Mary Frances Reza

Mary Frances Reza is one of the most recognized and respected Hispanic composers or songwriters in the US. For many years she has served in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, as a pastoral musician, liturgist and teacher and in Hispanic ministry. The past director of the Office of Worship and Liturgical Music, she continues to serve the archdiocese as a consultant for the liturgical commission. She studied at ITESO, the Jesuit University of Guadalajara, Mexico, received her music degree from the University of Albuquerque, and earned her master’s in education from the University of New Mexico. Best known for her bilingual settings of the psalms, Mary Frances has a gift for writing accessible melodies and authentic Latin styles and rhythms. Her latest CD, Gusten y Vean/Taste and See, includes recordings of eight bilingual psalms as well as Misa Santa Fe, her bilingual Mass setting. The Mass is also featured in Breaking Bread and Unidos en Cristo/United in Christ. Her psalms also appear in Cantaré Eternamente/For Ever I Will Sing. Mary Frances offers workshops focused on developing relationships within bilingual parish communities. She is currently secretary and mountain states representative on the executive board of the Institute of Hispanic Liturgy and is a member of the Southwest Liturgical Conference (SWLC) board. She and her husband live in Albuquerque and Taos, New Mexico.