St. Gregory is blessed with several magnificent musical instruments
Its M. P. Moller organ was recently restored by Fabry Pipe Organs, Inc. It is ready to be expanded and Patrick Godon, our Director of Music, would be overjoyed if donors came forward to help with this cause. There are two chambers on the west wall that are currently empty, and are anxiously awaiting refill. The Church also has a beautiful 6' 4" Boston Grand Piano on the main floor of the Church that you can hear virtually every weekend at Mass. This piano was bought in part with donations from parishioners. The choir loft has a Boston upright piano, also bought with generous gifts from parishioners.
Opportunities to participate in the music program include the Parish Choir, the Young Singers Choir, the St. Joseph Choir, and as an instrumentalist or cantor. All are welcome to join the vibrant music ministries offered at St. Gregory the Great. You are also a participant in the music program if you attend a liturgy at St. Gregory's and sing from the pew with all God gave you. Even if you don't like the voice God gave you, Patrick encourages you to give it back to God at every Mass you attend!
The Parish Choir
The Parish Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM. They sing for the 10:30 AM Sunday mass from September through Corpus Christi. Other Parish Choir responsibilities include singing for the Thanksgiving Day Mass, the Festival of Lights, Lessons, and Carols (near Christmas), and Midnight Mass. The music is chosen from a wide variety of styles.
St. Gregory Young Singers
Ms. Jennifer Sherrill directs St. Gregory Young Singers. She rehearses the choir on Sunday from 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM in the church. The choir sings approximately four times per year at various masses. Jen can be reached at 630-935-5366 or jsherrill1979@yahoo.com. Check out their web site at www.saintgregorysingers.blogspot.com
The St. Joseph Choir
The St. Joseph Choir sings for funerals. They offer comfort with their many voices to those who have lost a loved one. Members are generally retired and happy to help those in need as ambassadors of the parish.
Cantoring
Currently our cantors alternate between the three weekend Masses. Cantors lead the assembly in song and encourage all to sing. Anyone interested should please see the choir website for more details.
Instrumentalists are welcome
Patrick Godon began playing in a parish that had numerous pianists playing for the Masses, and would like to see this take off at St. Gregory's at some point. If you have ever played for Mass before and enjoy doing so, please contact Patrick at the Parish Center - 773-561-3546. Also, if you play an instrument and are interested in playing for Mass in some capacity, contact Patrick to discuss opportunities.
For more information about the Parish Choir, go to http://stgregorychoir.weebly.com/. If you are interested in joining any of the oppoortunities available in our music program, contact Patrick at the Parish Center, 773-561-3546 or pgodon@stgregory.net.
Patrick Godon, St. Gregory the Great's Director of Music
Patrick Godon, received his Master's (2003) and Bachelor's Degrees (2001) in piano performance from DePaul University. He studied with Mary Sauer, principal keyboardist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Patrick Godon made his debut as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in May of 2007, playing one of the solo piano parts along with Mary Sauer in Colin McPhee's "Tabuh-Tabuhan; Toccata for Orchestra and Two Pianos", with Alan Gilbert conducting. Patrick had his debut in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra(CSO) in the summer of 2003, playing with them twice at the Ravinia Festival. He is currently the second keyboardist with the CSO.
In 2008, Patrick began performing as orchestral keyboardist with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra, and in 2010 with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. He also plays with the MusicNOW ensemble, members of the CSO, which performs at Orchestra Hall. A nine-year member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Patrick served as principal pianist from 2002-2007. Patrick is in demand in the Chicago area as a solo and collaborative pianist. In July of 2011, Patrick became the Music Director of Tower Chorale, based out of Western Springs. The Tower Chorale is an 80 voice choir and has three concerts throughout the year: a Christmas concert, a masterworks concert, and a pops concert. Discover more at www.towerchorale.org.
Patrick Godon is artistic director and pianist for the International Chamber Artists (ICA), a chamber music ensemble that he founded in 2006. ICA showcases a diverse group of professional musicians and supports musical organizations through collaborations and financial support. Through educational components during performances, ICA seeks to sustain the future of classical music audiences. ICA performs a series of 5 concerts at St. Gregory the Great Church, and also has been featured on WFMT, at the Chicago Cultural Center, St. James Cathedral, the Belden Stratford Hotel, and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Discover more about this exciting ensemble at www.ICAmusic.org.
He was formally the Music Director for the DePaul University Student Night Mass from 1999-2003. Since July 2003 Patrick has been the Director of Music at St. Gregory the Great Church, where he composes and arranges a variety of music for liturgies. He has led the parish choir on performance tours of Italy, Greece, Turkey, Louisiana, and Ireland. Patrick regularly records demo CDs as pianist and organist for World Library Publications and for the Gregorian Institute of America, which are sent to church musicians nationwide. He is from Fargo, North Dakota, son of Maurice and Kathy Godon, and is one of six children. He and his wife Keri are the proud parents of Gilbert Maurice, born May 30, 2009, Oliver Joel, born February 10, 2012 and Atticus Patrick born November 20, 2016. In his spare moments, he enjoys pondering the meaning of life and supporting the arts.