John Foley (born 1939) is an American

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

who is a composer of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

music and a professor of

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

. Among his compositions are "One Bread, One Body" (1978), "Earthen Vessels" (1975), "Come to the Water" (1978), "The Cry of the Poor" (1978), "For You Are My God" (1970), and the album ''As a River of Light'' (1989). Much of Foley's early work on

liturgical music Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service (or Eucharist) and Evensong ...

was as a member of a group called the

St. Louis Jesuits The St. Louis Jesuits are a group of Catholic composers who composed music for worship most often in a folk music style of church music in their compositions and recordings, mainly from their heyday in the 1970s through the mid-1980s. Made up of ...

, composed of fellow Jesuit

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

s, with whom he released several albums. He also released several solo collections of liturgical music. Both the solo and the group efforts were released through publishers North American Liturgy Resources (NALR), OCP (formerly Oregon Catholic Press), and GIA Publications. Foley earned a doctorate in liturgical theology from the

Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962 ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. In 1993 he returned to

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

where he founded the Stroble Center for Liturgy. The center has since closed with Foley's retirement.

References

1939 births Living people 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits Saint Louis University alumni American male songwriters Contemporary Catholic liturgical music Composers of Christian music Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley alumni Saint Louis University faculty Liturgists Jesuit musicians {{US-musician-stub

See also

References