Ricky Manalo, CSP

Father Ricky Manalo is a presbyter in the Paulist order, which is dedicated to the ministry of evangelization, reconciliation and ecumenism. An accomplished musician, composer, lecturer and author, he specializes in ritual music, liturgical inculturation and spirituality. His compositions combine accessibility with challenge, continuity with variety and solemnity with joy.

Ricky has served as liturgical director of the Asian/Pacific Apostolate Office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and as choir and liturgy director of the Washington Theological Union. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where studied under John Corigliano and Ludmila Ulehla and received a bachelor of music in composition. He earned a master’s in theology at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C., with a concentration in word and worship. Recent projects include producing a collection of liturgical music from the Philippines and studying multilingual music in China. He currently is pursuing a doctorate in Asian-American liturgical studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

Father Ricky’s book Chanting on Our Behalf: A Pastoral Guide to Presidential Chanting and Musical Leadership is a standard text for seminarians, deacon, priests and bishop who want to improve their role in chanting the liturgy.