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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Retreat with the Trappists

Fr. David Friel · September 1, 2013

RIESTS ARE SUPPOSED to make an annual retreat. This past week, I made my retreat at the Abbey of the Genesee, a monastic community of bread-baking Trappists in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. This was my first trip to this particular Abbey, and it was a terrific place for retreat—serious silence, gorgeous grounds, and ample accommodations.

Retreatants are invited to join the community for the communal praying of the Divine Office, which forms the rhythm of monastic life. The first time I joined them, for evening Vespers, I was impressed by the experience. In the midst of an Abbey building that I found much too dark and structurally unattractive, the sound of the monks chanting together was profoundly beautiful.

Their chant is quite simple. They use simple Psalm tones, and the melodies for their antiphons are all syllabic or neumatic. They used exclusively English texts during my visit, but they have books of the Ordinary chants in Latin in their choir stalls, too. What impressed me, then, was not the complexity of their singing or the technical difficulty of it. It was the simplicity, and most especially their unity. As these monks chant, they do so as with one voice. The use of the organ is subdued, intended only to support the chant. The monks chant rather softly, but the organ never competed with the singing. The collective mora vocis at the ends of phrases were masterful.

When we would have visitors at my seminary, Saint Charles Borromeo in Overbrook, people would often remark how impressed they were by the place, both the structures and the residents. If they joined us for Sunday Vespers, they would undoubtedly remark about the beauty with which the seminarians sang. They would talk about receiving a sense of peace during their visit and being inspired by the sight of all the seminarians processing in and out. I distinctly remember just taking their observations for what they were worth, because surely they would think differently if they actually lived in our community. If they knew the personality conflicts, the rivalries, and the unkindness we sometimes showed to one another, they would have been less edified. But, was I wrong to think that? Were the beauty & unity they observed shallow and phony, or was there something more to it?

After the last week, I am inclined to think it was real. The retreat experience at Genesee was terrific, but I would be naïve to presume that their community is much different than my seminary community was. Religious life is beautiful, I’m sure, but I am just as certain that it is not heaven. There are undoubtedly interpersonal struggles there at the Abbey. But their chant was, nevertheless, beautiful. Even with the interior struggles which it is reasonable to assume are present, when these monks pray, they do so with one voice. You almost cannot make out individual voices. Is it not beautiful to consider that chant can be a vehicle for the expression of such unity—unity that goes beyond petty divisions?

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Whether celebrated with priest and people facing each other or with priest and people together facing the same direction, every Eucharist is Christ coming to meet us, gracing us with a share in his own divine life.”

— Most Rev’d Arthur J. Serratelli (1 December 2016)

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