Led by Director of Campus Ministry Matthew Schaeffer, the Liturgy Choir provides the musical accompaniment and direction of every Mass.
Schaeffer and a small group of students from his liturgy class decide upon appropriate readings and music for the Mass according to the event or season being celebrated. The committee chooses songs that are inviting to sing as well as engaging to the audience. For the upcoming Mass on Dec. 8th celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Schaeffer has invited faculty and staff to join. The music for the Mass is set to focus on Mary and our calling to live lives of holiness.
Schaeffer took over the Liturgy Choir program in 2012 with the clear goal of bringing the focus on community engagement. “[The Liturgy Choir] is supposed to be for the students and by the students,” said Schaeffer. “In all the leadership roles in Mass, with the exception of the priest, we need to have students running it. I think it has been that, and I think people get that because of the culture that has been created over the last six years. I haven’t had to do a solo or play guitar for a schoolwide Mass in years. We have so much talent here.”
The Liturgy Choir is an activity that allows members to serve the community in a meaningful way but also have fun while doing so.
“While the Liturgy Choir is something that’s fun, we are reverent, and we take [our responsibility]seriously during Mass,” Schaeffer said. “It’s a great way to get involved in Mass and serve the community. I think that a lot of people who participate are leaders on campus. I’ve said many times to the Loyola community that the choir’s job isn’t to perform, but instead it’s to lead and to encourage everyone to be a part of Mass. Our main goal is having everybody join us.”
Sophomore Lucas Yen said, “Singing in the choir is pretty fun. It’s a pretty chill environment. I like music a lot, so I was interested in joining either the band or choir. There are a lot of people I know in the choir so I ended up joining.”
Senior Nick DeAngelis, captain of the Liturgy Choir, has been singing with the choir for three years. He said, “I think it’s awesome. It’s definitely something unique at Loyola and we have a good time.”
Liturgy Choir rehearsals are held every Tuesday at lunch and are open to anyone interested in singing or playing an instrument at Mass.
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