Meet Jack Markley, Our New Director Of Liturgy And Music

If you ask Jack Markley how long he has been a musician, he will tell you that he can’t remember a time when he didn’t know how to read music.

Our new Director of Liturgy and Music here at St. Jude Catholic Church comes from a family of musicians and has himself played almost every instrument at one time or another, though the organ remains his standout favorite. An Indiana native, Jack has served as a church musician up and down the East Coast, in Catholic parishes spanning from Connecticut to South Carolina.

Jack arrived as Director of Liturgy and Music at St. Jude at the beginning of March, bringing this wealth of experience from various parishes with him. He has already met many gifted musicians in our parish and is enthusiastic about what the future holds for our Music Ministry. As pandemic restrictions begin to ease, Jack looks forward to getting our five choirs up and running once more. He also hopes to establish a handbell choir and a small orchestra, consisting of a brass quintet and a group of strings and woodwinds.

Jack’s exciting plans for the expansion of music ministry in our parish reflect the important role that music plays in the Catholic Church.

“When you look at the liturgy and count how much time we have the readings, spoken prayers or the dialogue with the priest and how much time we spend singing, it’s almost equal,” Jack says. “It is designed that way. So, the participation of the community in the music is absolutely vital to enjoying the entire Mass. The music brings a solemnity to the whole Mass, a sense of the sacred from heaven down to us.”

While music is certainly integral to the liturgical experience here at St. Jude, many other things must happen behind the scenes to ensure that our Masses run smoothly. In addition to leading our Music Ministry, Jack oversees the liturgical celebrations in our parish by setting up for morning Mass, training and coordinating our lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and making sure that everything in the church environment is liturgically proper and in order.

“In the Catholic Church, so much happens in the Mass,” Jack says. “There are little things that you don’t even think of, from Father walking down and venerating the altar to thefinal prayer. There are so many little pieces that fit together, and each one becomes so important to the overall flow of the liturgy.”

Both in his personal and professional life, Jack has witnessed the abundant spiritual benefits that come from greater participation in the liturgy. He would encourage all the faithful to prayerfully consider becoming more active in their faith life.

“The building is not the church, it’s the people,” he says. “Getting more involved can completely change you. I was one of those people in high school and college that would just go to Mass and sit there. I wasn’t involved in the Mass — I just went as a communicant. Now that I’m involved, it has completely changed my life. I have a much more profound respect and love for the liturgy because I know what it does and what it gives me on a day-to-day basis.”

Happy to be back in his home state and — most especially — to have landed here at St. Jude, Jack finds much to be thankful for in our parish community.

“Fr. Peter is the best boss I’ve ever had,” he says. “He’s the first priest who has said ‘thank you’ to me, and that is huge. I just absolutely love St. Jude. It’s everything I could have ever hoped that the Roman Catholic Church would be. I’m the one that receives the blessings — just to come here to work every day is magnificent.”

We are thrilled to have Jack join our staff at St. Jude this year and look forward to seeing the many blessings that his vast experience and love of the liturgy are sure to bring our parish!

Are you interested in serving our parish in the Music Ministry or one of our liturgical ministries? Please contact Jack Markley at jmarkley@stjudeindy.org or 317-786-4371.

St. Jude’s new Director of Liturgy and Music, Jack Markley