Mike Bogdan is seen conducting during the May 22, 2021 Mass of Ordination for Fr. Corey Bruns at St. Stephen Cathedral. The late diocesan director of music died on April 14, 2025, Monday of Holy Week. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
‘More than a music director’
Bogdan remembered as church musician advocate, mentor, pioneer
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Mike Bogdan was helping part-time at St. Stephen Cathedral when incoming cathedral music director, James Wells, joined the staff almost 10 years ago.
“Every day I was dialing his extension,” said Wells, who was guided in his new role by Bogdan, the Diocese of Owensboro’s director of music at the time.
Over the years, the two became friends as Wells attended liturgical music conferences with Bogdan and often played at diocesan liturgies.
Wells said Bogdan was “always so good” at trying things “outside the box” when it came to sacred music, “but remaining within the boundaries the Church gave us. It was really inspiring, and I learned a lot with that.”
Bogdan passed away from prostate cancer on April 14, 2025, which happened to be Monday of Holy Week. He worked as a lay minister for the Catholic Church for 46 years, with 33 of those years working at the diocesan level. He retired as diocesan music director in 2024.
Wells said Bogdan worked to tie “local traditions” in parishes’ “local identity” when helping parish music ministers: “He visited many parishes on Sundays and weekends; he knew so much about each individual parish.”
“His was a big loss, a big legacy – he was a big mentor of mine,” said Wells.
Brett Ballard, the assistant professor of music at Brescia University in Owensboro, shared that he worked with Bogdan as the main percussionist for diocesan liturgies over the past 20+ years.
“He gave me many opportunities to create my own parts, use instruments as I saw fit, and play parts as needed,” said Ballard. “He also gave me several opportunities to use my original compositions as part of various liturgies. Mike was a great composer, and I valued the input he gave me when I showed him something I was working on.”
Lacy Riddle started working with Bogdan in music ministry when she started college.
“He always showed such confidence in his musicians and encouraged us to use our creativeness,” said Riddle, who today serves as the music director for St. Jerome Parish in Fancy Farm. “He had a beautiful servant heart and truly cared for those he encountered.”
Riddle said she and Bogdan became prayer partners when he received his cancer diagnosis, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“He sent me the most beautiful bouquet of lilies and the sweetest note with his promise for prayers and an ear to listen,” she said. “We texted back and forth over the last year, and he was such a beacon of hope throughout his own cancer journey knowing in the end that treatments were no longer working.”
Riddle always looked up to Bogdan: “I know that he was welcomed into the gates of heaven with ‘well done my good and faithful servant.’”
Heather Greene, the diocese’s current music director, said it is hard to put into words the impact her predecessor made.
“He was more than just a music director – he was a blessing to our Church community and to the countless musicians whose lives he touched,” said Greene. “Mike set the bar for high standards in liturgical music, always offering his meticulous care in selecting music that honored the dignity of the liturgy, whether it was for a simple weekday Mass or a grand diocesan celebration like the Chrism Mass.”
Greene said Bogdan was a “tireless” advocate for church musicians, “fighting for fair wages, benefits, and recognition for those who dedicate their gifts to the Catholic Church’s worship” as well as raising up local musicians through education opportunities and encouragement.
“His deep knowledge and thoughtful approach made him an invaluable resource for music directors across the diocese, and his clever, dry wit always managed to bring a smile, even in the busiest or most stressful of times,” she said.
Greene said Bogdan leaves behind a lasting mark on the diocese “and in the hearts of all who had the good fortune to know him,” she said. “May he rest in the peace of Christ, whose beauty he so faithfully reflected through music.”
Originally printed in the May 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
