John Schiavone

Bio

Father John Schiavone is a gifted composer and parish priest who has served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for more than 40 years. A source of his musical inspiration has always been the liturgical life of the Church, at which he regularly presides and preaches. He served for many years as pastor at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Whittier, California.

His collection of liturgical music, We Adore You, O Christ, contains choral anthems, processional songs, responsorial psalms, Mass parts and bilingual settings. His psalm settings from A Lectionary Psalter were used in the second edition of OCP’s Journeysongs hymnal. He builds his melodies along the lines and modes of Gregorian chant. "I want to keep that 'church' sound in my music and, at the same time make it accessible to the average worshiper," he says. His bilingual English-Spanish pieces are often used at diocesan celebrations across the country, especially the Communion hymn "Amén. El Cuerpo de Cristo," which was used in the Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium in 2008.

Father Schiavone recently began a new assignment as pastor at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Long Beach, California.