N A CYNICAL and desperate world, Maestro Michael Olbash brings a desperately needed message of extraordinary hope. Recently appointed as Director of Sacred Music at Donahue Academy at Ave Maria Parish in Ave Maria, Florida, he left his beloved home of Massachusetts and moved to Florida with his family. Having held positions at two seminaries—Saint John’s Seminary and Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts—Olbash has enjoyed a distinguished career as conductor, educator, and liturgist. But his true love is for the mission of evangelization through sacred music. Olbash asserts, “There are ways that we can discern what is beautiful in music and what points us to the Truth. What points us to the ultimate Truth which is Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Truly Catholic Venture • Donahue Academy is an unapologetically Roman Catholic School in the Diocese of Venice, Florida. With a classical education curriculum, it aims not only to educate, but more importantly to be “raising saints for the new millennium.” Mark Haas, Music Director of Ave Maria Parish states: “It’s really been a very healthy experience to have him involved in both places…He’s just brought a level of excellence we’re lucky to have.”
Profoundly, Olbash states:
“I think Ave Maria is a place where students are growing for greatness. Because of the community that folks have built here, students that come to Donahue Academy, I’m convinced many of them will go on to be great parish priests, bishops, great theologians, great political leaders who are going to usher this country into a place of greatness that is going to be faith-centered.”
Wow! What a beautiful world this would be!
