The congregation of Our Lady of Peace Parish, Williamstown, recently celebrated two milestones in their faith journey: Its adult choir marked a half-century of sung praise, and choir mainstay Jon Agresta was feted for a fruitful 75 years as a music minister.
During a Sunday Mass and reception in the parish’s Assumption Hall last month, Agresta and the choir were recognized for their longstanding dedication to music with a letter by Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan and a proclamation from Monroe Township Mayor Gregory A. Wolfe.
Father Sanjai Devis, VC, pastor, read the Bishop’s letter, which acknowledged the decades of hard work exhibited by the musicians and that “Our Lady of Peace is ‘a singing parish’ due to the talents of Jon and the choir.”
He wrote, “They have taught the church family of Our Lady of Peace the joy of worshipping the Lord through music. They have connected the parishioners with God through their music ministry. What a gift they have given.”
The choir is helmed by Joachim Cendana, pastoral associate for music and worship, communication and outreach. An alumnus of the parish’s Saint Mary School and member of the music ministry for about 13 years, he is responsible for the children and adult choirs, a folk group and numerous instrumentalists. Cendana is quick to credit the clergy as partners in his leadership.
“Ever since I started, Father Sanjai and all the priests have been extremely supportive,” he said. “They are open to hearing suggestions. [They] realize music has the ability to lift hearts and minds, and allow a full breadth of expression of human experience and enrich our relationship with God. We inspire people to give their gifts, not for ourselves, but for the glory of God.”
As for the musicians themselves, Cendana stated, “Their immediate feedback is we hear the people singing. It is part of our culture here. We must continue to improve our craft; our greatest value is to aid people in their praise.”
Agresta’s service in the Our Lady of Peace Parish music ministry began 75 years ago when he was pressed into service to play an old reed organ at the 9 a.m. Saint Mary School Mass held in the church basement. He was 11 years old.
“The keys kept getting stuck when I was playing, but my friends hid in the back and pushed them up for me,” he recalled with a chuckle. “I wasn’t nervous because it was a very singing church. All fear left me.”
Agresta later was coaxed to rearrange his schedule to become the school’s new music teacher … while he was still enrolled as a student at Glassboro High School. His term as an adult choir director was paused after institution of the liturgical reforms of Vatican II; the choir was reconvened in 1974 and often served as the de facto Camden diocesan choir, singing for church dedications, ordinations and the retirement Mass for Bishop George H. Guilfoyle.
Membership has swelled to about 15 children and 30 adults, and the groups minister each Sunday from September to June as well as for Christmas, Easter and special liturgies.
Agresta retired in early 2023 – in name only, since he assists Cendana as choir director. Reflecting upon his long, illustrious career in church music, the musician said, “I have been very fortunate. It has been a privilege working with talented people, and a beautiful experience leading prayer in song. The congregation’s feedback is amazing.”
Other choir members are eager to sing the praises of their membership and ministry.
Ronnie Adams has sung alto in the choir since 1974. “I started the choir’s second week,” she said, adding that music ministry had impacted her in many ways.
“Choir put me in another world, and it has gotten me through some hard times,” Adams said. She serves as the choir music librarian and assists Cendana in selecting the lineup of choir hymns and octavos for Sunday Masses.
“God gave me a gift to sing, and choir helps me give it back. It is a ministry,” explained tenor Matt Duffy, a member since 1982. “We have always had a singing congregation; sometimes people sing along with me when I sing a solo, or come up to me afterward and say, ‘I want you to sing that at my funeral.’”
Bishop Sullivan’s letter to the Our Lady of Peace choir echoed their sentiments.
“We live in a world of talented and gifted people, yet some have no thought of offering these gifts in service to the Lord. Jon and the choir have freely chosen to do so by offering their singing voices and musical talents to the people of this wonderful parish.”
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