Participation Requirements
1. All ensembles are audition-only.
2. All participants must complete Safe Environment (VIRTUS) training administered by the Archdiocese of Detroit, either online or in person via Zoom.
Click “Register for Protecting God’s Children Training” on the top left of the AOD website menu.
3. Participation is subject to the Archdiocese of Detroit Code of Volunteer Conduct.
4. Singers under age 18 require a signed parental consent form prior to participation.
Protecting God’s Children training is valid for three years and the background check for two; a singer whose training is more than three years old is out of compliance until it is renewed.
1 · Where do I go to sign in to VIRTUS?
Sign in at www.virtusonline.org (top of the page: Sign in — User ID / Password). Forgot them? Use username / password recovery, or call the VIRTUS Helpdesk at 888-847-8870 (helpdesk@virtus.org).
2 · Do I need to set up a new VIRTUS account?
No. Everyone who has ever completed a Protecting God’s Children session — even as far back as 2002, at any parish — already has an account, and the Archdiocese asks that you not create a second one. Recover the old sign-in instead. If your account belongs to another parish or diocese, email music@sjsmusic.org and the Director of Music will ask the Archdiocese to move it to St. Joseph Shrine.
3 · How do I sign up for refresher training?
The Archdiocese offers two ways to renew:
Finish by emailing your new certificate to music@sjsmusic.org; your new three-year period starts from the date on it. Members can check their own status under the VIRTUS tab of the Member Portal. Policy: AOD Safe Environment — Recertification for current adult employees and volunteers.
The Program at a Glance
Five ensembles on three levels. Singers commonly serve in more than one, and the children’s choirs feed the adult ensembles as voices mature. Click any ensemble to read its full description.
The Gregorian Chant Schola supports the full breadth of sung and solemn Masses throughout the Liturgical Year, singing exclusively Gregorian chant according to the Solesmes Method — consistent with its application throughout the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
Academic studies are pursued through Laus in Ecclesia Vols. 1 & 2. Concurrent enrollment in the polyphonic choirs is welcomed and encouraged.
Open to laymen, candidates, and visiting seminarians of the ICKSP.
Schedule: Regular rehearsals throughout the year; specific days/times announced seasonally.
The parish adult mixed choir, singing a full SATB repertoire at the principal Masses of the liturgical year. Fall season: September 9, 2026 – January 6, 2027 (Epiphany). Spring season: January 26 – May 27, 2027 (Corpus Christi).
Annual highlights include the Christmas Midnight Mass, Easter Sunday, and larger choral productions. Singers new to formal choral training are welcome — formation in musical literacy is part of the rehearsal program.
7:00–8:30 pm · St. Joseph Shrine
18 weeks · 17 rehearsals (no rehearsal on major feasts; Epiphany closes the season)
18 weeks · 14 rehearsals (none on Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Easter Week, or Whitsun Ember Wednesday; Corpus Christi closes the season)
Sacred Polyphony and Hymnody
Mixed Voices · Young Adults & Graduates · Ages 16–30
A mixed choir for young adults and graduates of the Magnificat Children's Choir and St. Philip Neri Boys' Choir (ages 16–30). The ensemble is dedicated to the polyphonic choral tradition at its most demanding — 4–8 part compositions by Palestrina, Victoria, Mozart, Handel, Byrd, Vierne, and Morales.
The St. Joseph Chamber Choir sings select Sundays and high feasts. Rehearsal and performance schedules will be developed after the roster is assembled, in a way that maximizes attendance.
Boys & Girls · Ages 7–17 · Concurrent with Homeschool Co-op Calendar
Directed by Deidre and Maria Collins, the Magnificat Children's Choir is for boys and girls ages 7–17 and provides a complete musical formation. When a boy's voice changes (around age 13) he joins the St. Philip Neri Boys' Choir — a branch of this choir — where he continues to support the tenor and bass parts of the Magnificat's SATB music while developing his voice among peers. Emphasis is placed on the choral fundamentals that serve a singer throughout life: sight-reading, solfège, pronunciation, phrasing, and four-part harmony.
Rehearsal schedule runs concurrently with the homeschool co-op calendar, making it an ideal complement for homeschooling families already connected to the Shrine community.
Enrollment in the homeschool co-op is not a prerequisite for entry into this ensemble.
Concurrent with homeschool co-op
Boys whose voices have changed · Ages ~13–17 · A branch of the Magnificat Children’s Choir
Directed by Harold Rutila, the St. Philip Neri Boys' Choir is for boys whose voices have changed — roughly ages 13–17. It is a branch of the Magnificat Children's Choir, with a targeted focus on vocal pedagogy for young men: it gives boys their own space to develop vocally, surrounded by peers going through the same change.
The boys support the tenor and bass parts of the Magnificat Children's Choir's SATB music, and are also featured as their own choir throughout the year.
The choir is designed so that boys can serve concurrently as altar servers: their singing skills are put to use when they are not scheduled to be on the altar. Young men aging out are encouraged to continue into the St. Joseph Chamber Choir and/or the Gregorian Chant Schola.
Schedule runs concurrently with the homeschool co-op calendar.
Enrollment in the homeschool co-op is not a prerequisite for entry into this ensemble.
Concurrent with homeschool co-op