God constantly calls individuals to serve his church through music, yet often we answer that call by pouring ourselves out without taking time to be poured into. The Vigil Project hosts retreats and workshops curated specifically to the needs of Catholic musicians. These experiences focus on the spiritual, intellectual, and technical facets of our lives as musicians, and offer space for Catholic musicians of all backgrounds to encounter the Lord through prayer and formation.
RETREATS FOR MUSICIANS
If you are a Catholic musician – serving within a parish or using your gifts on another path – these retreat experiences are tailor-made for you. We offer two types of retreat: the first is a long weekend where you can step away, pray, restore, and return to your role with some new insights. This is our Heart & Mind Musician Retreat. For those seeking a more intensive experience, we additionally offer a week-long Intensive Musician Retreat, which provides spiritual, intellectual, and musical formation. You'll leave this retreat with new knowledge of music, professional training, and a fresh spirit to go serve the Church.
UPCOMING DATES
Heart & Mind Musician Retreat: South Bend, IN
- A weekend away of prayer and music-making
- Six main sessions talks on the Heart & Mind of the Catholic Church on music
- Daily Mass, confessions, and liturgy of the hours
- All meals and lodging included
Immersive Musician Retreat: St. Benedict, LA
- A full week away of prayer, intensive training, and music-making
- Eleven main sessions talks on the Heart & Mind of the Catholic Church, missionary musicianship, liturgy, technology, and more.
- Daily Mass, confessions, and liturgy of the hours
- Daily adoration
- All meals and lodging included
“The Vigil Project has become an anchor for me as a Catholic musician and honestly because of you I regained hope that God wants to use my creativity in ways beyond my imagination and it's not just some dream of mine.”
THE SUMMER INSTITUTE
Career-seeking Catholic musicians who are discerning how to deposit their gifts at the service of the Gospel are invited to visit our campus in Modena, Italy, for a six-week Summer Institute that prepares them to serve excellently in the liturgy, devotional settings, and missionary spaces.
Over six weeks, musicians will learn from a cohort of the world's top leaders in music, liturgy, devotion, and missionary discipleship as they spend time in the classroom as well as exploring monumental pilgrimage sites.
The Summer Institute will take applications for a cohort of twenty exceptional students beginning in January 2027, with the Institute occurring in July & August 2028. More details will be announced shortly.
Interested in the Summer Institute? Let us know by submitting your name and email below.
OTHER OFFERINGS
PARISH & DIOCESE RETREATS
Once someone receives a call to serve the Church through music, it becomes increasingly rare that they take time to rest, restore, and be poured into. As a core offering of The Vigil Institute, our musician retreats and workshops offer a time of prayer, rest, creative renewal, and intellectual formation. We come to you for 1-5 days to craft an experience that restores musicians and helps to advance beautiful music in your local community.
FAMILY WORKSHOPS
The Vigil Project is thrilled to announce the release of Musica Domestica, a two-volume book that cultivates sung prayer in the home (co-written by Andrew Goldstein and David Clayton and published by Word on Fire). Bring Andrew & David to your community or conference to teach families how to sing psalms, hymns, and folk music, and inspire them to make music a core part of their domestic churches.
FILM SCREENINGS
Meaning of Music is an eight episode documentary film series by The Vigil Project and 4PM Media, exploring the gift of music in the life of faith. With post-production completing in Fall 2026, this series interviews musicians, scholars, clergy, engineers, and many more on the role music plays in our lives, and how we ought to reclaim that role. Featuring Bishop Barron, Steffany Gretzinger, Matt Maher, the monks of Solesmes Abbey, and many more. We can come to your community with a film screening and live discussion about the film.
GET IN TOUCH
Let us know how we can support you, your parish, and your community with a retreat or workshop.