LSTC Remembers Dr. Mark Bangert

Dr. Mark Bangert, John H. Tietjen Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Ministry: Worship and Church Music at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), died February 12, 2023. He was 84 years old. He was a beloved professor, choral and artistic director, and worship leader. 

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1218 West Addison Street in Chicago, with a reception following. This liturgy will also be live-streamed on Holy Trinity’s Facebook page.  

At LSTC, Dr. Bangert taught courses in worship and music and served as dean of the chapel and director of the LSTC Chorus. He famously organized and facilitated an annual benefit concert that raised money for LSTC and featured professional singers and instrumentalists from around Chicago called “Bach for the Sem.” 

In addition, he was the parish choir director and Bach Choir artistic director at the Church of Saint Luke, now part of the Lakeview Lutheran Parish. Under his direction, the St. Luke Bach Choir presented 119 of Bach’s sacred cantatas, the Christmas Oratorio, St. Mark, St. John, and St. Matthew passions, and the Mass in B-Minor.

 “Mark Bangert greatly impacted the LSTC community through his worship courses and oversight of daily chapel. He loved Bach and involved hundreds of musicians in the Bach’s Cantata Series at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church over the years,” said Esther Menn, Dean of Academic Affairs and the Ralph W. and Marilyn R. Klein Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at LSTC. Reflecting on her time as a seminary student, Menn continues, “I took a fascinating course from him about the theology of Bach’s Cantatas. Mark was eager to share his excitement about the music and its impact on the listener with students and wider audiences.”

May light perpetual shine on Mark and comfort all who mourn.