Liturgical Commission
Key Contacts
Liturgical Commission Chair
Rev. Daniel Merz
573-449-5424
Alphonse J. Schwartze Memorial Catholic Center
2207 West Main St
Jefferson City, MO 65109-0914
Members of the Liturgical Commission
- Rev. Daniel Merz – St. Thomas More Newman Center and Sacred Heart Columbia (pastor); chairman
- Rev. Louis Dorn – retired
- Rev. Jeremy Secrist – St. Peter Parish, Jefferson City (pastor and liaison for the oversight and care of organs)
- Fr. Brad Berhorst, JCL, JV – St. Vincent de Paul, Sedalia (Judicial Vicar, Master of Ceremonies)
- Deacon Enrique Castro – director, diocesan Office of Hispanic and Cross-Cultural Ministry
- Deacon John L. Neudecker – St. Peter Parish, Fulton
- Dr. Andrew Meagher – Director of Music, Cathedral of St. Joseph, Jefferson City
- Kimberley Luebbert – music director, Immaculate Conception, Jefferson City
- Lisa Berendzen - NPM Chapter liaison
- Mark Sievers – Immaculate Conception Parish, St. James (art & environment)
RCIA Subcommittee Members
- Deacon Kenneth Berry- St. Joseph Parish, Edina
- Lisa Rose- St. Thomas More Newman Center, Columbia
Lenten Regulations and Admonitions for 2025
As another Lenten journey of conversion begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025 and ends with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025, the Catholic…
Novena in honor of St. Joseph
Join Bishop W. Shawn McKnight in praying the novena in honor of St. Joseph in preparation for the solemnity on March 20. As patron of our cathedral, our spiritual home,…
Lenten regulations and admonitions for 2023
As another Lenten journey of conversion begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023 and ends with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 6, 2023, the Catholic Church calls all Catholics to a deeper spirit of penance, fasting, almsgiving and prayer, “which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1434 and 1969).
Proper way to dispose of old holy oils
While the revised Code of Canon Law contains specifics on the use of the Holy Oils blessed by the diocesan bishop and distributed at the Chrism Mass, it does not…
Participation Form for Rite of Election 2022
The Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion will be March 6, 2022, at 3 pm. Catechumenate coordinators are asked to complete this form by Dec. 10, 2021, to…
Antiphons workshop
A workshop on how to use antiphons set to music provided by the diocesan chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
Copyright and licensing of liturgical music
The Diocese of Jefferson City has entered into a group agreement with OneLicense, which allows parishes to reprint or project music for the congregation, to podcast or stream services containing this music, or to copy practice-tracks for rehearsal purposes. One License distributes royalties equitably to composers, authors, and publishers.
Diocesan Hymnal Committee
Father Dan Merz, chair of the diocesan Liturgical Commission, explains the work of the diocesan hymnal committee in fostering unity in diversity in liturgical music.
Evaluating Hymn Lyrics
Catholic hymns may have inspiring melodies, but unless the text also communicates the truth of the mystery of faith, they cannot be called beautiful. Beauty is constitutively related to truth. Father Dan Merz, chair of the diocesan Liturgical Commission, reviews guidance from the US bishops on how to evaluate hymn lyrics.
What have the bishops said about hymns at Mass?
On Dec. 10, 2020, the Committee on Doctrine of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a short document entitled, “Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church: An Aid for Evaluating Hymn Lyrics.” Father Daniel Merz, chair of the diocesan Liturgical Commission, unpacks the document.