Johan van Parys, a native of Belgium moved to Minneapolis in 1995 when he became director of liturgy and the sacred arts at the Basilica of Saint Mary. Before taking the position in Minneapolis, he worked for the Notre Dame Center for Pastoral Liturgy. He holds graduate degrees in archeology, art history and comparative religious studies from the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium and a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. In addition to his work in Minneapolis Johan has accepted occasional teaching appointments at St. John’s University. He also likes to write and enjoyed his contributions to EnVisionChurch.org. an initiative of the Georgetown Center for Liturgy. He gives workshops and consults with parishes throughout the country on a variety of topics relating to liturgy and the arts.