Sacred Music
“The singing of the Church comes ultimately out of love. It is the utter depth of love that produces the singing. “Cantare amantis est”, says St. Augustine, singing is a lover’s thing. In so saying, we come again to the trinitarian interpretation of Church music. The Holy Spirit is love, and it is he who produces the singing. He is the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit who draws us into love for Christ and so leads to the Father.” -Pope Benedict XVI, “The Spirit of the Liturgy”, (SF, CA: Ignatius, 2000), p. 142.
The Johannus American Classic VII Organ
Installed in 2007, the American Classic 770 is one of the crown jewels in the Johannus organ family. Draped in a console fit for a king, this majestic organ is adorned with seven divisions, graced with an astonishing number of voices and enriched with such a full range of orchestrals that the unique 64-foot Diaphone seems merely an encore. Those who join us for worship or concerts at Saint Joseph have the unique opportunity to listen and pray with the aid of the king of instruments.
The white quarter oak organ case in the loft for our parish organ featuring carved trumpeting angels is from the 1898 Lyon & Healy instrument installed during the 54-year pastorate of Father Thomas J. Hayes. It consisted of 18-ranks. A later Wicks instrument was installed with the Lyon & Healy case being retained. The Wicks which had fallen in to a state of disrepair was removed for the installation of the current Johannus instrument, dedicated on April 15, 2007.
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"The organ has always been considered, and rightly so, the king of musical instruments, because it takes up all the sounds of creation – as was just said – and gives resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to sadness, from praise to lamentation. By transcending the merely human sphere, as all music of quality does, it evokes the divine. The organ’s great range of timbre, from piano through to a thundering fortissimo, makes it an instrument superior to all others. It is capable of echoing and expressing all the experiences of human life. The manifold possibilities of the organ in some way remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God."
- Pope Benedict XVI in Regensburg 2006
Parish Choir
Our parish english choir normally sings for the 10am Mass on Sundays as well as other major feasts of the year. All who enjoy singing are welcome to join us in the loft. Please email Melissa Baysinger at the link below for more information.
Hispanic Choro
We have two choirs who sing for our Spanish Masses at Saint Joseph. Vencedores en Cristo y Choro San Miguel. Both choirs sing for solemnities and larger feasts each year.For more information please contact the Parish Office
Instrumentalists
Throughout the liturgical year, different instrumentalists are added to enhance the celebrations of the Liturgy. If you play an instrument and would be interested in sharing your gifts with our parish, please contact Melissa Baysinger.
The Stained Glass Music Series at Saint Joseph
The Saint Joseph Stained Glass Music Series seeks to promote cultural and musical offerings in the Bowling Green area by providing four main concerts each year that are recorded by WKU Public Radio for rebroadcast.
The series is mainly composed of unique concerts pairing the parish's Organ with musical groups and genres one would normally not think of pairing together. Join us for an upcoming concert by clicking below
