New Music Director Comes To St. Faustina From Halfway Around The World

Following a passion for music and a willingness to listen to God’s call, our Director of Music, Geoffrey Say, comes to St. Faustina with more than 37 years of experience of faith-filled music ministry. Originally from the Philippines, Mr. Say studied at the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines and earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition and Theory, learning under the mentorship of a Benedictine monk. He then pursued a Master of Music degree in Composition from the University of Cincinnati. Once reluctant to play sacred music during his youth, Geoffrey’s life is an example of the amazing things that happen when you say “yes!” to God. 
 
“In college, I started to work with a mentor every summer at Our Lady of Montserrat in Manila. When Pope John Paul II came to the Philippines in 1982 my professor asked  ‘Can you go and teach the youth choir and prepare them to sing for the Holy Father?’ I was shocked! It was a lot of work, but really a wonderful (and nerve wracking!) experience. I was very proud of the work the youth choir did and have been involved in church choirs ever since.” 

Although he had no plans to work in sacred music, Geoffrey focused on opportunities in front of him and ended up preparing an entire choir to sing for the Pope! It’s amazing how God will use His disciples when they commit to Him.

Participating in a parish choir is a joyful experience. The music sung at each Mass is a powerful testament to the Eucharist and can significantly affect the mood of each parishioner. “Music has to enhance or support the liturgy and readings, rather than take over. It is best when the music that is chosen complements the readings, or the season/ feast day. When this occurs people can be touched either in the heart, in the mind, or both and they are able to remove temporal worries, if only for a brief moment, and experience the divine love of God,” shares Geoffrey.



Although serving in the parish choir involves some rehearsal, the time commitment is not much more than any other parish ministry, and the camaraderie gained is well worth the time. Many friendships are formed when people are able to sing sacred music together. There is nothing quite like harmonizing during “Ave Maria” and knowing that the service you are providing to the parish is irreplaceable. 

The goal at St. Faustina’s is to have a choir that reflects the diversity of our parish. A parish choir needs many different voices ranging from Bass to Soprano to ensure that each piece of music can be played as the composer intended. 

So, if you feel the call to join the parish choir, what can you do?

A parishioner first needs to assess their own level of commitment and determine how much time they have to offer. If someone has basic musical skills and a gifted voice, they should definitely join. If there is a person who really wants to be involved, but doesn’t feel they have musical talent, Geoffrey is happy to work with them and help them improve if they can commit the time. 

The parish also has a need for people who are administratively minded and can do things like make copies of music, organize sheet music, help with equipment, etc. In the future Geoffrey would like to develop a hand-bell choir for those who want to be involved, but don’t want to sing. The beauty of our faith is that there is a place for everyone and diverse styles of musical worship.