The Schola

The Assumption Schola Gregoriana is a lay music ministry located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts. Consisting of lay and religious we are dedicated to bringing traditional chant into today’s worship. Our director, Reverend Donat Lamothe, A.A., is a specialist in Early Music and is a professor of music at Assumption College in Worcester. The schola sings plainchant (the form best known as "Gregorian Chant") in various liturgical settings such as Masses, evenings of meditation, vespers, etc.

We are not professionals and do not charge for our services. We are simply dedicated to keeping the sacred tradition of chant alive in the context of today's worship.

Though we tend to sing chant in its intended context (sacred prayer), we have also sung at secular settings such as Higgins Armory Museum.

History

The Assumption Schola Gregoriana was founded on the feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1997, by Father Donat Lamothe and a member of the schola. Since the founding occurred on the feast of the Assumption, and since Fr. Donat is a member of the Assumptionist Order teaching at Assumption College, and the college has been kind enough to sponsor us and allow us to use their facilities for practicing, it became rather obvious as to what name the schola would take!

The first practice was held on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, October 7, 1997. We had 15 members attend that first practice and since then the Holy Spirit and Our Lady have guided the group through the years. Many of the members of the schola today are from that first season. It is a great testament to them and to our director that so many have been committed to this ministry over the years. We are always seeking to add new members, so if you are interested in joining us please see the section on Membership.

Each year we have had steady growth in membership and the number of venues at which we sing. We have sung Masses, evening vespers, and meditative programs at many churches throughout the diocese. We have relied only on word-of-mouth and a little advertising to promote the group. On the fourth anniversary of the schola's founding, August 15, 2001, we launched this website. The purpose of the site is to assist the schola in recruiting members, and to help promote chant and our ministry. We'd love to come to your parish or event if you'd like to add chant into a special liturgy or celebration. So please look over this website and then contact us!

Mission Statement

The statement below was developed so that all would understand the mission of the group: why we are here and what we hope to accomplish.

Vatican Council II stated in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy that “The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care.” (SC 114) and that “the Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy.” (SC 116). In its Instruction on Music in the Liturgy (Musicam Sacram) we are reminded that “above all the study and practice of Gregorian chant is to be promoted because, with its special characteristics, it is a basis of great importance for the development of sacred music.” The American bishops in Music in Catholic Worship (1983 No. 27) while encouraging musicians to create new music of quality for worship also requires them to "find practical means of preserving and using our rich heritage of Latin chants and motets." It is in this spirit that we are establishing a Gregorian chant music ministry in the Diocese of Worcester.

Character

The choir will be made up of lay or religious men and women who volunteer their time to learn and perform Gregorian chant. The group is open to anyone who applies, with no expectation as to how quickly the material will be learned. As long as the voice is of sufficient quality to sing melodies, and the person has the proper attitude to take part in this ministry, then they are welcome!

These are some of the basic rules and principles governing this group:

• This is a ministry, not a hobby. The members of this choir must not only be interested in learning chant to perform it, they must be willing to enter into a spirit of charity, humility, and prayerfulness that will lead them to becoming instruments through which the Spirit can work. This choir is not formed to “perform” for people. It is formed to provide a spiritual environment in which people can come closer to God in holiness.



• Because chant and language are indissolubly united, the choir will sing the chant in Latin, while providing English translations to the attendees of the liturgies.



• The formation of this group is not intended to be a vehicle for any “anti-Vatican II” sentiments. On the contrary, it is in the spirit of the Council that this group is being formed. No desire to “turn back the clock” is intended. That said, we believe chant to be part of the splendor of the Church, a beautiful form of sacred music and prayer, and a wonderful part of our heritage that should be fostered and maintained for present and future generations.



• We envision this group performing in a variety of capacities: at celebrations of the Mass, during Eucharistic devotions, at celebrations of the Hours, Vespers and Compline for example, and other liturgical settings.



• Secular settings are possible but up to the Director to discern whether the setting is an appropriate one. The intent is for the choir to perform “anonymously” - behind the scenes - to provide an atmosphere of the sacred rather than in front of an audience. The primary purpose of this ministry is to be a vehicle of the Spirit using the beauty and simplicity of the music to draw people to God. We are partners with the listeners in a prayerful presence to God.

As you can see, the schola is a dedicated ministry that hopes to bring people to a deeper experience of God in their lives through this music. Though we have fun during the practices and services, the focus is not on ourselves but on serving God and others through music.

Congratulations to Rev. Donat Lamothe on the 50th anniversary of his ordination in Lyons, France!
1962-2012

The Schola Director

Rev. Donat Lamothe, A.A., professor of music at Assumption College, is the choir director. Fr. Lamothe has extensive experience in performing and teaching Gregorian chant. He is an expert in the field of Early Music, and performs on a wide variety of historic and ethnic instruments. Besides teaching Music History at Assumption College, he has published many internationally recognized works on Protestant Psalmody of the Renaissance, and music in medieval monasteries. Trained in chant during the 1950s and early 1960s, in the United States and abroad, he continued to teach chant to graduate students at Boston University and at early music summer sessions during the 1970s. Several years ago he was asked by Abbot Dom Augustine to coach the monastic schola at St. Joseph's Abbey, (Spencer, MA) as they sought to reintroduce chant in their monastic liturgies. He often attends workshops at the advanced level at Fontevraud, France. These sessions, some of them under the direction of Dom Daniel Saulnier, O.S.B. of Solesmes Abbey, deal with issues of chant direction and interpretation in the light of the latest chant scholarship. Fr. Lamothe also teaches Gregorian chant to undergraduates at Assumption and under his direction, chants are often part of the tour programs of the Assumption College Chorale. Father lectures regularly on iconography, the sacred art of the Eastern Christian Churches, and “writes” icons in the Russian style. Fr. Lamothe received his Ph.D from the University of Strasbourg (FR).

Bringing Chant to Your Parish or Event

For adding a special and unique dimension to your liturgies or celebrations, there is nothing quite like chant. Not only are the older members of the congregations touched by the music as it harkens back to days long gone by, but young people, who have had little if any exposure to this music, are also touched in ways that are not so easy to explain with words.

Whether you are a Music Director, on a Liturgy Committee, a Pastor, an Event Director etc., why not consider bringing the beauty and timelessness of chant into your celebrations and liturgies?

The schola does not charge for its services and can work with you to integrate chant into your service in whatever way you feel appropriate. For example when we sing at a Mass, some pastors prefer a "little chant" to augment the liturgy, while others like to hear nearly everything (Mass propers and ordinaries) in chant. Whatever the event, we can work with you.

Ecumenical services can be an excellent forum for chant since much of this music is scriptural. Chant was the common music of all Christians for centuries - we were all united under this music much longer than we have been separated! Many Christian churches are looking at chant as something worth re-integrating back into their liturgies and some have done so for many years.

The schola can provide programs with the English translations for the Latin texts being sung so that the listeners may partake in the prayer more fully.

Our repertoire is very diverse so as to provide chant for any number of settings. Included are a number of Mass propers and ordinaries, along with the offices of Vespers and Compline, and numerous hymns from all seasons of the liturgical year.

Here are some of the venues at which we have sung over the years:

• St. Joseph, Auburn
• Holy Angels, Upton
• St. Mary of the Assumption, Milford
• St. Paul Cathedral, Worcester
• St. Joseph, North Brookfield
• Our Lady of Loreto, Worcester
• St. George, Worcester
• Sacred Heart, Webster
• St. Bernard, Worcester
• St. Luke the Evangelist, Westboro
• Mount Carmel-St. Ann, Worcester
• Higgins Armory Museum
• Our Lady of the Assumption, Millbury
• Our Lady of Good Counsel, West Boylston
• Ascension, Worcester
• United Congregational Church, Worcester
• St. Anne and St. Patrick, Sturbridge
• St. Columbkille, Brighton
• The Worcester Centrum
• Our Lady of LaSalette Shrine, Attleboro
• Salem Covenant Church, Worcester
• Bethel House, Fitchburg
• St. Paul, Blackstone
• St. Joseph Basilica, Webster
• Christ the King, Worcester
• St. Francis, Fitchburg
• Holy Cross, E. Templeton
• Madonna of the Holy Rosary, Fitchburg
• St. Cecelia, Fitchburg
• St. Patrick, Williams College, Williamstown
• St. Margaret Mary, Keene, NH
• Our Lady Immaculate of Lourdes, Newton
• Our Lady of Fatima, Worcester
• St. Mary, Uxbridge
• Sacred Heart, Greenville, NH
• St. John, Worcester
• Blessed Sacrament, Worcester
• St. Gabriel, Upton
• Sacred Heart, Milford

If you are interested in learning more or for scheduling an event with the schola, please contact us.

Current Season's Schedule

2011-2012

The schola’s season runs from early September until Pentecost Sunday, with a winter break from Christmas until mid January.

Below is a list of the services scheduled for the current year. Please check back often as many arrangements are made throughout the season.

Previous Season's Schedule

2010-2011

Membership

"We listened to the Gregorian chant echoing through the vast shadowy recesses of the Gothic cathedral. The rich sound seemed to blend with the glowing, nearly palpable light filtering through the stained-glass windows. We could not see who was singing, but we knew it was the monks chanting their ancient liturgy; and even though we could not make out the words of the chant, we knew it was the Latin Psalms, chanted since time immemorial as part of their sacred ritual. We felt we could partake of the meditation, that we could be borne up in the mystic ascent to eternity, to serenity."
-- From "An Introduction to Gregorian Chant" by Richard L. Crocker, Yale University Press, Copyright © 2000

• Our season follows the school year at Assumption College. The first half of the season runs from early September until just before Christmas. After a winter break we begin again in late January and continue until Pentecost Sunday.



• During our season, practice is every Tuesday promptly at 7:30pm for no longer than an hour and a half.



• There is no expectation as to how long it will take anyone to be able to effectively sing chant and contribute to the group. Most members who have joined us agree that, on average, it takes a full season with the schola before one begins to feel confident in their ability. Of course this depends on how much previous experience one has had with chant or music. But new members are not expected to "come up to speed" within any timeframe. The expectation is that one will learn at their own pace, and contribute at some point in the future. Our focus is on developing members who can contribute in the long term rather than right away.



• We understand that you may not be able to make every practice or service of the schola, but if this ministry is something of which you want to be a part we need your commitment to be here as much as possible. Treat this not as a hobby but as a calling to a special ministry in the service of God and others.



• Practices will include not only learning to sing chant but the Latin pronunciation as well as the history and scholarship of Gregorian chant.



• Participants should make every effort to make their personal prayer life a part of this effort.



• Be attentive to Fr. Donat and EACH OTHER. Chant requires obedience and humility. We are individual members who must strive be one in spirit and in voice.



• Don’t hesitate to ask questions and make suggestions. This is your schola and your input is critical to our success.



• Have fun!
  
  

Each new member joining us is given a Chant Primer which includes an introduction to chant, a guide to reading chant notation, some chant history, and a selection of recordings (on CD) with sheet music for practicing chant at home.

Currently we practice at Emmanuel House next to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit on the campus of Assumption College. (Click here for a map of the campus.)

Won't you consider becoming a part of this wonderful ministry and the glorious tradition of chant? If you want to join our ministry or find out more, just contact us.

A Taste of Chant

Confirma hoc Deus, quod operatus es in nobis: a templo tuo, quod est in Ierusalem, tibi offerent reges munera, alleluia.

(Confirm, O God, that which you have accomplished in our midst; from your holy temple which is in Jerusalem, kings shall offer presents to you, alleluia.)

+ Psalm 67:29-30 +

To see the actual chant notation click here.

The Schola CD

You may purchase the CD for an offering of $10.00 each which includes shipping and handling. All proceeds will go to the schola ministry and local charities. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Latest News

The first practice for the 2011-2012 season will be held on Tuesday, September 13th at 7:30pm. Due to construction in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, rehearsals will take place at Emmanuel House, next to the chapel on the campus of Assumption College. Prospective members should contact us as soon as possible so we can prepare the materials for you. And of course we always welcome new members to come join us anytime on Tuesdays.

We are now booking services for the current season. If you are interested in having the schola come to your parish or event, please contact us as soon as possible so we can reserve your date.

There will be no rehearsal on Tuesday November 22nd. The schola will resume practices on the following Tuesday November 29th.

There will be no rehearsal on Tuesday February 28th as the schola will be in Fiskdale singing at a Lenten reconciliation service. The schola will resume practices on Tuesday March 6th.

Links

More links to related sites:

Contact Information

By phone:

John McManamon
508-478-5745

By postal mail:

Assumption Schola Gregoriana
c/o Reverend Donat Lamothe
Assumption College
500 Salisbury Street
Worcester, MA 01609

By email:

info@assumptionschola.org

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