Rev. John-Mark Missio

BIOGRAPHY

Fr. John-Mark Missio is a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, where is pastor of St. John's Church.  He was Director of St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto from 2004 to 2009 and Director of Liturgy and Vice-Rector of St. Augustine's Seminary, Toronto from 2012 to 2020.  In addition to seminars on liturgy and sacred music, he has given a number of retreats for liturgical musicians.  Some of his liturgical music has been published by Warner-Chappell and CanticaNova. 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS / SELECTED AREAS OF SERVICE / PASTORAL WORK

• Pastor, St. John's Parish, Toronto

• Chair, Sacred Art & Architecture Committee, Archdiocese of Toronto.

• Board Member, Gregorian Institute of Canada

• Chaplain, Royal Canadian College of Organists

Post-Sabbatical report of projects completed (January to June 2023)

Musical compositions

1. Mass for the Convents. A 3-part polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary for SSA or TTB. Composed for the Sisters of Life. Intended to enable any small community to sing in 3-part unaccompanied harmony, with a strong melody to allow for participation of all, supported by harmonies sung by a few more skilled singers. Kyrie; Glory to God; Holy, Holy; Memorial Acclamation; Amen; Lamb of God.

2. Salve Regina accompaniment. A new accompaniment for use in the new CCCB national hymnal. The accompaniment is based on the natural speech rhythm of the chant, intended to improve singing of the chant by larger congregations where more rhythmic leadership is needed.

3. Two short acclamations. These complete the set of Eucharistic Acclamations in the already-published Mass in Honour of the Holy Trinity (in the hymnal With Angels and Archangels).

Presentation

Gregorian Institute of Canada Colloquium, July 24-25, 2023, Hamilton, Ontario:

DIES IRAE: Alternatim melodies stencilled in the end pages of a Psalterium Romanum printed in 1642. Stencilled additions likely added in the 18th century. The Psalterium was found in the library of the Glebe, St. Mary’s Basilica, Halifax, Nova Scotia. The presentation explored the provenance of chant books in the Fortress of Louisbourg Collection of the Beaton Library, Cape Breton University, and debunked the theory that the Glebe chant book book had originated in the French colony of Louisbourg. Evidence was presented that the alternatim melodies were composed in Italy in the early 18th century. I recreated a typical organ accompaniment for the period, and the presentation concluded with a performance of the complete Dies Irae with chant accompanied on a 19th century serpent, which was the instrument of choice for accompaniment of the Gregorian verses of chant at the time.

Article

St. John’s Chapel at St. Augustine’s Seminary: Our Link to the Second Vatican Council. (Not published in print but available on seminary website.) Intended to inform the discussion of the future use of the building, given the significant works of sacred art which were commissioned for the chapel, representing top Canadian artists, and coinciding with the design ideals of Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy at the very time of the Constitution’s promulgation.

Editorial Work and Consultation

CCCB Hymnal Review Committee (ongoing):

1. Provided analysis of hymns used in the upcoming new Canadian hymnal “Music for Catholic Worship”, maximizing the practical distribution of hymn melodies old and new.

2. Focusing on chant in particular, sourced new accompaniments for Gregorian melodies; provided analysis of notation issues, intending to make chant accessible to those with little practical experience of it.