A vehicle for sustaining and elevating the sacred music ministry of St. Joseph Shrine through philanthropy, formation, and community.
The Detroit Sacred Music Foundation (DSMF) is a non-profit organization being established to provide dedicated philanthropic infrastructure for the choral and musical programs of St. Joseph Shrine. While the Shrine itself is a parish community of faith, the DSMF exists as a distinct entity to attract donors, grants, and partnerships specifically in support of the sacred music mission.
The DSMF will operate exclusively in service to St. Joseph Shrine. Its mission is singular: to ensure that the liturgical music of the Shrine — its choirs, its repertoire, its formation programs, and its physical resources — can flourish in perpetuity, independent of the ordinary financial pressures facing any parish.
Sacred music in the Catholic tradition is not merely a performance or an enhancement. It is, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, "a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy." The DSMF exists because that conviction deserves institutional support.
To advance traditional Catholic formation and culture through the ministry of sacred music, in exclusive service to St. Joseph Shrine and its liturgical programs.
These capital initiatives would transform the capacity and sustainability of the sacred music program at St. Joseph Shrine.
The Detroit Sacred Music Foundation will be accepting expressions of interest from potential donors, volunteers, and partners as it completes the process of formal incorporation. If you share the vision of a thriving sacred music program at St. Joseph Shrine, we would love to hear from you.
Express Interest →The DSMF is currently forming. Tax-exempt status (501(c)(3)) is pending. All communications are with the founding director.
The Foundation's three capital priorities address the facility, instrument, and performance environment needs of the Music Program.
A dedicated facility for the Music Program would house weekly choir rehearsals, private lessons, instrument storage, and a secured child care center for singers with young families — returning the choir loft to its original purpose as a performance space exclusively.
Rehearsing in the choir loft disrupts the tranquility of the church, must be suspended whenever the clergy are chanting their offices, and currently limits what can be accomplished in a given session. A purpose-built rehearsal space would provide focused, distraction-free formation and allow for a higher standard of vocal training.
The facility would also support private voice and instrument lessons — instruction that is entirely unsuitable in the choir loft — equipped with digital pianos and organs, studio-quality microphones, and acoustic instruments in a supportive, acoustically appropriate environment.
The secured child care center is not incidental to this project — it is central to it. Without accessible child care, the choir cannot draw from the generation of young Catholic families now active at the Shrine. That gap affects both the present quality and the long-term vitality of the program.
Ralph & Bettye Bailey Hall, home of Purdue Musical Organizations at Purdue University, completed in 2014 — the final year of Director of Music Harold Rutila's time with the organization.
The 153,000 sq. ft. facility was constructed with $7.6M in private donations. It features rehearsal rooms, lounges, study areas, a music library, and environmentally controlled instrument storage — a model for the long-term preservation of sacred instruments.
View Bailey Hall →The current instrument — the Joseph A. Schulte Centennial Organ — was last renovated in the 1970s under significant financial constraints. It will require extensive renovation within the next ten years.
This fund supports two objectives: regular annual maintenance of the current instrument to preserve its playability, and long-range preparation for an eventual overhaul and replacement.
The next instrument will be designed to maximize available space for singers and musicians in the choir loft, which is currently constrained by a chest design occupying approximately 60% of the available floor area. A proper instrument for this church is no modest undertaking — the program will not begin that project until all funds are committed and secured.
A full description of the organ's history and stop list is forthcoming. The Director of Music is currently preparing documentation on the instrument's provenance and specification.
Full organ page coming soon.