St. John’s Abbey celebrates new hymnals
The St. John’s Abbey has long supported the monastic and student communities at CSB+SJU. This Sunday’s event, Hymnfest, will bring together both communities celebrating the relsease of the Abbey’s latest hymnal composed of 964 psalms.
This Sunday, St. Johns Abbey will reveal their project of the past 10 years: a new hymnal composed of 964 psalms.
The Abbey has hosted several Hymn Fests in the past decades. These events always celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the community. This year’s commemoration is no different.
This event celebrates the culmination of St. John’s Abbey’s 10-year project to create a new hymnal, which was coordinated by SJU monastic members Anthony Ruff, Jacob Bernes and David Klingeman. This hymnal was made right here in Collegeville through a great magnitude of work that took “several committees, a lot of hands and many hours to complete,” according to Ruff. While there have been several other hymn fests over the last few decades, the community is particularly looking forward to this year’s event.
A hymn fest is designed to engage everyone in a liturgical community, whether you find yourself heavily involved or simply curious about the Abbey. This type of event is perfect for those who are curious about how each church chooses what songs to sing. The St. John’s Abbey Hymn Fest will give attendees a first-hand glimpse into this selection process in a compelling and engaging way.
The concept of a hymn fest comes from Protestant practices but has been heavily adopted by Catholics in more recent times as a way to celebrate the hard work of a religious community. The event itself focuses on worship through a musical approach and a celebration of the unveiling of a new hymnal allows for the program to showcase it in a way that is intentionally structured for this aspect of worship.
The St. John’s Abbey is involving several different parts of its institution in this commemoration by organizing this gathering, which consists of an hour of singing hymns in a “done-up way,” Ruff said. This includes exciting organ music, accompaniment and choral participation. These choral ensembles will include the CSB+SJU Chamber, Men’s, Women’s and All-College Choirs, as well as the School of Theology Chapel Choir. They will be accompanied by distinguished organist Bill Chouinard on the historic Abbey organ.
Hymn Fest is designed to foster an environment where these carefully selected pieces of music can flourish.
“All who are present can experience the artistic, beautiful, and exciting way that this hymnal is presented to the community,” Ruff said.
Ruff, one of the major coordinators of the project, is one of its most prominent spokespeople. He greatly enjoyed the process of creating this hymnal, but he noted that it took more work than he had initially realized.
For Ruff, one of the most important parts of a project such as this is how “inspiring and moving it is when a congregation all works together to all be a part of the excitement.”
The hymn recreation process is not new to the St. John’s Abbey, but Ruff voiced his gladness about being a direct insider on its 10 years of work. When asked why Hymn Fest was significant to him, he stated that the Abbey is incredibly proud of the new hymnal that they themselves made.
“Anyone who likes music, choirs, organ and worshiping through music will find [Hymn Fest] enjoyable,” Ruff said.
Ruff specifically mentioned his hopes that many undergraduates attend Hymn Fest because he firmly believes that they will like it “more than they expect.”
Hymn Fest will take place in the Abbey at 5 p.m. this Sunday. Visit the St. John’s Abbey website to find more information regarding the event.
