Coming Home
The St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits transformed liturgical music in the 1970s. During SLU鈥檚 Homecoming and Family Weekend, they performed together for the last time.
Powell Hall is positively flush with fans. It鈥檚 the last Sunday in September, and the place is packed hours before a mid-afternoon show. Out front on Grand Boulevard, a woman holds a homemade cardboard sign that reads, 鈥淚 Need One Ticket.鈥� Like a fan at a Grateful Dead show, she needs a miracle.
But what she and close to 2,650 others 鈥� a sold-out crowd 鈥� have come for isn鈥檛 a rock 鈥檔鈥� roll reunion or the orchestra that calls the symphony hall home. They鈥檝e come for five men who changed the sound of the Catholic liturgy.
They鈥檝e come to hear the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits. And today the miracle is the music.
They鈥檝e come for the songs they sang in Catholic school, the soundtrack to their sacramental lives. The melodies come to mind easily: 鈥淥ne Bread, One Body鈥� during Sunday Mass; 鈥淏e Not Afraid鈥� at funerals; 鈥淪ing to the Mountains鈥� on a beautiful spring day.
As Saint 直播自慰视频 University鈥檚 Homecoming and Family Weekend winds down on campus a few blocks away, the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits take the stage for their last concert, Coming Home: A Final Celebration.
Break Into Song
Fifty years ago, when they started composing music for liturgy, they were not known as the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits. They were just five young men with musical inclinations who happened to be at Saint 直播自慰视频 University at the same time, at various stages of Jesuit formation.
Bob Dufford, S.J. (A&S 鈥�67, Grad 鈥�72, 鈥�75) and John Foley, S.J. (A&S 鈥�68, Grad 鈥�68, 鈥�74) lived in Lewis Hall (now the Coronado Apartments) while they prepared for ordination. The other three 鈥� Tim Manion (A&S 鈥�76), Robert 鈥淩oc鈥� O鈥機onnor, S.J. (A&S 鈥�73) and Dan Schutte (A&S 鈥�72) 鈥� stayed in Fusz Memorial Hall, where they鈥檇 gather for Mass in the chapel.
They converged at SLU at a point rife with change, just after the Vatican II Council transformed the way Catholics worship. The liturgy had become more personal, more connected with the human experience, and the music at the Fusz Hall Masses began to reflect that.
The five men had their own influences and inspirations 鈥� everything from the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins to classical music, Broadway musicals, and the folk songs and rock 鈥檔鈥� roll that were popular in the 1960s and 鈥�70s. But they shared a desire to compose songs anyone could sing that were also sophisticated and rooted in Scripture.
When the Masses at Fusz outgrew the chapel, the composers were invited to sing at St. Francis Xavier College Church. As more people heard the music they were writing, it began to take on a life of its own. People requested copies to take to their parishes. The young men decided to record what they鈥檇 already composed and bind their handwritten songs into a book. In so doing, they bound themselves together.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have a vision that we were going to be a group,鈥� Schutte said. 鈥淲e wrote music for liturgies and at one point pooled our music together as three of us were getting ready to leave St. 直播自慰视频. Our first publisher wanted to know what we wanted to be called. We couldn鈥檛 give them an answer, so they, on our first collection, put 鈥榤usic by St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits.鈥欌��
That first collection, a four-album set called Neither Silver Nor Gold, included 57 pieces, and the description on the cover became their name.
Together the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits would go on to produce more than 150 liturgical songs and hymns. Their recordings garnered Grammy nominations throughout the 1970s, and their 1975 album, Earthen Vessels, continues to be one of the best-selling albums of Catholic music ever, with more than one million copies sold to date. Their songs have been translated into at least a dozen languages and have been performed in an Academy Award-nominated film (Dead Man Walking) and at the inauguration of one U.S. president and the funeral of another.
Where Are They Now?
By the mid-1970s, four of the men had left SLU for other assignments. Today, Foley is the only one who lives in St. 直播自慰视频, at Jesuit Hall. He is the editor of the Saint 直播自慰视频 University Sunday Website, a weekly review of Sunday鈥檚 liturgical readings from several dozen different perspectives.
Dufford lives and works out of the Creighton University Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa, doing spiritual direction for clergy. During the last few years he has composed instrumental music based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
After years as an associate pastor and liturgical musician in parishes across the country and 13 years of teaching at Creighton University, O鈥機onnor was assigned by his provincial to full-time composing and writing. He lives in Milwaukee.
Manion, who was never ordained, lives in Seattle. He continues to perform and compose folk music.
Schutte left the Jesuit order in 1986 and made music his life鈥檚 work, as a composer and also as a liturgist and music director in various pastoral and academic settings. Today, he is composer-in-residence at the University of San Francisco, and he travels across the country, visiting parishes for performances, retreats and workshops.
The St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits took a hiatus from collaborating in 1986. In 2005 they came together to record a new collection of music, Morning Light, an anniversary album celebrating 30 years. Since then, they鈥檝e performed together at several benefit concerts. The 2019 Coming Home concert benefited the Ignatian Spirituality Project, which offers men and women who are homeless and in recovery from addiction the opportunity to change their lives through Ignatian spirituality and retreats.
Raise Your Voices, Lift Your Hearts
At Powell Hall, the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits walked onstage to a standing ovation, the first of many. Sonorous drums sounded, and the men began singing. Four of them played guitar. O鈥機onnor, who wrote the opening song, 鈥淟ift Up Your Hearts,鈥� practically danced as he strummed. After two numbers, he was the first to address the crowd.
鈥淟et me first say: Wow! And then let me say, let us pray,鈥� he said.
With a prayerful and occasionally playful tone, the men took turns introducing and leading their respective songs. Sometimes the composer offered insight into the song鈥檚 origin or meaning, as Dufford did for 鈥淏e Not Afraid鈥� 鈥� which, incidentally, was chosen as the No. 1 hymn of all time by readers of America magazine.
鈥淭his song isn鈥檛 telling us not to feel fear. Fear is a gift,鈥� Dufford said. 鈥淭he song is here to encourage us to face our fear, because of the One who goes with us.鈥�
Before the show, the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits wanted to make clear that they didn鈥檛 see this concert as a performance, per se, but something more participatory.
鈥淚n the early days, we actually shied away from doing concerts,鈥� Schutte said. 鈥淲henever we were asked to do a public appearance, we fashioned the performance around prayer and scripture, and presented it in that way, as opposed to doing what people would now call a concert.鈥�
鈥淲e were much more about serving the Mass and the people, rather than performers,鈥� Foley said.
鈥淎s we finish our long careers, we鈥檙e thinking the important thing is the people鈥檚 spirituality,鈥� he continued. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking this all to heart. One place we appeared, they said, 鈥榊ou鈥檝e been the soundtrack to our spiritual lives.鈥� That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to do here.鈥�
To encourage the audience to participate in the Coming Home concert, the group made sure the printed program detailed each song, including musical notation and cues to join in.
In actuality, the audience didn鈥檛 just sing. They stood and swayed. They clapped along in rhythm and raised their arms. Some even shed a few tears. It felt like every person at Powell Hall had an emotional connection to these men and their music.
Let the People Say Amen
John Niemann (A&S 鈥�71) came from Denver to share the concert experience with friends who listened to the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits as students at SLU.
鈥淚t was radical and almost sinful to have guitar at Mass,鈥� Niemann said before the show. 鈥淭hey became a real changing force in the Church.鈥�
鈥淭hey adapted the music of their time,鈥� said Denny Donnelly (A&S 鈥�63, Law 鈥�66), whose wedding had been officiated by the late beloved SLU philosophy professor John Kavanaugh, S.J., a founding member of the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits singing group before he devoted himself full time to philosophy.
Kavanaugh鈥檚 brother Tom (A&S 鈥�71) helped coordinate the Coming Home concert, and nephew John (A&S 鈥�95) reflected on the experience afterward.
鈥淟ike most kids in Catholic grade school and high school in St. 直播自慰视频, I grew up with their music, singing it at Mass. Unlike most kids, I also grew up with that music in my house 鈥� occasionally live!鈥� he said. 鈥淢y ties to those men and their music are deep. I truly felt my uncle鈥檚 presence there with us, and it was beautiful to see these great composers and performers together on stage back in St. 直播自慰视频.鈥�
Emily (Sides) Schiltz (Grad A&S 鈥�02) had no personal connection to the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits but was influenced by their music nonetheless. She was thrilled to attend Coming Home but also to share the stage with the group, as a member of the backing choir.
鈥淢usic connected me to the Church throughout my childhood, and it was, unbeknownst to me then, the songs of the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits that pulled me in and kept me close,鈥� Schiltz said. 鈥淭he concert was a surreal, beautiful afternoon of singing for praise and for gratitude 鈥� for those five men, and for the music they were inspired to write and share.鈥�
Of course, the idea of gratitude came up again and again during Coming Home. Before starting 鈥淭his Alone,鈥� the first of five of his songs played at the concert, Manion spoke to the audience.
鈥淚鈥檓 here, we鈥檙e 鈥� all of us 鈥� here for one reason only: to say thank you,鈥� he said, his voice thick with emotion. 鈥淲e鈥檒l take some of it, but the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits isn鈥檛 us; it鈥檚 the phenomenon of these last 40 years. And you鈥檝e been as much a part of it as we are. In the end, we just serve the music.鈥�
Set List
The St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits have written scores of songs, so they had a lot of material to consider for their Coming Home concert. They selected some 鈥済reatest hits鈥� while striving for a balance in tempo, melody and songwriting credits.
鈥淲e had to watch it,鈥� John Foley, S.J., said. 鈥淲e cut verses out of songs because we didn鈥檛 want people to be there for three or four hours.鈥�
Notwithstanding the thoughtful planning, the show ended up clocking in at just under three-and-a-half hours. Here are the tracks they chose, with the name of the composer for each in parentheses.
鈥淟ift Up Your Hearts鈥� (O鈥機onnor)
鈥淐ity of God鈥� (Schutte)
鈥淐ome to the Water鈥� (Foley)
鈥淏e Not Afraid鈥� (Dufford)
鈥淭his Alone鈥� (Manion)
鈥淗ere I Am, Lord鈥� (Schutte)
鈥淭he Cry of the Poor鈥� (Foley)
鈥淎ll the Ends of the Earth鈥� (Dufford)
鈥淥 Beauty, Ever Ancient鈥� (O鈥機onnor)
鈥淓manuel鈥� (Manion)
鈥淥ne Bread, One Body鈥� (Foley)
鈥淪ing of Him鈥� (Dufford)
鈥淪eek the Lord鈥� (O鈥機onnor)
鈥淭hese Alone Are Enough鈥� (Schutte)
INTERMISSION
鈥淚 Lift Up My Soul鈥� (Manion)
鈥淟ike a Shepherd鈥� (Dufford)
鈥淪ing, All the Earth鈥� (O鈥機onnor)
鈥淎 Song of Hope鈥� (Foley)
鈥淵ou Are Near鈥� (Schutte)
鈥淟et the People Say鈥� (Manion)
鈥淛esus the Lord鈥� (O鈥機onnor)
鈥淪ing to the Mountains鈥� (Dufford)
鈥淭urn to Me鈥� (Foley)
鈥淪ing a New Song鈥� (Schutte)
鈥淭here Is a River鈥� (Manion)
ENCORE
鈥淗oly God, We Praise Thy Name鈥� (traditional Catholic hymn)
鈥淕lory to God鈥� (Foley)
Bring Home a Recording of Coming Home
For those who couldn鈥檛 attend the Coming Home concert 鈥� or would like to experience it again 鈥� the St. 直播自慰视频 Jesuits plan to produce an audio recording and a video of the performance. Learn more on the or .
鈥� By Amy Garland
Saint 直播自慰视频 University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service. Founded in 1818, the University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 13,000 students on campuses in St. 直播自慰视频 and Madrid, Spain. Building on a legacy of now more than 200 years, Saint 直播自慰视频 University continues to move forward with an unwavering commitment to a higher purpose, a greater good.