Music Director, St. Lawrence Parish

Please forward interest and resumes to Fr. Walt Benn at email: saintlawrence@verizon.net.

Qualifications:

• Certifications with the Office for Divine Worship of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia [215]587-3537.
• The Music Director must meet all of the requirements mandated by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia regulations for Child Protection.
• We are looking for a candidate who has good leadership skills, is comfortable playing the organ and can work with other musicians.

Job Description and Responsibilities:

• Prepare and direct a small choir.
• Prepare Cantors.
• Because we only have one Cantor, it is preferable that the organist be able to lead the singing of the Responsorial Psalm when the Cantor is absent. This can be done from the choir loft.
• Introduce and prep the congregation to new hymns.
• Provide music for 5PM Vigil Mass on Saturday evenings and 9 AM Sunday Mass.
• The Music Director would be responsible for the Music of all funerals and weddings. In the event that they are unable to meet this responsibility, they would be responsible for arranging a substitute.
• Provide music for all of the liturgies of Christmas and the Triduum; provide music for one or two Ecumenical Services which St. Lawrence will host; organize musical leadership for the May Procession.
• Prepare a weekly Mass Guide which is emailed to those joining us through our Live Streaming of the Sunday Mass. The Mass Guide should contain the hymns which we will be singing at that particular Mass.

Additional Responsibilities:

• We are a small parish. We have no parish school. We enjoy a small core of young families with children. Young families will guarantee the life of our parish. With that in mind, we are always looking for ways of attracting young families to St. Lawrence Parish and inviting their children to participate in the life of the Parish by involving them in basic community activities. It would not be a condition for hiring our next Music Director; however, we would be very attracted to a candidate who had experience or interest in forming a children’s choir or including youth with basic skills with musical instruments.
• We video all of our Live Streamed Masses from the choir loft in a location which does not interfere with the work of the choir. Presently, we are exploring the use of youth who might have technological interest in assisting with the video work within these Masses. They would be mentored at all times by one of our original videographers who is a PREP catechist and who meets all of the Archdiocesan Child Protection requirements.
• We would be greatly interested in the expansion of our liturgy’s musical repertoire. We use OCP which has a nice selection; however, we would like to expose our parishioners to some contemporary Catholic Hymns, as well as Gospel Music. We would need the direction of the new Music Director in this area.

Contact Information:

• Location: 345 Elmwood Lane, Riegelsville, PA 18077
• Contact Info: Phone: [610]749-2684 Fax: [610] 749-2695
• Web Site: Saint-Lawrence-Church.org
• Email: saintlawrence@verizon.net
• We are located 8 miles south of Easton, in a rural location, along the Delaware River in Upper Bucks County.

Parish Mission Statement

St. Lawrence Parish is a small Catholic Community located in the rural area of Upper Bucks County, in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Many of its members have lived here for generations; however, all of its members are grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church, especially in the Eucharist. Our Parish Mission is to be a spiritual community, where visitors, as well as those seeking their way back into the life of the Church, will be welcomed and encouraged to plant their spiritual roots in our parish. Our Parish Mission is to draw and involve the youth of our area into the life of our community. Our Parish Mission is to accomplish this by impressing upon all who encounter us, that it is all begins with the celebration and living of the Eucharist.