In mid-2006, Father Wayne Watts, the pastor at St. John Berchmans, 2519 W. Logan Blvd., sought to fill his parish’s vacant musical director post. Jacob Bancks walked into an interview with Watts convinced he had no shot. First, Bancks wasn’t Catholic; a Minnesota native, he was raised Evangelical Protestant. Second, Bancks was a youthful 24-yearsold with no experience building and directing a musical program. Finally, and perhaps most importantly to the position’s duties, Watts knew nothing of Bancks’ musical talent. Lucky for Bancks, Watts, impressed with the young man’s intelligence and personality, practices instinctive hiring. “It was nothing short of miraculous, but I’ve learned that Father Watts relies on the Holy Spirit quite a bit,” Bancks said. Now, over three years later, Watts’ hiring of Bancks has done much to influence and inspire the near Northwest Side parish as well as spark the musician’s own personal faith and professional development. Building community with music After receiving his master’s degree from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, Bancks and his wife moved to Chicago, settling in the Logan Square neighborhood as Bancks began his doctoral studies in music composition at the University of Chicago. Bancks’ landlord, a St. John Berchmans parishioner, recommended him to Watts, who hired Bancks just prior to the 2006 holiday season. “Music is so integral to worship and I desperately wanted a vibrant music program to create a greater sense of community and to get people involved,” Watts said. “From the get-go, Jacob’s accomplished that.” Upon Bancks’ arrival, the parish’s English-language musical program needed resurrection. Though Bancks inherited talented cantors, the parish lacked a formal choir, which both Bancks and Watts felt necessary. Quickly, Bancks revived the choir and, today, the 20-member group inspires worship at St. John Berchmans and has altered the character and celebration of Masses. “Jacob is 100 percent invested in worshipful liturgy and his music is so sacred and inclusive that it’s done wonders for our parish,” Watts said. Yet, Bancks has consistently exceeded expectations. He and Watts instituted a Sunday evening Mass, for which Bancks created a contemporary ensemble. Later, Bancks formed a children’s choir, now among the parish’s most popular programs. “I’d say my proudest accomplishment to date is that our music program is where it is and is going where it’s going,” Bancks said. All the while, Bancks’ own musical life has reached a new level of accomplishment. The now 28- year-old musician has received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, witnessed his original composition performed by the New York Youth Symphony at famed Carnegie Hall and captured a pair of BMI Foundation awards, honors that recognize the work of young composers. “This has been an experience that has enriched me in so many ways,” Bancks said. Becoming Catholic As much as Bancks’ story is a tale of inspiring a parish community and personal artistic development, it is just as much the story of spiritual self-discovery. When Bancks experienced his first Easter Vigil Mass in 2007, he began contemplating a religious conversion, an introspective process that lasted for more than two years. “From my first year at St. John Berchmans, my religious mind awakened and it got thinking in a very spiritual way again,” he said. In June 2009, Bancks attended the Church Music Association of America’s colloquium at Loyola University. Confronted with new elements of Catholic theology and worship, Bancks left convinced that Catholic conversion was the right step. “I was slowly falling in love with the church, but I fell in love wholeheartedly [at the colloquium] when I was confronted with deep, profound and unmistakably Catholic liturgy,” he said. “From that point on, things moved quickly.” At the 2010 Easter Vigil, Bancks and his wife were both welcomed into the Catholic faith and their daughter was baptized as well. Today, Bancks feels he not only has a firmer grounding in his own faith, but has helped his fellow parishioners draw closer to God as well. “Souls are worshipping at St. John Berchmans,” Bancks said. “People, including myself, are not just coming here to worship with idle activity, but to have an encounter with the living God.” For Watts, who embraced instinct with Bancks’ hiring, the decision has been one without regret. “I knew having a vibrant music program would build community, but I had no idea just how much life and spirit Jacob’s work would bring to our parish,” Watts said.