Meet New Musical Director Brian Bogdanowitz: Blessed to Share Talents with God and Parish

Brian Bogdanowitz stepped into the role of Music Director for the parish at the beginning of March. Since beginning this position, he musically guided the church through the Lenten season and prepared for Holy Week. He has also gathered volunteers to sing in the choir and to cantor for Masses.

Raised in a Polish Catholic family along with his brother, Brian understood that the Church was a very important part of his life from a young age.

“Being Polish, our faith was a big part of our family,” Brian says. “We went to Mass all the time, whether you felt good or not — you went. The church was an essential part of my life.”

He began playing music when he was 12 and taught himself how to play the piano. In college, he studied piano, organ, and voice as his major.

“I would go to church and hear the pipe organ being played, and the music was so intense and so beautiful,” Brian says. “I asked my parents if I could learn the piano because at the time I didn’t know anything about the organ. When we went to the music store, I saw the beautiful organs with two keyboards and all the buttons and I told my parents that was what I wanted to play. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”

As the Music Director, Brian will be responsible for everything related to music in the parish — from Masses to funerals and everything in between. Brian says that he is most excited to minister to his fellow parishioners with his music.

“The priest gives the people the spoken words of God and I give them the music,” Brian says. “The spoken word touches people’s intellect. But my music touches their emotions. Musically, it can move you to tears and happiness, so it is a very important ministry for me. And I pick out the music to go along with the holy days or spoken word specifically.”

Brian is very excited to take on this role in the parish and is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the parish to life with his music. He hopes that as Music Director, he can help touch parishioners’ lives and bring them to a whole new level of the faith.

Brian Bogdanowitz stepped into the role of Music Director for the parish at the beginning of March.