John-Mark
Missio

He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto in 1996, and after serving in two parishes he was called to be Associate Director of the Saint Michael Choir School in 2003. He had previously undertaken studies at the Liturgical Institute (Mundelein). In 2004, Fr. Missio was appointed Director of the choir school.

Saint Michael's Choir School was founded in 1937 by Fr. John Edward Ronan to facilitate the training of a boys' choir for Saint Michael's Cathedral. The official name of the school at the time was Cathedral Schola Cantorum. On May 17, 1955, St. Michael's Choir School was accorded an affiliation with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome -- only six other choirs and choir schools in the world share this privilege.

Three schools in one, elementary, secondary and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music (PISM) share facilities, faculty and a common purpose, the service of God through liturgical music. Boys of different ages interact with each other; classroom doors are open; students and faculty know each other by name, and parents are welcomed as active partners in the educational process.

Choir School students have unique responsibilities. They sing at over 200 masses in Saint Michael's Cathedral during the school year and act as organist, cantors, and floor workers for the National Television Mass, which is broadcast daily from the Cathedral. During Lent, the boys provide the music for the weekday noon masses and during Holy Week, the choirs sing 8 out of 9 days beginning on Palm Sunday. The boys also provide music for 30 to 50 funerals annually and at other celebrations held at the Cathedral and throughout the Archdiocese. In addition to all of these responsibilities, all students study piano and theory with the option to study organ, so that they can serve as parish musicians after they graduate. The students also share their music with a wider audience through recordings, media appearances and annual concert tours.

• Canticle of the Lamb CNP Catalog # 3110