Darning with faint praise?

A priest friend forwarded me a blurb from the Dan Schutte Newsletter.

St. Louis Jesuits Honored
Jubilate Deo Award

Each year since 1996 the National Association of Pastoral Musicians bestows the Jubilate Deo Award on a musician who has made an extraordinary musical contribution to the life of the American church.

This year the award is being given to the St. Louis Jesuits – Bob Dufford, S.J., John Foley, S.J., Tim Manion, Roc O’Connor, S.J. and Dan Schutte.  Together, they’ve recorded ten collections of music and individually over the years, that number totals thirty-one.  After forty years, their music continues to be a significant part of the worship of the American church today.

In 2005, after a twenty year hiatus, they reunited to record a new collection of music to celebrate this anniversary.  The collection, Morning Light, features twelve new compositions by the group.  While recording this new CD, they experienced once again that special quality their collaborative process gives their music.

The Jubilate Deo Award is a great honor and these five men join the  company  of past recipients such as Joseph Gelineau, S.J., Rembert Weakland, OSB, Clarence Joseph Rivers, Jan Michael Joncas, Lawrence Heiman and others.  The award will be presented to the St. Louis Jesuits at the NPM Convention this summer in Louisville.

Think of the honor!  One of the past recipients was non-other than Rembert Weakland!

Ahhhh… those were the days!

The Spirit of Vatican II was moving and letting in new air… never mind the smoke.

Those heady, halcyon days of wholesale discontinuity and destruction.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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15 Comments

  1. Augustin57 says:

    I once ran into Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. and kind of half jokingly asked him if there were any good, faithful Jesuits left in the world, then hastened to add, other than himself. He smiled, chuckled lightly, and said, “Unfortunately, not many.” Then, he went on to name a few of the good ones.

  2. robtbrown says:

    Maybe it should be known as the Hermeneutic of Rupture Award

  3. Legisperitus says:

    I can think of no one who has passed more of that air to us than that particular group of Jesuits.

  4. TNCath says:

    It will likely be their last award–a “kiss off award.”

  5. Centristian says:

    Will the awards be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris again? Wait, I’m thinking of something else.

  6. Elizabeth D says:

    I am currently reading the book “The Re-Formed Jesuits” by Joseph M Becker, S.J. and published by good Fr Fessio’s Ignatius Press. It is a painstakingly well researched history of what happened within the Jesuits in the US after Vatican II, but really the disintegration seems to have started when men began entering in the mid 50s who questioned authority in regards to truth, values and way of life, and insisted on more autonomy and self directedness, then tending to re-define religious obedience and poverty. Particularly after Vatican II, the momentum was all towards changing and adapting everything. It is an interesting read if religious life interests you.

  7. rssalazar says:

    Father,

    Thanks for the wonderful laugh. You made my Monday with this posting.

    When I saw Rembert Weakland’s name, I could not help but crack up. And Father Joncas’ name brought a chuckle to me as well.

    I hope you have a blessed Pentecost Octave.

  8. Augustin57 says:

    Elizabeth D, thanks for the info. I’ll look into the book!

    The Jesuits have fallen so far. They used to be like the Marines of the Church. You’d want to send them in to convert an area, then move in milder folks to mop up and organize things. :)

    God bless! :)

  9. benedetta says:

    This is like the liturgical Grammy award? Possibly some throughout history are worthy for this at least, even a Jesuit…but maybe not how we would expect. I am wary of press releases and marketing generally even from spiritual publishers.

  10. Cantor says:

    In fairness, Dan Schutte recently gave a presentation on the new Missal translation at our diocese, focused on the musicians. It was an absolutely brilliant presentation. He did not play favorites, nor criticize the translation, nor mock those who had worked on it. Instead he presented quite factually what it is that we as musicians will be called upon to do between now and November. If the man has garnered an award for some aspect of his life, then I congratulate him for it.

  11. RichR says:

    I’m not sure how things are in the rest of the world, but in the New Orleans Province, the Jesuit novices are fairly “right-of-center”. You may be seeing a shift in the politics of the Society in years to come.

  12. amenamen says:

    What are the things that a laicized priest is forbidden to do?

    Here is a good summary:
    http://jimmyakin.typepad.com/defensor_fidei/2006/05/what_expriests_.html

    Is the N.A.Pa.M. under the authority of the Catholic Church? Does any bishop have responsibility for this organization?

  13. John Nolan says:

    National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Why is it that whenever I hear the word ‘pastoral’ I reach for my 9mm Browning?

  14. irishgirl says:

    In the early 1980s (about 1982 or 1983, I think) I participated in a concert that was directed by one of the St. Louis Jesuits, Bob Dufford. The choir members were composed of people from the various parish choirs in the Eastern Region of my Upstate NY diocese. I remember at one rehearsal, we kept screwing up on something, and he blew his top at us! And it was in one of the local parish churches! He was really ‘ticked’ about our messing up his work!
    When the concert was over-it was at the local historic ‘movie palace’, now a ‘performing arts center’-and while still standing on the stage, I went over and shook hands with him. I remember that he had blue-gray eyes…and I said something really idiotic: ‘You’re the first Jesuit I ever met!’ (hey, what the heck-I was in my ‘young and stupid’ early thirties then!)
    Hopefully, the up-and-coming ‘youngsters’ of St. Ignatius’ ‘sons’ will turn the Society around. I saw sixteen of them in 2009 when I attended the burial Mass of Cardinal Avery Dulles at Auriesville, NY. I said out loud when I saw these young guys, ‘The future is HERE!’

  15. Brian says:

    I believe that Cardinal DiNardo is NPM’s episcopal moderator.

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