Music Performance, Composition, & Liturgical
Ministry
WHAT
For over thirty years Fr. John Foley has been well known throughout
the world for his liturgical compositions. “One Bread,
One Body” is a staple in Catholic worship internationally,
one of the five most favorite liturgical pieces in the American
Catholic Church. Other well known pieces are “For You
Are My God,” “May We Praise You,” “Earthen
Vessels,” and the very popular “Come to the Water.” Overall
he has over 150 published songs for the Mass.
HOW
In 1973 Fr. Foley founded the well-known 10:30 AM College Church
Choir, and became the Director of Liturgy at that church for
three years.
Originally he worked with four other Jesuit composers under the
name, “The St. Louis Jesuits.” Foley contributed
over sixty liturgical pieces published during the twelve years
they published together. After that he has released six more
collections of his own liturgical music. Most recently, the St.
Louis Jesuits made a thirty-year memorial CD and music collection,
released in January, 2006, and already hugely successful.
Paul Hasser: in addition to his other duties at the Center, Paul
has been writing and performing liturgical compositions for over
25 years for local parishes. He is currently composing a new
Mass setting.
WHY
Immediately after he entered the Jesuits in 1962, John Foley
saw that the switch to vernacular music in the Catholic Church
would create a need for new music. Previously, much of the music
had been in Latin. Moreover, he and his companions saw the new
Catholic emphasis on scripture as integral to the Mass. Foley
began writing liturgical music, in English, based on the words
of the psalms and scripture.
One master of ceremonies introduced the “St. Louis Jesuits” as
the people “who wrote the sound track for our spiritual
lives.”
RESULTS
Inclusion of singable, scriptural music at Mass throughout the
world, not to establish any one style to the exclusion of others,
but to add various types of music for liturgy. Currently Fr.
Foley serves on the six member advisory panel for the United
States Bishops’ Committee on Music and Liturgy, which will
shape liturgical music practice for decades to come in this country.
