St. Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, California

Catholic Institute

of Sacred Music

Summer Classes

Graduate-level study structured for busy schedules

Online, in-person, intensive, or term-length course formats

FREE tuition in Summer 2023

Affordable room & board

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Our Classes

History & Principles of 
Sacred Music

May 30 to July 30:
online, asynchronous
July 31 and August 1:
online, synchronous

Latin for Church Musicians: Terminology, Grammar, & Poetry of the Psalms 

Tuesday & Thursday Evenings

June 1 to July 27

Parish Sacred Music Program Management

Wednesday Evenings

May 31 to July 12

Introduction to Gregorian 
Chant

June 26 to 30

Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Approaches to Gregorian Rhythm

Mornings, July 3 to 7

Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Conducting (Chironomy)

Afternoons, July 3 to 7

Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children

July 10 to 14

Choral Institute

July 17 to 21

Composition Seminar: Short Works for Parish Choirs

Mornings, July 17 to 21

Organ Improvisation Seminar

July 17 to 21

The History of the Roman Rite

July 24 to 28

Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Chants of the Divine Office

Afternoons, July 24 to 28

Public Lecture & Concert Series

The Beauty of the Sung Mass

Sunday, February 26, 2023, 4:00 p.m., PST
Lecture, Dr. William P. Mahrt, Stanford University
Sancta Maria Hall at St. Patrick’s Seminary

The Mass: Essence &  Foundation of Western Civilization

Sunday, March 19, 2023, 5:00 p.m., PDT

Lecture, His Excellency, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco
Sancta Maria Hall at St. Patrick’s Seminary

The Marriage of Heaven and Earth: Medieval Reflections Music of St. Hildegard of Bingen, Pérotin, & St. Martial Ms.

Sunday, April 30, 2023, 4:00 p.m., PDT

Concert, Karen Clark, contralto
Jonathan Dimmock, organ/organetto, baritone
Main Chapel at St. Patrick’s Seminary

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Register for Tickets or Streaming
“The Mass: Essence & Foundation of Western Civilization”

A Public Lecture by His Excellency Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco
Public Lecture and Concert Series of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music

Sunday, March 19 at 5:00 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT)
St. Patrick’s Seminary – Sancta Maria Hall
320 Middlefield Rd.
Menlo Park, California
The in-person event will be followed by a reception. Live-streaming of the event is also available. 

The inaugural Public Lecture and Concert series continues with a lecture by our Ordinary entitled “The Mass: Essence & Foundation of Western Civilization.”

Truth, beauty, and goodness come together in the Mass to proclaim the good news of Christ, and reveal to us a plan for our lives.

The in-person event will be followed by a reception. Ample guest parking is available on-site. Live-streaming and archived viewing of the event are also available. Please visit http://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org or http://beautyofthesungmass.eventbrite.com to RSVP. An RSVP is appreciated, but not required. This free event is open to the public.

Workshops

Discover the Ward Method

Join Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka as she presents a free online information session about the method.

Participants will discover answers to the following questions:

  • What is the goal of the Ward Method?
  • What are the basic principles of the Ward Method?
  • What are the elements in a lesson?
  • How can I use the pedagogical methodology in rehearsals with older students and adults to learn chant?

The information session will include a discussion of the method, demonstration videos, and an opportunity for questions and answers.

Archived Access.

Modal Mondays

10 Lessons in Solfège for Reading, Hearing, & Singing Gregorian Chant

Mondays 5:30-6:15 PST, Jan. 23 to March 27

  • Useful Exercises to Improve Your Solfège
  • Using Solfège to Hear and Read Chant Notation, within the Mode
  • Gregorian Chant Analysis with Respect to the Mode
  • & Tips for Teaching Parish Choirs Using Solfège & the Modes

All skill levels welcome.

Sold out!

Our Mission

Founded in 2022, the mission of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music is to draw souls to Jesus Christ through the beauty of sacred music and the liturgy. 

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

For the past 125 years, St. Patrick’s Seminary has successfully prepared men to become Roman Catholic priests in conformity to Christ. Its expansive park-like grounds, historic chapel, modern classrooms, and extensive library provide an ideal environment for prayer, meditation, and study, within close proximity to major urban centers that provide rich field education opportunities. The integrated process of human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation at St. Patrick’s Seminary revolves around our core values of spiritual fatherhood, fidelity, holiness, wisdom, evangelization, resiliency, and compassion. 

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