Our History

The following is an informal history of NPM Metuchen, NJ as recalled by long-time chapter members Joan Best Seamon, Bill Berg and Dan Mahoney. - December 30, 2024.

Founding

The Metuchen Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Association was founded in January 1982, with Fr. Florian J. Gall as the temporary Director. Fr. Tom Dzurenda of St. Joseph Church in Raritan actually paid the original Chapter Registration fee of $89 out of his own pocket, according to his music director at the time, Bill Berg .

As noted in the minutes of a November 1982 meeting, original board and chapter members included Fr. Bob Decker, Barbara Ryan, Lee Barna, Dan Mahoney, Peter Cebulka, Fr. Florian Gall, Joan Best, Alice Lech, Bill Isele, Marcella Lorah, Fr. Mark Dolak, Brian Bogdanovich, Anita Martin, Joe Rademacher, Maryanne Baraniecki, Bernard Mueller, Lois Mueller, Ron Fabry, and Larry Lasko.

Early Events

One of the first planned events was a hymn festival at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Milltown with Erik Routley in 1982. That was followed by a Festival of Singing Children, conducted by Helen Kemp at Princeton University Chapel in 1982.

1983 Regional Convention

In 1983, Metuchen NPM hosted an NPM Regional Convention at the Hyatt in New Brunswick. A torrential rainstorm occurred during one of our events at Voorhees Chapel on the Douglass College campus. While waiting for the storm to pass, organist Joe Rademacher played several John Rutter selections for us all to sing until we could proceed to our waiting busses.

DMMD

Metuchen NPM members Dan Mahoney and Barbara Ryan, and National Board members Mike McMahon, Fred Molleck and Fr. Virgil Funk helped establish the original DMMD – Directors of Music Ministry Division.

2008 Regional Convention

The Chapter hosted another regional convention in 2008 entitled “In the Midst of Change,” at the Hilton Hotel in East Brunswick. The Convention committee was composed of Barbara Sanderman, William Berg, Fr. George Farrell, Joan Seamon, Jill Szabo, Dan Mahoney, Maria Gavilanes, and Ann Marie Izzo. Diocesan Director of Music Thom DeLessio conducted the music for the convention Liturgy, which included local composer Gerard Chiusano’s Mass of the Holy Angels.

More Special Events

Other special events include:

  • A workshop entitled “Here We Are to Here I Am, Lord” at St James Church in Woodbridge.

  • The premiere of the hymn Gather Us In at a Mass for Musicians celebrated by Bishop Edward T. Hughes.

  • Yearly Masses for Musicians, to which we invited National NPM Directors Virgil Funk, Mike McMahon and Fr. Richard Hilgartner, which continued for some time.

  • Workshops for cantors, singers, sight-singing, handbells, ensemble playing, liturgy planning, Gregorian chant, organ improvisation, finding peace in silence and song. Presenters have included Matthew LaPine, John Nowick, Joe Cullinan, Sr. Sandy DiMasi, Janet De Freitas, Giuliana Sforza, Daria Dragon, Joe Cullinan, Megan Fitch, Meredith Dean Augustin, and Msgr. Joseph Celano.

  • Many yearly choral festivals with the Diocese of Trenton NPM Chapter at St. Joseph Seminary in Princeton.

  • Fr. Ricky Manalo presenting “The Liturgy of Life” in 2022.

  • Choral reading sessions with Jennifer Pasqual, Phillip Stopford, Tom Shelton, and Mary Beth Kunde Anderson.

  • Events to celebrate the Feast of St. Cecilia hosted by various parishes including Our Lady of Mount Virgin in Middlesex, St, Charles Borromeo in Montgomery, and St. Augustine of Canterbury in Kendall Park.

  • A successful Summer Choral Festival hosted by Jim Cole at Our Lady of Lourdes in Whitehouse Station in summer of 2024.

Chapter Directors

NPM Metuchen chapter directors have included Fr. Florian Gall, Barbara Ryan, Fr. Peter Cebulka, Thom DeLessio, Doris Kempton, Justin Connors, Dan Mahoney, Bill Berg, Chris Deibert, Barbara Sanderman, and Megan Fitch.

Board Members Through the Years

Other board members over the years have included Edna Arguello Hitchner, Dee Savare, Anne Mari Izzo, Maria Gavilanes, Cheryl Manfredonia, Anthony Nardino, Fr. George Farrell, Tony Varas, Thom DeLessio, Sharon Wildnauer, Mary Foy, Joan Best Seamon, Suzanne Gallic, Sandy Hayes-Licitra, Bill Alford, Jean Lyons, David Jules, Joe Cullinan, Fr. Tim Eck, Jim Cole, Mike Burns, and Tara Freeland Smith.

The chapter lost three active board members around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic – none to COVID. They were Ann Marie Izzo (Apr. 2020), Jill Szabo (Nov. 2021) and Mike Burns (Jan. 2022).

Other Friends

Other friends of NPM Metuchen not to be forgotten: Msgr. Mike Allegro, Fr. Rich Lyons, Bill Atwood, Mitch Wesinger, Fr. Tom Serafin, Sr. Mary Gomolka, Anita DiSorbo, and all of the Metuchen pastoral musicians who have attended the NPM national conventions so regularly over the years, such as Eileen Casazza, Aaron Brown, Jay Vince Cruz, Marie Costigan, and too many more to mention!