The St. Gregory Parish Choir History

The first St. Gregory the Great Church and School was founded in 1904 to serve German Catholics on the North Side of Chicago and Father Klasen (later Monsignor), the first pastor, was also the first organist.  On the Feast of the Holy Rosary, October 2, 1904, the first choir of eight men trained by Fr. Klasen sang its first High Mass, and even though they sang the Agnus Dei for the Sanctus, the pastor knew that the St. Gregory tradition of solemn liturgical worship was born on that day.  Ms. Mae Enderlin (later Schiller), Fr. Klasen's niece, became the parish organist in 1905, and was still playing for masses through 1954.  

The original church building was deemed inadequate in size, so ground was broken in 1905 for a combination church and school building.  Archbishop Quigley laid the cornerstone on September 3, 1905 and the building was dedicated for use on April 6, 1906.  In 1906, a "young ladies section" of the choir existed, "in order to be able to sing such compositions that are written exclusively for mixed choirs."  A "boys' section" was attempted, though was not successful.

The current strong brown brick church (the third church building) was built in 1926, and was referred to as "a medieval gem in a modern setting," and unlike the style "of any other church in the New World," by two former Chicago cardinals.  The second church and school building was then used as a gymnasium.  With the new church Mr. John Brodesser became the first paid organist and choir director.  Herman Pedtke succeeded him in the 1930's and later taught on the organ faculty of his alma mater, DePaul University, Chicago.  A tragic fire destroyed the second church and school building on July 13, 1951.  Axel Norder succeeded him from 1954-56 and William Klüh also served the parish from 1956 until August of 1961, when George Hacker became organist.  Hacker was a teacher at the high school and published composer.  Bill Roessler, who remained an additional organist for many years, assisted him by playing for the Saturday mass.  Hacker held the post for 39 years until he retired in 2000, at which point Hacker's former pupil John Hoppe took over.  On March 8, 2003 an electrical fire that began in the choir loft hit the third St. Gregory's Church; a complete restoration was in order.  In the midst of this period of repair in July of 2003, Patrick Godon, our current Director of Music was appointed.  In the three years since then he has doubled the Parish Choir from twenty members with four paid singers to a volunteer choir of over forty members, started a men and women's Gregorian Chant Choir, a Chamber Choir, a concert series, a chamber music ensemble called the International Chamber Artists, has started composing and arranging music regularly for liturgies, and sustained a Youth Choir and the St. Joseph funeral choir.  In December of 2003, on the Third Week of Advent, the altar of the church was rededicated and the church was restored to its original glory.

Under Godon's leadership and commitment to quality, the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir seamlessly blends a wide variety of styles for the liturgies.  The congregation worships with music from both the rich heritage of the Catholic Church and with newly composed psalm settings by Godon, reaffirming the church of today and tomorrow.  The choir sings polyphonic works and Gregorian chant along with the works of Classical, Romantic, and 20th century composers.  The choir sings standard works from various hymnals, but also brings great masterpieces of music to the service of worship by singing ambitious choral works by such composers as Bach, Bruckner, Byrd, Fauré, Gibbons, Handel, Mozart, and many others with great technical and musical excellence.  The choir has sung in six languages not only to observe the original text of the composers but also to emphasize the diversity of the congregation.  The Parish Choir sings for the Sunday 10:30 AM mass from the Feast of St. Gregory (1st week of September) to Corpus Christi.  Each year they are the featured choir at the church's Christmas Festival of Lessons, Lights, and Carols.  The music program makes use of highly trained, young adult musicians who have trained with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago to aid in Sunday mass celebrations, feast day masses, and special liturgies.  Godon will be taking the St. Gregory Parish Choir on tour to Italy in March of 2007, singing in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, and for Pope Benedict XVI at a papal audience.  This is the first time in the church's 102-year history that a choir from this parish has ever gone on a tour.  The choir is a place where longtime and new parishioners can come together.  Some of the members have lived in this neighborhood in excess of 60 years and yet it is also a welcoming environment for new arrivals to the parish.  The youngest choir members are in their twenties and the oldest are in their seventies.  Choir members come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.  Equally important is the training of the singers.  Godon begins each weekly rehearsal with a 20-minute group voice lesson, ensuring the vocal health of each member.  This period of awareness and instruction at the beginning of the rehearsal shows in the sound and morale of the choir.