James Chepponis

James J. Chepponis
December 12, 1956 ‒ February 18, 2026 

 

On the First Sunday of Advent in 1964, an eight-year-old boy named Jim Chepponis sat in the pews at St. Augustine Church in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Young Jim may have had no idea that on this day the Roman Catholic Church was introducing the Novus Ordo, a “new order” of Mass, vastly different but still the same Mass as the Tridentine ritual at which he had recently made his First Communion. It is safe to assume that he, like most eight-year-olds, wasn’t entirely aware of the changes that were to begin that Sunday. And certainly, no one could have predicted the effect this new Ordo would have on Jim’s life’s work.

Jim had a love and natural talent for piano and organ, so much so that the sisters at his school would have him playing organ for school Masses—in fourth grade! And when asked what he wanted for his eight-grade graduation gift, he responded, “A copy of The People’s Mass Book” (WLP).

This eight-year-old grew up to become Father James Chepponis, or Fr. Jim, or Jim, or to some, Chip. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music from St. Fidelis College Seminary/ Slippery Rock University, majoring in organ and minoring in voice, and went on to earn a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Fr. Jim was ordained in 1985 for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He served as parochial vicar at four different parishes and was named pastor of St. John Capistran in 2003. St. John’s and neighboring St. Thomas More parishes were combined to form Resurrection parish in 2021. As part of the merger, Fr. Jim was named senior parochial vicar of the newly-formed parish. In addition to his parish work, he was named director for the Pittsburgh Diocesan Office for Music in 1996, a position he held for the rest of his life. In that capacity, he directed the diocesan choir, served as a music resource for the parishes of the diocese, and coordinated the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, (NPM). He also served NPM for a term as the association’s Director of Music Ministries Division. In 2006, he was named NPM’s Pastoral Musician of the year. Jim was also active in his local American Guild of Organists chapter. He dedicated much of his life to church music and considered it a privilege to help people pray in song.

In 1980, at the age of 24, he submitted one of his compositions, “Magnificat” (Proclaim the Greatness of God), to GIA for publication. It was a relatively simple setting of the Canticle of Mary, with an irresistible original melody scored for two-part voices, descant, assembly, organ, and C instrument. Much to his delight, the piece was accepted for publication and became an instant success. From this auspicious beginning, Jim developed into a respected liturgical composer, producing a notable corpus of well-received publications.

Approximately one hundred published works followed, including complex pieces for choir and congregation— many of which were scored for organ, brass, handbells, and other instruments—plus settings of the ordinary for Mass, lectionary psalms, and acclamations. He composed original texts and set others drawn from liturgical and scriptural sources. He was notable for his ability to write music accessible to volunteer parish choirs, often enabling them to attain a sound thought to be beyond their capabilities. At the same time, he produced sophisticated works for professional “cathedral-style” choirs and for large festival or mass choirs, many with a full complement of instruments. He was especially gifted and skillful at composing for choir and congregation with organ and brass accompaniment resulting in a majestic sound.

As time went on, he became well known and respected as a composer. He broadened his publishing outlets, and his works soon appeared in multiple catalogs. His writing was well crafted and melodic, pastorally sensitive and beautiful, useful and practical, or as some would say in the publishing biz, “solid!” His gift for composing melody resulted in a career in liturgical composition that lasted over forty successful years. Equally important, his music was fulfilling for him and a gift to his fellow pastoral musicians and their assemblies. The great number of church musicians from many different denominations and capabilities who find his compositions so consistently useful is testimony to his talent and his dedication. The published works of James Chepponis are a credit not only to him but to the Roman Church and to the Novus Ordo as well.

From 1979 to 2015, Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis visited the United States, celebrating more than twenty-five papal liturgies during their visits. Many of them took place outdoors, and most were designed to accommodate immense crowds of the faithful. This usually required music scored for full orchestra. Jim’s music, with his love of brass, was a natural fit. He was commissioned to write a Gospel Acclamation for a Mass presided over by Pope (now Saint) John Paul II in 1999, in St. Louis. The result was “Festival Alleluia” (Morning Star), a grand and majestic work easily accessible for any choir or congregation and perfect for a massive and splendid celebration. Additional music by James Chepponis was evident in a number of the other papal liturgies held across the country, making these works well known, broadening Jim’s appeal as a composer, and taking on lives of their own. “Festival Alleluia” is often used at the installation of bishops and other large parish and diocesan events around the United States.

While recognized nationally as a musician and composer, Fr. Jim was loved locally as a parish priest and pastor. Known for his preaching, he also helped those in need and was a valued confidant to many in search of a friend. One could pick out his gaze as he came toward you from across a room, head held high and sporting a confident smile as broad as the room itself. He was a perfect gentleman and an engaging conversationalist with a delightful sense of humor and nary a smidgen of ego.

In his spare time, Jim took up the task of compiling a database of every hymn and song with a text based on the scriptures of every Sunday, solemnity, and feast found in the three-year Roman Lectionary. This effort earned him a spot on the editorial committee for the Worship—Fourth Edition hymnal (GIA, 2021). We can hope that one day this database as well as his other papers will find their way to a proper archive. For thirteen years he co-produced an annual SRO Christmas Festival at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall. As part of that effort, he directed a 300-voice choir and a 25-piece orchestra made up of musicians from ten different Christian traditions. In addition, Jim loved spending precious time with his brother and sister, their spouses, his two nieces, and his large extended parish family and many friends. Musical theater, roller coasters, a keen interest in theater organs, and a passion for “The Wizard of Oz” also kept him busy and motivated.

Jim was just a child when the Novus Ordo was introduced. As every other generation of the Roman liturgy had, it awakened and inspired the gifts of musicians and other artists to use their gifts in its service. Jim Chepponis loved the Novus Ordo. He understood the innate value of Mass in the vernacular and the precious worth of the participation of the full assembly. He composed music for the worshippers of his time with pleasure and intensity. As so many in the latter half of the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first century did, Jim Chepponis embraced the new yet ancient rite and the Second Vatican Council that brought it into being. He lovingly and enthusiastically worked both locally and nationally to help the Roman Church celebrate this new and meticulously reformed rite deeply, joyfully, and beautifully.

Passing away just shy of 70 years of age, Jim was a relatively young man by today’s standards. But who could have had a more fulfilling life and pastoral career? Like music itself, Jim Chepponis was a true servant of the liturgy, living his life in service to the Church, or as the Council proclaimed, the People of God.

Jim’s life reminds us that, regardless how historical or ordinary any given Sunday may be, any and every little boy or girl sitting, standing, and singing in our pews may have gifts to offer the People of God.

Well done! Well done! Well done, good and faithful servant!

Tribute prepared by Michael A. Cymbala with advice from Linda Chepponis Bond, Fr. Michael Akerman, and Rick Gibala. © 2026 by Michael A. Cymbala. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.