St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California
Catholic Institute
of Sacred Music
Summer Graduate Course Applications Now Closed
From Our Director’s Desk
Dear friends of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music,
We are looking forward to a great summer of classes with our students. If you missed this year’s application deadline (May 1) we encourage you to sign up for our email list on the popup box on our website so that you can get your application in for next summer.
In the meantime, we look forward to the safe travels of our students to our campus, and to a wonderful summer of learning, praying, and singing.
Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, Director, Catholic Institute of Sacred Music
Waiting for Announcements about 2024–2025 programming?
Check out a video archive of our 2023–2024 events in the meantime.
Our Mission
The Institute offers a substantial program of accredited, graduate-level coursework designed to help church musicians and clergy better to know and love the Church’s treasury of sacred music and her teachings on sacred music. Our goal is to equip students with the theological, philosophical, and historical knowledge, as well as the practical skills (singing, playing, conducting, composing, organizing, fundraising) necessary to build excellent sacred music programs in parishes and schools. We aim to help others revitalize the faith of Catholics and instill vitality in parish and school life through a vibrant sacred music program.
We are committed to a faithful and generous service of the Church. We cultivate fidelity, resiliency, a healthy sense of creativity, and selflessness within our student body and faculty as characteristics of our service as we labor together in the vineyard of the Lord to bring in a rich harvest.
St. Patrick’s Seminary, in Menlo Park, California
News
CISM Choir in Collaboration with Frank La Rocca and Benedict XVI Institute
The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music was happy to collaborate with the Benedict XVI Institute in an evening of prayer and learning about the situation of Christians persecuted for their faith in China and Hong Kong. The evening began with Exposition and Benediction...
Archived Footage of Fr. Cassian Folsom’s Talk on the History of the Graduale Romanum
The last event of our 2023–2024 Public Lecture and Concert Series was a wonderful lecture by Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B., a foremost historian of books of the Roman rite, and is a preview of some content in his forthcoming book about books of the Roman rite that he is...
Archbishop Cordileone’s Talk at Sacred Music Study Day
Archbishop Cordileone's Talk at our first Sacred Music Study Day on April 20, 2024 was splendid - a great overview of the basics of sacred music from the Church's perspective. Unfortunately we didn't capture a file with great sound quality of the talk, which was given...
Study Day Success!
We held our first annual Sacred Music Study Day yesterday, April 20th. 110 singers from the area joined us, along with a few visitors from Sacramento, Stockton, L.A., and Mexico. Archbishop Cordileone gave a talk on some fundamental principles of sacred music and...
Announcing Summer 2024!
The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California is proud to announce its second summer term. Through the sponsorship of generous donors, we are delighted to be able to offer all courses with FREE TUITION for all applicants...
Entering More Deeply into the Psalms…
We had a great time at Fr. Neu's lecture on Friday evening, "Vox Psalmistæ, Vox Ecclesiæ: A Biblical-Liturgical Study of Sunday Vespers." Did you miss it? Fear not, here it is, archived for your viewing.
Spring 2024 Workshop Series
Join us for three topics, each with their unique audience! Register here for access. Chironomy Basics Mondays, January 29 and February 5, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PST Would you like to develop conducting skills for Gregorian chant that help your choir sing better and...