The Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena
Position of Director of Music and Organist

The Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena is a parish of the Archdiocese of New York confided to the pastoral care of the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph. The parish includes two churches: the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer and the Church of St. Catherine of Siena.

The Director of Music and Organist directs the music program at both churches, working under the direction of the Pastor to develop and maintain a music program which supports the worship of the faithful and the educational and preaching mission of the Order of Preachers. The music program at the Parish draws on the liturgical tradition of the Catholic Church with special emphasis on the particular tradition of the Dominican order. Its liturgical, musical, and pedagogical character flows from the Dominican charism of preaching for the salvation of souls. The music program strives to engage the members of the parish with the Word of God and with the liturgical texts entrusted to them, enabling active and conscious participation in the liturgy and providing for an encounter with God through the medium of sacred music.

The position of Director of Music and Organist include three main duties:

1) In collaboration with the pastor and pastoral staff, arranging and directing music on Sundays, special feast days, and occasional liturgies throughout the year (including weddings and funerals); this will include playing the organ and directing cantors and the choir for the various Solemn and Sung Masses of the parish as well as arranging for substitute organists when necessary
2) Developing pedagogical programs for the parish choir and the congregation as a whole which will enable an ongoing development of music and liturgy in the parish
3) Developing outreach programs to engage the broader community in the parish, especially through the arrangement of liturgical performances by local musical ensembles and occasional concerts of sacred music

Qualifications include:

1) Outstanding skills as an organist and choir director
2) Ability to work with volunteer and professional singers
3) Desire to engage the congregation in liturgical participation
4) Ability to play the organ in a mode that supports the singing of the congregation
5) Knowledge of the Church’s liturgical and musical patrimony, including chant, polyphony, and hymnody
6) Willingness to develop a knowledge of the Dominican musical and liturgical tradition
7) Ability to collaborate with and respond to feedback from the pastor and pastoral staff
8) Willingness to abide by the employee policies of the Parish and Archdiocese
9) Personally engaged in the worship of the Church

The Director of Music reports to the Pastor and will participate in an annual performance review. The Director of Music is a full time, exempt, at-will employee.

Application process: An applicant should submit a curriculum vitae and a one-page statement of his or her philosophy of Catholic liturgical music to parish@svsc.info by May 9, 2016.

Beginning in the summer of 2016, the weekend liturgical schedule of the parish will be as follows:

Saturday: 4 pm Low Mass at St. Catherine of Siena
6 pm Sung Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer
Sunday: 8 am Low Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer
10 am High Mass at St. Catherine of Siena
12 pm Solemn Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer
4:30 pm Parish Vespers Class at St. Vincent Ferrer
5 pm Sung Mass (a capella) at St. Catherine of Siena
5:15 pm Parish Vespers at St. Vincent Ferrer
6 pm Sung Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer

At Solemn Masses, the following music will be provided by the Director of Music and an ensemble under his direction:

1) Incidental organ music (prelude, postludes)
2) Congregational ordinary of the Mass (with choral ordinaries on special occasions)
3) Introit, Alleluia, Offertory, and Communion chants according to the Dominican Graduale
4) Responsorial Psalm
5) Choral piece, hymn, or organ voluntary after the offertory chant
6) Choral piece or organ voluntary after the communion chant
7) Hymn of Thanksgiving after Communion
8) Marian antiphon

At High Masses, the following music will be provided by the Director of Music and a Cantor:

1) Incidental organ music (prelude, postludes)
2) Congregational ordinary of the Mass
3) Introit, Offertory, and Communion chants (usually in English)
4) Responsorial Psalm and Alleluia
5) Congregational hymn, solo cantor piece, or organ voluntary after the offertory antiphon
6) Organ voluntary after the communion chant
7) Hymn of Thanksgiving after Communion

At Sung Masses, the following music will be performed in a subdued manner by the Director of Music and a Cantor (or by the cantor alone at a capella masses):

1) Congregational ordinary of the Mass
2) Introit, Offertory, and Communion chants (usually in English)
3) Responsorial Psalm and Alleluia
4) Organ voluntary or congregational hymn after the offertory antiphon
5) Organ voluntary after the communion chant


At Parish Vespers, the Director of Music and a cantor will provide the following music and lead a preparatory rehearsal each week:

1) Hymn from the Dominican Hymnarium
2) Antiphons and Responsories from the Dominican Antiphonarium with Psalms and Canticles in English
3) On solemn occasions, the parish choir may sing special choral pieces during Vespers

The Director of Music also provides music for various special liturgies throughout the year, including but not limited to the following:

August 8 St. Dominic Solemn Mass
August 15 Assumption Sung Mass
September 8 Nativity of Mary Sung Mass
Mid-September SVFHS Opening Liturgy TBD
October 7 Our Lady of the Rosary Sung Mass and Procession
November 1 All Saints Solemn Mass
November 2 All Souls Solemn Requiem Mass
SVFHS Thanksgiving TBD
Thanksgiving Day Sung Mass
December 8 Immaculate Conception Sung Mass
December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Sung Mass and Procession
Mid-December Gaudete Sunday Advent Lessons and Carols
December 24-25: Christmas Sung Vigil Mass
— Solemn Mass During the Night
— Sung Mass During the day (10 am)
— Solemn Mass During the Day (12 pm)
January 1 Solemnity of Mary Sung Mass
January 28 St. Thomas Aquinas Sung Mass
February 2 Presentation of the Lord Sung Mass and Procession
SVFHS Junior Ring Mass TBD
Ash Wednesday SVFHS Sung Mass (10 am)
— Sung Mass (6 pm)
March 17 St. Patrick Sung Mass and Procession
March 19 St. Joseph Sung Mass and Procession
March 25 Annunciation Sung Mass
Palm Sunday Procession and Solemn Mass
Holy Thursday Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Good Friday Service of the Seven Last Words
Solemn Liturgy of the Passion
Service of Mater Dolorosa
Holy Saturday The Paschal Vigil
Easter Sunday Sung Mass (10 am)
Solemn Mass (12 pm)
April 29 St. Catherine of Siena Sung Mass and Procession
May 5 St. Vincent Ferrer Sung Mass and Procession
Ascension Solemn Mass
Pentecost Solemn Mass
SVFHS Graduation Sung Mass and Ceremony
Corpus Christi Solemn Mass and Procession