Gregorian Chant Courses This Summer at Clear Creek Abbey

Clear Creek Abbey in northwest Oklahoma (diocese of Tulsa: located at 5804 W Monastery Road in Hulbert) will once again be hosting a week-long instruction in Gregorian chant, based on the course called Laus in Ecclesia, from Monday, July 13, to Friday, July 17. The course will be offered at three different levels of instruction:

1) Laus in Ecclesia, level 1, for beginners: Gregorian initiation, covering the basics of Gregorian chant, that is, reading the neums, rhythm, modality, Latin pronunciation and verbal rhythm. This level targets the beginner or simply amateur in Gregorian. The student must know how to hold a tune. ~ Instructor: Kathy Reinheimer.

2) Laus in Ecclesia, level 2, for cantors: covering Gregorian Psalmody and the Divine Office, this level builds on and sharpens the skills learned in the first degree. Prequisites to join level 2: Level 1 or equivalent. Instructor: Mark Donnelly.

3) Laus in Ecclesia, level 3, for directors of scholae: the concentration is on chironomy and the interpretation of bigger Gregorian pieces. Instructor: Br. Mark Bachmann, OSB.

Opportunities to sing the chant: two Masses sung in Gregorian chant by the sessionists; daily Prime in the morning, Compline at night. In the evening, attendance at monastic Vespers at the abbey is recommended.

Lodging is available on site.

More information and the link for registration can be found at the Clear Creek Abbey website: https://clearcreekmonks.org/learnchant/. https://clearcreekmonks.org/learnchant/.

A New Short Film about Clear Creek Abbey

Recently, a film crew journeyed to Clear Creek Abbey in Hulbert, Oklahoma, to capture a glimpse of the Benedictine way of life. This stop was part of a longer adventure that took the crew across Europe, tracing the rich and beautiful Benedictine heritage that the monks at Clear Creek do their best to steward on the Oklahoma plains. The resulting footage, a short film called The Fire of Faith, is very good, a reminder of the role that Benedictine monasticism has played throughout history, and the vital work to which it is being called today.

For their part, the monastic community at Clear Creek is asking for prayers as they begin work to complete their abbey, including the final construction of their church. Their ranks have grown considerably since its founding, from 13 to 72 monks in just the last two decades, and they discern about 100 inquiries each year. The monks have asked people to consider formally enrolling them in their prayer intentions at this website, https://future.clearcreekmonks.org/, and of course, promise to pray for those who do so in their turn.

We are glad to share these photos of daily life at the monastery in all of its various aspects.

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Gregorian Chant Courses This Summer at Clear Creek Abbey

Clear Creek Abbey in northwest Oklahoma (diocese of Tulsa: located at 5804 W Monastery Road in Hulbert) will once again be hosting a week-long instruction in Gregorian chant, based on the course called Laus in Ecclesia, from Monday, July 14, to Friday, July 18. The course will be offered at three different levels of instruction:

1) Gregorian initiation (Laus in Ecclesia level 1), taking the complete beginner or amateur in Gregorian chant to the level of being able to sing the chant with a certain competence.

2) Psalmody and the Divine Office (Laus in Ecclesia, level 2) building on the first degree, sharpening skills in reading notation, and rhythm, with an emphasis on the singing of the Divine Office in Gregorian chant.

3) Direction (Laus in Ecclesia, level 3), bringing all the previous levels to completion: this level is aimed primarily at directors of scholas, with a concentration on chironomy (direction) and the interpretation of bigger pieces.

More information and the link for registration can be found at the Clear Creek Abbey website: https://clearcreekmonks.org/learnchant/.

A New Video from Clear Creek Abbey about the Salve Regina

To close out the octave of Our Lady’s Assumption, here is a great video recently posted to the Youtube channel of Clear Creek Abbey about the Salve Regina, which gives a bit of an explanation of the text and the music, as well as some interesting historical information about its composition, ending with a very nice rendition of the simple version.

And here is the video which they produced a few months ago in a very similar vein about the Regina Caeli.

And for good measure, a splendid setting of the Magnificat by the Netherlandish composer Alexander Agricola (1445-1506).

Gregorian Chant Courses to be Offered this Summer at Clear Creek Abbey

Clear Creek Abbey in northwest Oklahoma (diocese of Tulsa: located at 5804 W Monastery Road in Hulbert) will be hosting a week-long instruction in Gregorian chant, based on the course called Laus in Ecclesia, from Monday, July 15, to Friday, July 19. The course will be offered at three different levels of instruction:

1) Gregorian initiation (Laus in Ecclesia level 1), taking the complete beginner or amateur in Gregorian chant to the level of being able to sing the chant with a certain competence.

2) Psalmody and the Divine Office (Laus in Ecclesia, level 2) building on the first degree, sharpening skills in reading notation, and rhythm, with an emphasis on the singing of the Divine Office in Gregorian chant.

3) Direction (Laus in Ecclesia, level 3), bringing all the previous levels to completion: this level is aimed primarily at directors of scholas, with a concentration on chironomy and the interpretation of bigger pieces and direction.

More information and registration can be found at the Clear Creek Abbey website: https://clearcreekmonks.org/learnchant/

A New Sculpture at Clear Creek Abbey

This past Sunday, the abbey of Our Lady of Clear Creek in Oklahoma unveiled a new tympanum sculpture over the door of the main abbatial church, a beautiful Romanesque-style Christ in majesty surrounded by the symbols of the Four Evangelists. This was done by Mr George Carpenter, a trained blacksmith and self-trained (!) stone carver, who lives with his family near the monetary, and has done several other projects for the monks, including iron-work, light fixtures and stone-carved altars. Our thanks to reader Luke Zehr for sharing these photos with us.

The lintel beneath the tympanum, which is decorated with sculptures of the Twelve Apostles, and the two historiated capitals under that, were done in 2013 by Andrew Wilson Smith, who is also self-taught in the art of stone carving.

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Ordination at Clear Creek Abbey

On Sunday, November 17, His Excellency David Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa, Oklahoma, ordained two brothers at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey in Hulbert, Oklahoma, one to the diaconate and one to the priesthood, in a Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The diocese of Tulsa recently published a video with some highlights of the ceremony, and we also have a few pictures, courtesy of Mr Ted Korczak. Our congratulations to the new priest and deacon and to their family, friends and religious community - ad multos annos!

Clear Creek Abbey Chant Weekend

Clear Creek Abbey, Hulbert, Oklahoma

On the weekend of October 19-21, Clear Creek Abbey hosted its annual Chant Weekend. Taught by their choirmaster, Br. Mark Bachmann, it was an excellent chance to learn or review the basics of singing Gregorian chant.

I arrived on Friday afternoon just in time to check in and get a quick bite to eat at Bethany House (the quarters for visiting women) before going over to the Abbey for Vespers with the monks; this was followed by introductions, an instruction session on the singing of Compline, and the singing Compline in the upper church.

Br. Bachmann took us through the basics of the Gregorian staff, the pattern for singing the Divine Office, and the basics of the simpler neumes. When we left the abbey to go back to our respective guest quarters, it was pitch dark on the secluded grounds of the abbey – very conducive to a good night’s rest for an early start on Saturday morning.

Not wanting to miss anything, I rose early to go to low Mass at 7 am at the Abbey, after which I returned for a quick breakfast at Bethany House before our 8:30 class. The peace and silence of attending low Mass with the monks gave a wonderful start to the day. Watching the monks at the various altars offering the Mass was something like watching a sequenced choreography. Observing their prayers, gestures, the assistance of the servers for each priest… especially for those of us from dioceses where no regular Extraordinary Form liturgies are available, was an amazing experience.  

Note: For the men staying at the abbey, attending Lauds with the monks before low Mass is also possible; women are requested to refrain from entering the abbey until after the morning Angelus bells are rung, according to custom.

Morning view from the Abbey after Low Mass

Breakfast at Bethany House was a treat, including churned butter from the monastery, fresh eggs from their own coops, honey from their hives, and bread from the abbey kitchen. After a quick breakfast, it was on to the abbey to begin the day’s classes.

Many attending the course were local to the area, including families who moved specifically to be able to live near to the abbey. Others traveled from within Oklahoma to attend; a few, like myself, had a bit of a longer journey to get there.

Class session in the lower level.

The morning chant session continued with gaining familiarity with the chant notation, and expanding our knowledge of the chant and how to sing it, especially for preparation for the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 11:30 am. The weekend continued with a break for lunch and instruction punctuated by breaks, culminating again with Vespers and Compline. During one of our breaks on Saturday, I had the chance to browse the gift shop and make a few purchases, including some of the monastery cheeses to take home. Their handmade beeswax candles have the most heavenly smell, reminding me of the words from the Easter Vigil Exultet about the “work of bees.” I couldn’t resist purchasing some of the icons made by the monks as well.

St. John the Baptist icon

The weekend sessions included an explanation of how chant notation on the four-line staff developed from the early markings on the manuscripts, as well as a history of how chant developed in the Church, and a history of the work done by the monks of Solesmes.

With each new chant, we learned 1) correct Latin pronunciation, as well as the translation of the text, 2) speaking the solfeggio for the melody, 3) singing the solfeggio with the melody and 4) singing the Latin text with the melody. During this short course, Br. Bachmann gave us a nice foundation in understanding the neumes (groups of notes, sung on a single syllable of text), rhythmic markings, the meaning of the bar markings (quarter bar, half-bar, full and double bar lines) and an understanding of the shape of the melody for each chant.

Br. Bachmann is a masterful teacher, easily adapting to the varying skill levels of the attendees to make it an enjoyable course for all.

Saturday Mass in the upper level.

Again on Sunday, I attended low Mass at 7 am, followed by a quick breakfast and more class time with Br. Bachmann. We finished learning and preparing the chants for the closing Sunday Mass, and then proceeded over to the Oratory (the old monastery), where the closing Sunday Mass for the course was held. Many of the local residents were also in attendance. Mass was lovely, with outstanding altar servers from the local community assisting a monk from the abbey as he celebrated Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

Following Mass, the class participants enjoyed a nice lunch at St Martha’s, the guesthouse for married couples and families, just a short walk from the Oratory. Soon we all said our goodbyes and returned home, having enjoyed a wonderful, peaceful weekend with the monks of Clear Creek and learning more about Gregorian chant.

This weekend course is an ideal way to learn the basics of how to sing Gregorian chant in an absolutely beautiful setting, experiencing the wonderful Benedictine hospitality. The abbey offers this course each fall. Make plans to join them next year!

Construction on the Abbey continues year by year...

Work continues on the Laus in Ecclesia course. For more information on the course, see their website here: http://lausinecclesia.com.

Clear Creek Abbey is located in Hulbert, Oklahoma, not far from Tulsa. For information about making a visit to the Abbey, visit their website at http://clearcreekmonks.org.