies when needed, including weekend Masses (Saturday 4:30/Sunday 8:30) and three daily Masses (M,T,W,Th).
shares the responsibility of securing replacement accompanists for weekend liturgies when needed.
oversees the organization of the All Saints Music Library, and the proper maintenance of the organ, piano, and any other parish instruments.
meets with and assists engaged couples in planning wedding liturgies.
has the first right of refusal for accompanying on the organ/piano all parish funerals and weddings.
maintains proper copyright expectations.
fulfills the diocesan requirements for VIRTUS training and satisfy the expectations of a criminal background check.
Duties as Choir Director:
Lead and Coordinate Choir Rehearsals and Performances.
Choose Music for Choir Masses and Services.
Coordinate and Schedule Musicians for Choir Masses (organists/cantors/choirs).
Direct Adult Choir and Be Responsible to Recruit New Members.
On occasion, the Choir Director may be called upon to “direct from the bench” in the absence of an accompanist.
Direct Youth Choir and Be Responsible to Recruit New Members (this choir has been suspended since the beginning of the pandemic).
Direct Hand Bell Choir as needed (this choir has been suspended since the beginning of the pandemic).
Assist with Children’s Choir as needed.
Cultivate the involvement of other instrumentalists for use in worship.
Manage Music Library for choirs.
Future Goals for Sacred Music at All Saints:
Apart from the above duties, the following are future goals for Sacred Music at All Saints, and can be undertaken as directed by the pastor, in consultation with the DWSM. With the assistance and support of the Parish Staff and Leadership Team, the DWSM will work toward:
Re-establishing the parish hand bell choir.
Establishing an ensemble for use during funerals.
Once the church renovation is complete in January 2024, re-establishing the Youth Choir, the secondary choir, targeting the youth of the parish.
Minimum Qualifications:
Education and Experience.
Proficiency in keyboard accompaniment on both organ and piano, and knowledge of other liturgical instruments.
Bachelor of Arts degree in Choral Directing or Music from an accredited college or university or 5 years minimum experience in performing and directing music for Catholic liturgies in a parish setting.
Necessary Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities:
Must be a skilled choral director, including the ability to direct from the bench.
Must be a skilled in keyboard player with ability to play organ and piano.
Must be knowledgeable of the Catholic liturgy.
Must be able to get along well with and lead people to achieve desired goals.
Must be attentive to details and accuracy.
Must demonstrate initiative and be self motivating.
Must be flexible in meeting the needs of the job and able to follow direction.
Must be living his/her life in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
