Music builds community by uplifting and uniting people as they thank, praise, and worship God, raising their voices together in song and prayer.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains has a rich tradition of providing sacred music under the leadership of talented music directors like Sir John Fehring, Hal Thomkins, and Anthony DiCello, who each contributed to the liturgies’ quality over the years. Matthew Geerlings has served as director of music for the Cathedral Basilica and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati since July 2020. Assisted by Blake Callahan, organist, Geerlings conducts an outstanding choir of trained singers.

“I’m responsible for anything musically that happens in the liturgical life of the cathedral day in and day out,” Geerlings explained. “My primary role is to do the music planning, including all of the daily Masses. That goes back to the founding of the cathedral; there is always music at daily Mass.”

He described his ministry as a “profound gift and responsibility. It’s a reminder that the art of music really is a gift from heaven. When we think about all of the significant times in our lives as Catholics, from the beginning of life until the very end, we surround ourselves with music and it is a reflection of our faith,” Geerlings said.

Composed of 18 to 24 professionally trained singers, the choir of St. Peter in Chains leads the cathedral parish community in expressing their faith through song. They provide music at 10 a.m. Sunday Mass from September through June and at other liturgies and special archdiocesan events, employing a wide range of liturgical choral music through all periods of the Church’s tradition, from Gregorian chant through the 21st century. The choir also sings the Lessons and Carols during Advent and the Tenebrae service during Holy Week. And they present concerts, often with an orchestra, as part of “Great Music in a Great Space.” In the past year, a youth choir was formed at the cathedral, enabling youth from first grade through high school to learn about the Church’s tradition of music and share their faith.

The music program at the Cathedral Basilica provides leadership and inspiration for nearly 700 liturgical services and archdiocesan events each year, Geerlings noted. “We really set the bar as high as we can because music plays such an integral role in the liturgy,” he said. “There is such a treasure trove in the musical tradition of the Church, and it is intimately intertwined with the community’s worship experience. I think music can be used in such a way that it helps open people’s hearts and minds to the prodding of the Holy Spirit and show them the beauty of the Church. When people walk through the doors of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, I want them to leave the secular world behind for the hour that they are here for Mass.”

Matilda Smolij studied voice performance and opera at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and has been a member of the cathedral choir for three years. She said it has been both a prayerful and community-building experience, as well as a “beautiful responsibility. I think we’re especially lucky to have such wonderful leadership. Matthew treats us with so much respect, and you won’t find a better organist than Blake.

“Music enriches the liturgy in a way that is really quite special and profound,” she said. “I hope people’s experience of the Mass and their prayer lives have been enhanced by our music. There’s nothing that brings people together more than music and prayer. It facilitates a deeper connection to God and one other.”

“A choir is more than just a group of voices singing together; it is a vibrant community within a community,” added Geerlings. “It fosters a sense of belonging, where individuals from diverse backgrounds unite through the shared experience of music. In harmonizing together, choir members build connections, support each other and create something greater than the sum of its parts. Through their collective efforts, they embody the power of unity, expression and collaboration, enriching not just themselves, but the wider community they serve with the shared goal of leading the greater community in the worship of God.” ✣

This article appeared in the September 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.