Director of Sacred Music and Organist – Saint Anselm School

St. Anselm Church Ross, CA Marin County
Position Description
Title: Director of Sacred Music and Organist (For immediate employment)
Status: Nonexempt (FLSA Nonexempt, Level N-5) $103.05- $145.09 per hour, depending on experience. Approximately 3.5 – 5 hours per week (or more with the start of a school choir and during preparations for Christmas and Easter).
Reports To: Pastor
Collaborates With: School Principal
Position Summary
St. Anselm Catholic Church in the Ross Valley of Marin, CA, with K-8 school, seeks a director of music and organist to implement a liturgical music program consistent with the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings on music. A primary goal of this position will be to develop the existing choral program at St. Anselm Church and to be a resource for St. Anselm School towards building a children’s choir in collaboration with the principal. This position would be ideal for a first-time director of sacred music who is open to learning and desires to teach. Interested candidates are to send their application/resume to our search team via AdminAssistant@SaintAnselm.org.
Key Responsibilities
• Plan, select, and prepare appropriate hymns, chants, and sacred music that reflect the liturgical readings and seasons.
• Provide music for all parish liturgies, including Sundays, holy days of obligation, weddings, funerals, and other special liturgies as directed by the Pastor. Special liturgies will be arranged, as much as possible, during periodic calendar sessions so the musician has adequate time to plan.
o Our Sunday Mass Schedule is: Saturday 5:00 pm, Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.
o Our Holy Day of Obligation schedule is 8:30 am, 11:00 am and 5:00 pm
o We have a monthly school mass at 11:00 am
o We typically have 3-6 weddings each year, and these pay $250 above the salary per wedding.
o We typically have about 9-16 funerals each year, and these pay $250 above the salary per funeral.
• Disposed to be part of the Pastor’s team, oversees, coordinates, and manages all choirs in close collaboration with the Pastor. Recruits develop and retain choir members. Establish new choirs as needed.
• Supervises cantors and prepares the music repertoire for cantors and adult choirs.
• Promote active participation of the faithful in the musical elements of the liturgy in harmony with Church teaching.
• Integrates prayer and the Catholic faith into the Parish choral program. Provides spiritual reflections before rehearsal and Mass.
• Organizes music workshops, courses, and events.
• Ensure that all musical selections are singable, capable of sounding good, aligning with the Church’s liturgical norms, and supporting the dignity of the Mass.
• Disposed to be part of the Pastor’s team in fundraising specifically for the music program.
• Support school faculty and staff in integrating sacred music into our parochial school’s spiritual and academic life.
• Develop an after-school program for young singers from the school and other groups in the parish.
Qualifications
• Practicing Catholic or one who commits to fully embrace the teachings and moral doctrine of the Catholic Church as expressed in Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
• Degree in voice, organ, music education, sacred music, or equivalent experience in parish and/or Catholic school settings.
• Proficiency in voice, organ, and piano.
• Familiarity with and love for the Church’s treasury of sacred music, including Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony.
• Choral conducting skills, strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
Benefits Included
Besides the benefits approved by the archdiocese for this position, the parish is invested in the development of our employees, and this position may take up to 10 days off, excluding Sundays, in the summer for documentable continuing education opportunities.
Other Requirements
• Must pass all required background checks and complete diocesan safe environment training.
• Availability for weekend Masses, Holy Days, and occasional evening events.
• Flexibility to meet the liturgical and academic calendars of the parish and school.
• Availability to start not later than August 1, 2025 (A July 2025 start date is desired).

Notice of Non-discrimination:
In line with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, all employees of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shall be employed without regard to race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin and will be considered for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories.