Music

Parish Music Program

The current Music List (2023-2024) contains the choral repertoire for all Solemn Masses, as well as information about the St. Cecilia Guild, our Friends of Music program.  Archived Music Lists from years past are available here.

A Worship Leaflet is printed for all of the Parish’s sung liturgies.

Archival recordings of the Schola Cantorum are available on our Soundcloud page

Solemn Mass with the Schola Cantorum
The Solemn Mass is at the heart of the Parish’s liturgical and musical life and is the richest expression of the Church’s Holy Sacrifice.  As such, it is celebrated with full ceremonial on Sundays at 12 Noon at St. Vincent Ferrer, on major feast days, and to mark important occasions in the community.  The Schola Cantorum, the Parish’s professional choir, sings for every Solemn Mass. Schola Cantorum is the official term used by the Catholic Church to denote a liturgical choir and means “school of singing.”

The Schola chants the Propers of the Mass–the Entrance, Offertory, and Communion Antiphons, the Responsorium (the Dominican version of the Gradual), and the Alleluia–according to the Dominican Graduale, the chant book particular to the Order of Preachers.  Offertory and Communion motets follow their respective Antiphons, and in privileged seasons and on feastdays a choral Mass Ordinary is offered.  This broad range of repertoire surveys the very best in our treasured Catholic musical patrimony.  The celebrant’s orations, Credo, Preface, and Pater noster are also sung at the Solemn Mass.

If you are interested in auditioning for the Schola Cantorum, please email the Director of Music.

Sung Mass
Five Sung Masses with a cantor are offered in the Parish each weekend: at 6 PM on Saturday and at 9:30 AM and 6 PM on Sunday at St. Vincent Ferrer, and at 10 AM and 5 PM on Sunday at St. Catherine of Siena. A Sung Mass is also offered on lesser weekday feasts. The Propers are chanted by the cantor in English and a chant Mass Ordinary is sung by the congregation.

The 4 PM Mass on Saturday at St. Catherine of Siena and the 8 AM Mass on Sunday at St. Vincent Ferrer are Low Masses without music, as are all daily Masses unless otherwise indicated in the Music List or bulletin.

Pipe Organ
St. Vincent Ferrer has an 86-rank pipe organ that was built in two phases by the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio; the 18-rank chancel organ (Opus 2145) was installed in 1998 and the 68-rank gallery organ (Opus 2224) in 2002. For more information, please visit New York Organ Project.

St. Cecilia Guild
Join this group of patrons–both parishioners and visitors–through whose generosity our music program is financially sustained.  Become a friend of music by making a contribution to support our proud tradition of offering excellent music to the glory of God.

Please consider a donation at one of the following levels:

  •  Member (to $99)
  •  Sponsor ($100 to $249)
  •  Benefactor ($250 to $499)
  •  Patron ($500 to $999)
  •  Angel ($1,000 to $2,499)
  •  Archangel ($2,500 or more)


Please send your donation to:

The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer
attn. James D. Wetzel
869 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York  10065

All donations are tax-deductible.  Checks make payable to ‘Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena’ with the memo ‘Friends of Music’.  Please include your name, address, telephone number, and email address with the check.

For more information, contact:
James D. Wetzel, Director of Music and Organist,
jwetzel@svsc.info or (212) 744-2080.