{"id":12012,"date":"2011-10-27T08:57:14","date_gmt":"2011-10-27T13:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=12012"},"modified":"2011-10-28T07:46:40","modified_gmt":"2011-10-28T12:46:40","slug":"st-johns-abbey-breuer-church-at-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/10\/27\/st-johns-abbey-breuer-church-at-50\/","title":{"rendered":"St. John’s Abbey Breuer Church at 50"},"content":{"rendered":"

The St. John’s Abbey and University Church<\/a>, designed by master Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer, has turned 50. It was consecrated in 1961, and the feast of dedication<\/a> was this past Sunday.<\/p>\n

As a lead-up, a panel was held<\/a> a few weeks ago with Thomas Fisher, Dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota, and Bill Franklin, Episcopal bishop of western New York and former theology professor at St. John’s. Do listen to it.<\/p>\n

Fr. Hilary Thimmesch OSB, former president of St. John’s University and youngest member of the planning committee back in 1961, has written a delightful account of how we got the abbey church, <\/a>Marcel Breuer and a Committee of Twelve Plan a Church: A Monastic Memoir<\/a>. LitPress <\/a>says this about the new book: <\/span><\/p>\n

The junior member of the twelve-monk planning committee recounts in warm and frequently humorous detail how its members related to the Hungarian-born Bauhaus-trained architect who had no background in church architecture but shared their belief in the enduring quality of simple materials sympathetically used. How the strong architect-client relationship survived the strain of disagreement at a critical moment in completion of the church is the narrative high point.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The liturgy began with the chant introit Terribilis est locus iste<\/em><\/a> (I think even “formal equivalence” permits us to call the place “awesome” rather than “terrible”). The opening hymn<\/a> from Herman Stuempfle was perfect for the occasion:<\/div>\n
\n

For builders bold whose vision pure
\nSaw more than brick or stone,
\nWho laid in hope foundations sure
\nWith Christ the corner stone;
\nFor those who honored your commands
\nAnd trusted your strong Word,
\nWho offered faithful hearts and hands,
\nWe give you thanks, O Lord.<\/p>\n

I’m sure the development office appreciated the fourth stanza: “We come, O Lord, inheritors, \/ From those whose work is done. \/ Lord make us now contributors…<\/strong>” That’s university president Fr. Bob Koopmann OSB playing the Holtkamp pipe organ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Gloria<\/em> from Mass VIII, Missa de Angelis<\/em>, had been sung by the congregation in 1961 at the consecration. We did it again<\/a>, but now giving the congregation a refrain and adding a bit of medieval organum. Do you know the new\u00a0Missa ad Gentes<\/em> by J. Michael Joncas from GIA? The Sanctus<\/em><\/a> has alternation between schola (in Latin) and congregation (in English), with the congregation repeating the just-sung melody. I like Michael’s setting a lot – it’s fresh, at once light and serious, festive but not pompous. It’s our setting of choice for big days.<\/p>\n

Master choral conductor Axel Theimer from the university music department composed a new anthem for the Men’s Chorus, Sanctum et terribile nomen eius<\/a>. <\/em>Here’ the text:<\/p>\n

Sanctum et terribile nomen eius.
\nInitium sapienti\u00e6 timor Domini.
\nHoly and awesome is his name.
\nThe beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
\n<\/span><\/em>My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord.<\/p>\n

Locus iste a Deo factus est,
\nin\u00e6stimabile sacramentum.
\nLocus iste irreprehensibilis est.
\nThis place was made by God,
\nan unfathomable mystery.
\nThis place is without blemish.<\/em><\/p>\n

Later in the day, Westminster Cathedral Choir from London under the direction of Martin Baker gave a stunning concert<\/a> in the abbey church. This was the inaugural event of the Institute for Sacred Music<\/a> at St. John’s.<\/p>\n

Mark your calendars: October 2061, abbey church centennial celebration.<\/p>\n

awr<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“The church is the house of God;<\/i> in the midst of a world filled with the powers of evil, it is a place where God reigns supreme. The church is the house of God\u2019s people,<\/i> a place open to all where the faithful gather for prayer. The church is the place of sacrifice<\/i>; the object in the church most worthy of veneration is the altar, which is the symbol of Christ.” — from the 1961 consecration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8,21],"tags":[1619,1473,287],"class_list":["post-12012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art-and-architecture","category-music-chant","tag-dedication-of-a-church","tag-marcel-breuer","tag-saint-johns-abbey"],"yoast_head":"\nSt. John's Abbey Breuer Church at 50 - Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2011\/10\/27\/st-johns-abbey-breuer-church-at-50\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"St. John's Abbey Breuer Church at 50 - Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\""The church is the house of God; in the midst of a world filled with the powers of evil, it is a place where God reigns supreme. 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