An Interview with Jerry Galipeau, Vice President and Chief Publishing Officer

Brenna: We are thrilled that you are joining our community of Member Publishers!  What excites you about having your song collection reach our License Holders?

Jerry: We also are thrilled to be a part of ONE LICENSE. By participating as a publisher with ONE LICENSE, WLP is confident we can now better serve those who use the music we publish — and better protect the rights of our composers and text writers. We know “people Gotta Sing, and people Gotta Pray” (that’s a not so subtle allusion to my blog here http://gottasinggottapray.blogspot.com/.). Licensing and reporting use of WLP’s music through ONE LICENSE makes it easier for people to do that.

B: Can you tell our users more about yourselves?
J: Sure. World Library Publications (WLP) is the music and liturgy division of the J.S. Paluch Company, headquartered in Franklin Park, Illinois. WLP’s mission is to joyfully serve and inspire the singing, praying, initiating church. We have a dedicated staff of 36—editors, marketers, designers, customer care representatives, and licensing and royalties professionals, who understand the church and understand what customer service really means. We love what we do, we love what we help create, we love our composers and authors, we love our customers, and we love each other like family. I think that shines through in every aspect of our work. (We also love to have fun, so we sometimes joke that WLP stands for We Love Parties, too.)

We build upon a solid tradition and legacy as we live out our company’s mission. Omer Westendorf founded World Library Publications in 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio, as World Library of Sacred Music. In 1955, World Library of Sacred Music published The People’s Hymnal, which was widely used throughout the United States and became a standard hymnal in many Catholic parishes. During this period, Omer authored “God’s Blessing Sends Us Forth,” “Where Charity and Love Prevail,” and other notable classic hymns. The J.S. Paluch Company acquired World Library Publications in 1971 as a source of liturgical music for their worship resources.

Today, WLP publishes the One in Faith hardbound hymnal, a variety of periodical worship resources and planning tools, octavos/choral music, music collections, songbooks, instrumental music books, recordings, videos, artwork, books, and a variety resources designed to assist in the implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. We also provide clinicians for workshops and choral reading sessions at events nationally and internationally. Our ultimate goal is to provide outstanding pastoral resources to strengthen and support the quality of worship and prayer in faith communities and homes worldwide. In conjunction with the communication, stewardship, and discipleship-building parish services offered by our parent company, J.S. Paluch, all of our work points right back to our mission of serving and inspiring those who sing and pray.

B: What composers will our license holders most likely be searching for from WLP?
J: We have so many who are well known, and so many that those unfamiliar with WLP will enjoy discovering. Our worship resources most often include music by:

Tony Alonso, John Angotti, Ed Bolduc, Lucien Deiss, Delores Dufner, Alan J. Hommerding, Steven Janco, Jan Michael Joncas, Peter Kolar, Jim Marchionda, Paul Nienaber, Richard Proulx, Pedro Rubalcava, Peter Scagnelli, Paul Tate, Charles Thatcher, Christoph Tietze, Chrysogonus Waddell, Steve Warner, Omer Westendorf…and too many others to list here.

We’re also quite proud of the many Mass settings written by WLP composers, including best sellers like Mass of Wisdom and Mass of Redemption by Steven Janco, Mass of Saint Ann by Ed Bolduc, and Mass for Our Lady by Steven Warner and Karen Kirner. We have a brand new Mass, Mass of Saint Matthias by Francis O’Brien, being released soon as well.

Other great new resources ONE LICENSE users will want to be aware of include “Communion Antiphons for Advent” (also available for Christmas, Lent, and Easter) by Richard Clark, Hymn Tune Introits: Singing the Sundays of the Liturgical Year by Kathleen Pluth, and our More Voices As One series of contemporary music for liturgies by various composers. Volume 3 was just released.

B: Looking forward to the liturgical year, are there any must-have titles to have on our worklists?
J: In terms of collections, you won’t want to miss WLP’s Psalms for the Church series of compiled responsorial psalms, Lectionary Psalms and Gospel Acclamations (a complete liturgical psalter), music from the In Spirit and Truth series (music from the African American Catholic Community), the Catholic Classroom Collection (eight digital albums for classrooms, catechesis, and home, available from iTunes and Amazon.com), and the forthcoming For All the Saints: Hymns for the Proper of Saints in the Roman Calendar by J. Michael Thompson.

In terms of seasonal favorites for congregational singing, the following is a good place to start:

Advent

  • On That Holy Mountain (Joe Mattingly)
  • Jesus, Hope of the World (Paul Tate and Deanna Light)

Christmas

  • Christmas Hymn (Paul Tate)
  • Christmas Gospel Acclamations on Gesu Bambino (Paul Hillebrand)

Lent

  • Tree of Life (Aaron Thompson)
  • There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy: Be Merciful (Ed Bolduc)

Triduum

  • We Should Glory in the Cross (Tony Alonso)
  • Crux Fidelis (Steve Warner)

Easter

  • In the Breaking of the Bread (Michael Ward)
  • Easter Alleluia (Tony Alonso)

Communion

  • Make of Our Hands a Throne (Steve Warner)
  • Draw Near (Steven Janco)

B: What can our users look forward to from you in the coming months?
J: We have several new and exciting publications in the works:

  • Creation to Christmas, an Advent musical that incorporates the Jesse Tree
  • Spanish-language liturgical songs by Rafael Moreno in various formats
  • Complete worship resource recordings
  • More music for organ, piano, and instruments from Ed Eicker, Robert Farrell, Bob Moore, and Nick Palmer
  • And proof that “everything old is new again,” two vinyl albums: Thanks and Praise by John Angotti and The Emerald Collection, featuring music from Steve Warner and the Notre Dame Folk Choir

We will also be back on the road with our annual series of choral reading sessions, Sing the Seasons. We are visiting 14 U.S. cities this year and two cities in Canada. The full schedule will be posted soon at SingtheSeasons.com.

B: What denominations or groups look to you for music?  Are there ecumenical options for interfaith communities?
J: We’re really proud of the fact that although we are best known as a Catholic music publisher, we actually publish a wide variety of congregational and choral music that unites all Christians in celebrating the seasons of the church, deepens our relationship with sacred Scripture, and helps to form authentic disciples.

B: How can ONE LICENSE users contact you directly?
J: Our Customer Care team is available Monday—Friday from 8:30—5:00 CT by calling 1-800-566-6150 or emailing wlpcs@jspaluch.com. We can be found online at www.wlpmusic.com and www.VoicesAsOne.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter (@WLPMusic). Reach out. We’d love to connect with you!


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