St. Augustine once said "Those who sing well pray twice". In this spirit we lead our community in elevating to God our prayers through hymns of glory, joy and gratitude.

Music Director & Organist
Edward Morand
EdKeys@si.rr.com

Singing is an important part of our Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. Here at Saint Teresa’s, musical participation in the sung parts of the Mass is outstanding. In regard to the hymns, some fly better than others. What are your favorite hymns? We would like to know. Just jot them down, place them in an envelope, and drop it in the collection basket. Or, if you wish, you may mail your “old favorites” to the rectory. As we plan for the fall season, we’ll give your suggestions to Mr. Morand. And, unless we’re wrong, we suspect one of those “old favorites” that will emerge at the top of the chart will be “How Great Thou Art”! Give us your opinions. We’re anxious to hear from you.

Thanks to the strong support of Father John O'Hara, our parish has been privileged to expand the cultural life of Staten Island by hosting some of the greatest concert organists in the world. Their inspiring performances on our 2001 Peragallo organ have delighted audiences by the hundreds, both from the parish and from the wider community, and have introduced a new generation to the extraordinary concert capabilities of the "King of Instruments." See the box on the right for details on upcoming events.

St. Teresa's Church is blessed with one of the borough's finest pipe organs, custom-built for us in 2001 by Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, the Organ Curator of St. Patrick's Cathedral. After several performances here, international concert organist Felix Hell declared, "It was a joy to play," and he commended Peragallo's talent for "getting more organ out of a smaller instrument" with "highest quality standards." Local organists and clergy widely share a high opinion of our pipe organ and our concert series, which led The Staten Island Advance newspaper to include St. Teresa's on its list of "the borough's most-impressive instruments" and call it "a great gift to the local music scene." Indeed, the organ provides a rich variety of tonal colors to support congregational singing, choir anthems, and concert performances. Our instrument includes 3 manuals, 17 pipe ranks (consisting of 1,080 pipes), 3 digital ranks (161 "virtual pipes"), and a set of 25 chime tubes, all beautifully voiced and working in harmony to enhance our worship. A detailed specification of the organ is available online, courtesy of the American Guild of Organists.