Pastoral Associate for Music

Job Description

Saint Mary Parish in Ridgefield, Connecticut, a vibrant and growing Catholic parish, is seeking a full-time Pastoral Associate for Music to lead the parish music program beginning fall 2025. This is a full-time salaried position with benefits. Saint Mary's is committed to reverent liturgy and the gradual renewal of our sacred music tradition.

The pastoral associate will facilitate a crucial liturgical function by serving the parish as principal musician, organist, and choir director, in accordance with the highest professional standards established by the profession and in the tradition of beautiful Catholic music.

Additionally, the pastoral associate will assist in implementing the pastor's vision for the liturgical renewal of the parish through catechesis; primarily through the continued development, growth, and oversight of our adult and children choirs. The pastoral associate for music will also collaborate with the pastoral associate in the Office for Youth and Families to coordinate musical catechesis in the religious education classes; as well as the Pastoral Assistant for Music and the youth schola. The pastoral associate will also lead and support other music related initiatives the parish undertakes.

Requirements:
• A master's degree in music is preferred; a bachelor's degree in music is required.
• Three to five years of prior experience in a related position, including prior experience creating and managing choirs of various age-levels as well as recruiting, hiring and supervising staff singers (cantors and choristers) as well as instrumentalists.
• The pastoral associate for music must be a practicing Catholic, have a working knowledge and appreciation of the Catholic Church's liturgical tradition, current liturgical norms, and be willing to work collaboratively with the pastor's liturgical vision for the parish.
• Candidates must have strong musical skills, including sight-reading, familiarity with chant notation, arranging and selecting appropriate music for various liturgical seasons and themes, and deep knowledge of the various sacred styles of Catholic music: Gregorian chant, early polyphony, English choral, modern sacred, and modern hymnody.
• Candidates must have a high degree of proficiency in the use of the organ as evidenced by formal credentials and a working knowledge of other instruments. The parish organ is a three-manual Walker Technical Co. digital, installed in 2024.
• Candidates must be self-motivated, be adaptable to changes in routine, have exceptional written and oral communication skills, have proficiency using computer programs such as Microsoft Word and Finale, and possess the ability to create and edit worship aids.

Availability for Christmas, all of Holy Week and Easter Sunday is required. Additionally, attendance of the regular liturgical schedule of four Masses per weekend, holy days, First Friday school Masses and other school liturgies, sacramental celebrations, weddings, funerals, rehearsals and other special liturgies and events is expected. It is the responsibility of the pastoral associate to schedule coverage when they are unavailable.

Salary range for this position is $55,000 to $65,000 per year plus benefits as well as earning opportunities through funerals and weddings. Salary will be commensurate with education, experience, and level of expertise. The pastoral associate for music will report to the parish's pastor and the pastor's delegate.
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit a letter of interest and resume to: Msgr. Kevin T. Royal, Pastor via email: MsgrRoyal@diobpt.org.

Priority will be given to applications received by September 1, but we will continue to accept applications until the position if filled.

About the Employer

Saint Mary Roman Catholic Parish, located in the beautiful town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is a vibrant religious community serving over 3,000 families in Connecticut and New York State.

Through a host of Parish ministries and organizations, we strive to carry out our mission of growing in the understanding of our priceless gift of faith, expressing that gift through our public and private prayer and the celebration of the sacraments, and witnessing to its power through service within our Parish and beyond its borders.