An hour to the north of Columbus, Ohio is the charming small town of Marion, Ohio, population 36,000. Marion was the home of President Warren G. Harding and houses his tomb and other presidential sites. Marion is a small and friendly town with a slower and more relaxed pace of life, lower cost of living with plenty of affordable housing, while still having all the amenities one might want. Located near the downtown, which is presently undergoing a period of revival, is the beautiful church building of St. Mary's Parish.

St. Mary's is the only Catholic parish in Marion County. The historic church was dedicated in 1898 and an interior beautification designed by architect William Heyer was completed in 2019. The K-8 parish school serves over 110 students, and the parish also has a very active Latino ministry. The church houses two pipe organs: II/20 Wicks organ (1975) with upgrades, in the choir loft, new console arriving soon. I/4 Zimmer tracker organ in the South transept. The music program at present focuses on organ music, traditional hymnody (we emphasize using original unaltered hymn texts), Gregorian chant (in English and Latin), and choral works.

In the past our music program has consisted of a parish choir of about 15 members, a men's choir of about 9 members, and a funeral choir of 10 members. We strongly desire some sort of children's music program or children's choir that can be developed by a new Music Director. Though the parish has a mature demographic as its base, there are plenty of young families who need to be engaged and recruited to be a part of the music program. The successful candidate should be motivated to recruit these younger parishioners and reach out to the greater musical community in Marion County and environs.

The Director of Sacred Music has an office in the Commons building and a workroom in the choir loft. The Director chairs the parish worship commission, which meets quarterly. Job offer is contingent on the successful passing of the mandatory background screening and completion of the VIRTUS "Protecting God's Children" course.

Though we would like to find an Organist/Director to fulfill this role, very talented and enthusiastic choral directors with limited or no organ skills are welcome to apply (we would hire a separate organist if we found such a person). If you are an organist without choral experience, we are willing to help with continuing education to help you acquire the needed skills. We are eager to find a new director who wants to be a part of our community and bring our music program to new and exciting heights.

Compensation is commensurate with the candidate's experience and abilities. We offer a competitive salary with additional income from funerals and weddings. We offer a full complement of benefits, including health, dental, vision, life, short & long-term disability, and matching 403(b), according to Diocesan policy. If you have questions about the program, you can reach out to Fr. Buffer (below) or the current Interim Director of Music Matthew J. Meloche (music@marionstmary.org) - Matthew is known for his time at the Cathedral of Phoenix, Arizona and as a frequent presenter at the CMAA Colloquium.

Send resume and references along with a letter of interest to: Fr. Thomas Buffer, Pastor. fatherbuffer@marionstmary.org