Father Dave Pivonka, TOR '89 President | Franciscan University website

Franciscan University of Steubenville's Schola Cantorum Franciscana will present a sacred music concert dedicated to St. Joseph, titled "The Guardian." The concert will occur on Friday, April 25, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in downtown Steubenville. A second performance is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, at 1:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania.

The concert will showcase works by composers Arvo Pärt, Eric Whitacre, and Charles Villiers Stanford, alongside compositions by Franciscan's French professor Dr. Timothy Williams and Schola Cantorum director Dr. Vincent E. Rone. Each piece is inspired by traditional perspectives associated with St. Joseph: the spouse, the saint, the servant, and the righteous. The performances are free to attend and open to the public.

Moreover, members of the Franciscan University Women's Choir will join the Archangel Gabriel Parish Choir to provide music for a special Mass in observance of St. Joseph the Worker. This event will be held on Thursday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Holy Trinity Church in Robinson Township.

Originally, Schola Cantorum Franciscana functioned as a liturgical choir, but it has since broadened its mission to display the Catholic Church's religious and liturgical music to new generations. This initiative is part of Franciscan University's Sacred Music Program, a distinctive course of study that includes Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, and the great works across ages. The program offers concentrations in voice or organ for students aiming for graduate music studies or careers as Catholic church musicians, performers, or music ministers.