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St. Louis Jesuits will bring their music to St. Catherine's |
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By Maria Wiering
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Wednesday, 18 March 2009 |
The St. Louis Jesuits will hold a benefit concert for the School Sisters of Notre Dame at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 29 in the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at the College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul.
Father O'Connor
And it’s likely the only concert the musicians will perform together this year, said Father Roc O’Connor, a Jesuit priest and member of the group.
Known for their liturgical music — much of which has become standard
repertoire in Catholic hymnals — the St. Louis Jesuits recorded albums
in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 2005, the five-member group reunited
to record its first album in 20 years, “Morning Light.”
Their songs include “Lead Me, Lord,” “Sing to the Mountains” and “Like a Shepherd.”
The group is composed of Dan Schutte, Tim Manion and Jesuit Fathers Bob
Dufford, John Foley and O’Connor. Manion left the Jesuits before
ordination, and Schutte left the order and the ordained priesthood in
1986.
If you want to go
• What: The St. Louis Jesuits
• When: 3 p.m., March 29
• Where: The O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at the College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul.
• Cost: $25
• To order tickets: Call (651) 690-6700 or visit Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.
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When the then-Jesuit seminarians recorded their first album, “Neither
Silver nor Gold,” in 1974, they never expected the project to extend
this far, Father O’Connor said.
The music was attractive to many people because of its scriptural
basis, he said, adding that the scriptural foundation has helped to
give the music longevity.
The group has performed together several times since its 2005 reunion,
but the members’ individual projects and living in different locations
around the country have prevented them from giving regular
performances, Father O’Connor said.
Sister Carol Marie Hemish, SSND, a friend of the group, asked the St.
Louis Jesuits to play for her community’s fundraiser. The proceeds will
benefit the community’s ministries, which focus on education.
“[Sister Carol Marie] was the primary reason we wanted to do this,”
Father O’Connor said. Several of the St. Louis Jesuits have worked with
her in the past, he added.
Father O’Connor spent several years ministering in Minnesota, including
serving as pastor of the former Immaculate Heart of Mary parish (now
St. Thomas More parish) in St. Paul and as chaplain at Macalester
College. Today he teaches theology at Creighton University in Omaha,
Neb.
Since the music was written for liturgy, the members at first refused
to perform it apart from prayer services or Mass, Father O’Connor said.
Today, however, he thinks a concert setting may inspire a new
interpretation of the music.
“There’s a difference between nostalgia and . . . asking, ‘What does it
mean to sing these pieces today, when we live in a very challenging
world?’” he said. “What does it mean in a challenging economy to sing
‘Come to the Water’?”
Tickets are $25 for the March 29 performance and are available at The
O’Shaughnessy Ticket Office in person or by calling (651) 690-6700.
Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.
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