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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

The Hillbilly Thomists

Fr. David Friel · January 28, 2018

UBLISHED in 1952, Wise Blood is a Southern Gothic novel by Catholic author Flannery O’Connor. Many early critics interpreted the work as a tale of despair and darkness. In a 1955 response to one letter writer, O’Connor objected: “Everybody who has read Wise Blood thinks I’m a hillbilly nihilist, whereas I would like to create the impression . . . that I’m a hillbilly Thomist.” 1

Thus was born the name of a banjo-bearing band of bluegrass-loving brothers.

The Hillbilly Thomists are a group of Dominicans friars (ten brothers, of whom two are priests) belonging to the Province of St. Joseph and living at their Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. It is also the title of the group’s CD released last month (available here).

The cover art (see below) features a historic photograph from the Dominican archives that depicts thirteen friars from the early 20th century, each wielding a banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, or clarinet. Seen in this light, The Hillbilly Thomists are, perhaps, more traditional than they first seem.

So, which members of the Order of Preachers make up this unusual bluegrass band? The notes accompanying the CD identify the following members of the group:

Fr. Austin Litke, OP — Mandolin, guitar, & vocals
Fr. Thomas White, OP — Banjo, dulcimer, & vocals
Br. Justin Bolger, OP — Guitar, piano, accordion, bass, & vocals
Br. Constantius Sanders, OP — Vocals
Br. Timothy Danaher, OP — Vocals
Br. Brad Elliott, OP — Drums
Br. Peter Gautsch, OP — Mandolin, piano, guitar, & vocals
Br. Joseph Hagan, OP — Drums, washboard, & bodhrán
Br. Jonah Teller, OP — Guitar & vocals
and Br. Simon Teller, OP — Fiddle & vocals

In all, the album presents just over 40 minutes of musical delight. Only one of the tracks is an original song: “I’m a Dog,” written by Br. Justin, formerly a professional songwriter. Featuring a tuneful melody and creative lyrics, the song plays on the Dominican notion of the “hound of the Lord” (rooted in the similarity between the Latin words Dominicanus and Domini canis, which means “dog/hound of the Lord”).

Other standout tracks include the brothers’ a capella version of Amazing Grace, their soulful rendition of the spiritual Steal Away, and their animated finger-picking during the Scotch-Irish instrumental Saint Anne’s Reel.

ECEPTION has been unequivocally positive. The early popularity of the album is not based solely on its catching title or the novelty of Dominicans doing bluegrass.

The recording broke into the top 10 bluegrass albums on Billboard and reached the status of #1 selling folk album on Amazon for a time. One can also find glowing reviews on the pages of America, First Things, and Word on Fire.

Having listened to the album several times now, I am happy to echo the wide praise these friars have garnered since the release date (12 December 2017). Only occasionally lacking in polish, the album is characterized by truly excellent musicianship and impressive missionary zeal. The quality of the sound may cause listeners to forget that this music is made by men whose primary work is prayer and preaching, not riffing and recording.

Check out this music video featuring one of the album’s tracks, Poor Wayfaring Stranger:




NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Flannery O’Connor, The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor, ed. Sally Fitzgerald (New York: MacMillan, 1988), 81.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Recording 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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President’s Corner

    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
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

Nothing should be allowed that is unworthy of divine worship, nothing that is obviously profane or unfit to express the inner, sacred power of prayer. Nothing odd or unusual is allowable, since such things, far from fostering devotion in the praying community, rather shock and upset it—and impede the proper and rightful cultivation of a devotion faithful to tradition.

— Pope Paul VI • 10/13/1966

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