"Liturgical musicians are first of all disciples, and only then are they ministers.  Joined to Christ through the Sacraments of Initiation, musicians belong to the assembly of the baptized faithful; they are worshipers above all else.  like other baptized members of the assembly, pastoral musicians need to hear the Gospel, experience conversion, profess faith in Christ, and so proclaim the praise of God. Thus, musicians who serve the Church at prayer are not merely employees or volunteers.  They are ministers who share the faith, serve the community, and express the love of God and neighbor through music."
Sing to the Lord-Music in Divine Worship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, #49

To learn more about Music Ministry at Holy Trinity, please read below, or click one of these links to jump to that subject.

Liturgical Choir Schedule at Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity Choirs
Organs in the Church and Chapel
 

 Liturgical Choir Schedule at Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity’s Music Ministry serves the Parish through participation in the weekly liturgies as well as special events scheduled during the year.

The music ministry brings song to six of seven liturgies each weekend in addition to providing music for feast days, special liturgies, wedding celebrations and funeral liturgies.

The weekend liturgies include:

• Saturday 5:30 p.m. Vigil with organ and cantor;
• Sunday 9:00 a.m. Church Mass with various instruments, cantor and Loyola Ensemble;
• Sunday 9:00 a.m. Theater Mass with piano, guitar, cantor, and Theater Ensemble;
• Sunday 11:30 a.m. Solemn Mass with organ, cantor and Ignatian Choir;
• Sunday 1:15 p.m. Mass with organ and cantor;
• Sunday 5:30 p.m. Mass with piano, guitar, flute, and contemporary choir.
• Sunday 7:15 p.m. Young Adult Community (YAC) Mass in the St. Ignatius Chapel with YAC choir (Once a month)
• Sunday 9:00 a.m. Youth Mass in the St. Ignatius Chapel with Youth Ensemble-Instrumentalists and singers  (Once a month)
•   

Holy Trinity Choirs

Holy Trinity Children's Choir: This choir supports and enhances sung liturgy one Sunday a month at the 9 am Theater Mass.    All children in Grades 4-6 are invited to sing in this liturgical choir.  The choir sings liturgical music and unison and 2-part choral anthems.  Rehearsals are Saturdays, 4:15-5:15 pm in the Neale Room.

Holy Trinity Youth Ensemble: This choir ministers musically 2 times a month: the first Sunday of the month at the 9 am Mass, rotating monthly between Church and Theater, and at the regular Youth Mass, held in the St. Ignatius Chapel at 9 am.   The ensemble of open to all 7th-12th graders.   The ensemble includes singers, guitar, violin, cello, flute, clarinet and percussion.  Rehearsals are Mass Sundays at 8:15 am in the Chapel.

Holy Trinity Loyola Ensemble:  This ensemble ministers at the 9 am Mass in the Church, as well as the Theater, and is comprised of both singers and guitarists.  Their repertoire includes the 9 am liturgical music as well as special choral music encompassing all styles.   The ensemble rehearses Tuesday evenings from
7:15 -8:30 pm in the St. Ignatius Chapel and Sunday mornings at 8:00 am, prior to Mass, in the Neale Room.

Holy Trinity Ignatian Choir:  This choir supports and enhances the music at the 11:30 am Mass.   Their repertoire encompasses all styles of music, from chant and Renaissance motets to 20th century anthems,  sung a cappella or with organ accompaniment. They rehearse Thursday evenings in the Neale Room from 7:30 to 9:30 pm and Sunday mornings at 10:30 am, prior to Mass. 

Holy Trinity Contemporary Ensemble: This group leads the worship at the 5:30 pm Sunday Mass.  Their repertoire is basically contemporary and is accompanied by piano, guitar and other instruments.   They rehearse Sundays in the Church prior to Mass.

Organs in the Church & Chapel

The Historic 1925 Skinner Organ in Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church is blessed to have a 1925 E.M Skinner organ, one of the finest of its era. The instrument went through a five-year renovation and expansion program between 1995 and 2000.
Organ in the Church

This historic instrument was originally installed in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress until it was brought to Holy Trinity in 1955. Contracts were signed in 1995 with the Lively-Fulcher Organ Company to rebuild/refurbish and enlarge the instrument.

In the summer of 1996, the company replaced the failing wind chests of the great and choir divisions of the organ. The swell and pedal wind chests were in good repair.

In the fall of 1997, Lively-Fulcher revoiced and tonally regulated the entire instrument, which over the years, had been worked on and added to by various organ builders. The work brought the organ into one cohesive tonal ensemble.

In the summer of 1999, a much-needed new console was installed. This new console had the stop preparations for the additions that were to come.

Finally, in the spring of 2000, those additions became a reality. Included were five new stops to the pedal division including a full-length 32' pedal reed, and a walker digital 32' bourdon. Other additions included a 4' reed on the swell, a 16' bourdon on the great, a tierce on the choir and a solo "Festive Trumpet".

Now complete, this historic organ has 50 ranks over 4 divisions and over 2,500 pipes. It is a versatile instrument, capable of playing the majority of organ repertoire, and perfectly suited to lead Catholic liturgy.

The Visser Tracker Organ in The Chapel of Saint Ignatius Loyola

Organ in the Chapel in November 1999, His Eminence, Cardinal Hickey, blessed the Chapel of Saint Ignatius Loyola. This Chapel was the original church of Holy Trinity, the oldest place of continuous Catholic Worship in the District of Columbia, built in 1792.

The original church went through many evolutions after the main church was built in the mid-nineteenth century. The refurbished chapel is now used for three daily masses, as well as weddings, funerals and other liturgical celebrations.

In the spring of 2000 the Visser & Associates Organ Company of Houston, Texas installed a new pipe organ designed for this new Chapel.

The instrument is a nine-stop tracker organ over two manuals and pedal. It is completely self-contained on a movable platform for versatility in the space.