Olivia Vargas serves as Director of Music at St. Gerard. She started at St. Gerard in the summer of 2018 as the director of the contemporary worship group, the Alive Ensemble, that plays at the 6 pm mass. In 2021, she began directing the Children's Choir and now directs all musical ensembles, including the Adult Choir and the Handbell Choir.
Vargas is a Detroit native who found her way to Grand Rapids, MI, through Aquinas College. Olivia studied with an emphasis in voice and secondary instruments of piano and organ. Olivia graduated with a Bachelors of Music in Liturgical Music in 2018 after completing an internship with Jane VanHouten at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Grand Rapids, MI. Olivia has had the opportunity to study with professionals such as Barbara McCargar, Kathy Gibson, Giuseppe Lupis, Larry Biser, Shaylen Harger, and Aaron Parks.
Through the later part of her college career, Olivia made connections in the West Michigan music scene and started playing in local bands. Her bands have won many local music awards, been featured in magazines and on the radio, and have played shows from Michigan all the way to New York City. You can find Olivia in her free time gigging around West Michigan.
Olivia also works as a piano and voice instructor and owns her own lessons business, Olivia Vargas Music Studio. She has a great passion for teaching, especially working with kids and bringing the joy of music to the next generation. She loves to play all types of music, but she has a special love for playing and singing Praise and Worship music with the Alive ensemble, at adoration, or at youth retreats where she can bring people closer to God through musical worship.
Cecelia Costigan is the former Director of Music Ministry at St. Gerard parish. She retired in June of 2016. Cecelia currently serves as an organist at Sunday 7:30 am mass a couple of times a month. She still enjoys full participation in the music ministry by singing in the adult choir, and playing in the handbell choir. Costigan earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Michigan State University. Her past posts include: Director of Music, St. Robert parish, Flushing.Mi; Elementary Music Specialist, Lansing Public Schools; elementary music teacher and organist, Resurrection parish, Lansing. She and her husband, Patrick are blessed with five adult married children and eight grandchildren.
Jon Jackinchuk is organist at various Saturday and Sunday masses. He is the former music director ofSt. David’s Episcopal in Lansing and former organist of Our Redeemer Lutheran in Muskegon. Jon has been a substitute organist at several churches in the Lansing area over the years and also plays organ and piano for weddings and special events. He teaches piano to students of all ages.
Jon holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts from The University of Michigan where he studied organ performance with Dr. James Kibbie. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in accounting and finance from Davenport University and is Director of Portfolio Management with Rouse Properties. Jon, his wife Sarah and four children are parishioners at St. Gerard and the children attend St. Gerard School.
Michael Taylor serves as a pianist at various liturgies at St. Gerard. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Western Michigan University and has studied piano for many years. Michael has many years of music ministry as a cantor and as a pianist. He and his wife, Karen, also direct the children's choir at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Downtown Lansing.