Music Ministry

We have 3 choirs that lead our congregation in worship though song at our weekend Masses – below is a brief description of each choir:

4pm Vigil Mass: Folk style Music

Meaghan King leads our Saturday 4pm Mass choir. Meaghan is a grad student at Westminster Choir College. The music at this Mass is in the folk style. To join the folk choirs email Meaghan at kingme@rider.edu.

The 4:00 PM Vigil Mass features music in the “folk” style, while still drawing upon standard hymns and songs from the repertoire of Catholic sacred music. After the second Vatican Council in 1965 allowed music at Mass to be sung in English, an abundance of new sacred music was composed in the style popular at the time: folk. Many of those songs remain popular today and have strongly influenced Christian composers since. Musical selections at this Mass often include songs like “Gather Us In,” “Here I Am, Lord,” and “On Eagles Wings.”

11am Mass: Traditional Music

Dorothy VanDine leads the 11am mass. She is an undergraduate at Westminster Choir College, majoring in Sacred Music: Organ Primary. The music at this Mass is geared towards the traditional style. If you would like to cantor or join the choir, please email Dorothy at vandined@rider.edu.

At the 11:00am Mass time, we sing traditional style hymns accompanied by the organ and we are slowly incorporating more Gregorian Chant music for the Mass Propers and the Mass Ordinary. These hymns and chants are closely related to the liturgical action and the readings of the day. The Gregorian Chant repertoire was developed alongside the Mass itself to elevate the sacred words of the liturgy. The traditional hymns are some of the most familiar in hymnody, such as “Praise to the Lord the Almighty,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Adoro Te Devote,” and “Panis Angelicus.”

7pm Mass: Contemporary Music

Fred Proulx leads our Sunday 7pm Mass choir. Fred is Coordinator for Worship and Music at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Trenton. The music at this Mass is contemporary Christian hymns. If you have a background with praise and worship or listen to contemporary Christian music you will recognize many of the hymns that Fred selects. To join the contemporary choirs email Fred at worshipola@aol.com.

The 7:00 PM Mass features Contemporary Christian Music (also known as CCM), a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith. Current artists from this genre of music include Jeremy Camp, Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman, David Crowder Band, Amy Grant, Natalie Grant, Jars of Clay, MercyMe, Newsboys, Michael W. Smith, Rebecca St. James, Third Day, tobyMac, and a host of others. While Christian music continues to evolve, it always remains close to that driving force behind the inspiration: the Gospel message. What makes the music in this Mass different from traditional or folk music at other Masses at Rider? This Mass features songs of praise and worship set to modern rhythms and melodies which highlight the distinct parts of this Mass.”