Welcome, Dr. Jacob Benda!

Welcome Dr. Jacob Benda! Jacob joins Lourdes as our new Director of Sacred Music and Liturgy, effective September 21st. We’re excited to have him with us here at the French Church!

Here’s more about Jacob:
A native of Saint Cloud, MN, Jacob Benda earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Louisiana State University in 2015 under the mentorship of Herndon Spillman (organ), Michael Gurt (piano), and Robert Peck (music theory). Active as a concert organist he has been featured as soloist at cathedrals, festivals, and universities throughout the United States, with several performances featured on American Public Media’s nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams. As a music minister Jacob has served as organist/choirmaster at numerous churches where he developed choirs, scholarship programs and concert series’ aiming to enrich worship and expose the community to sacred music.

The French Canadian influence of Our Lady of Lourdes resounds deeply with Jacob and his wife, Ali (short for Alison), who herself is a native of New Orleans. They are thrilled to be joining the vibrant community of Our Lady of Lourdes as we all strive to make known and realize the presence of Christ in the world.