#274: The Story Series with Rick Gibala
From Ministry Monday by National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM)
April 13, 2026 · Season 9 · Episode 4
About this episode
Rick Gibala shares his journey as a pastoral musician and the importance of NPM in music ministry.
Introducing "The Story Series", a recurring series of episodes on Ministry Monday! The Story Series interviews pastoral musicians across the country and shares their pastoral music journey, both in its rewards and challenges along the way. Today we speak with Rick Gibala, a lifelong pastoral musician who started his ministry in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He was the first layperson to be the Diocesan Director of Music, and founded the Pittsburgh NPM chapter. His ministry led him to the DC-Virginia area where he's ministered there since 1986. Rick shares how he began to serve in pastoral ministry, what brought him to Virginia, and why he thinks NPM remains a critical part of music ministry in the Church today.
People in this episode
Guest: Rick Gibala
Topics covered
- pastoral music
- music ministry
- interview
- challenges in ministry
- personal journey
Keywords
- pastoral musicians
- music ministry
- NPM
- Rick Gibala
- Diocese of Pittsburgh
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Diocese of Pittsburgh, NPM
Places: DC-Virginia area
More episodes of Ministry Monday
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- #277: The Story Series with Brother Louis Canter, OEF · May 25, 2026
- #276: Sung Prayer and Spiritual Encounter in the Psalms (with Fr. Michael Joncas) · May 11, 2026
- #275: The Story Series with Rodolfo López and Estela García-López · April 27, 2026
- #273: What Do I Do With This Accordion???: Arranging for the Unexpected in Liturgical Ensembles (with Luke Rosen) · March 16, 2026
- #272: A Question of Balance: Ministry vs. Day Job (with Sean Holland) · March 2, 2026
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