Alan Rees, OSB

Alan William Rees, OSB

February 1, 1941 – October 2, 2005

Alan William Rees was born in Morriston, near Swansea, on 1st February 1941, the only son of John and Hilda Rees. His love of religion and music began at an early age when he was taken to Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Chapel by his father and St David’s Church in Wales by his mother and, while still young, learned to play the organ. He was educated at Dynefor Grammar School, Swansea, and University College Cardiff, where he gained an honors degree in Music and a Diploma in Education. He became an ARCM in 1961 and an ARCO in 1964.

In his teens he became an Anglo-catholic and in his first year at university he was received into the Catholic Church by the saintly chaplain, Dom Leo Cesar. He also began thinking of a religious vocation and visited several monasteries. The Abbot and Council of Ampleforth accepted him for the novitiate. A nervous breakdown caused those plans to be shelved and he went into teaching. From 1963 to 1968 he was Organist and Choirmaster at St David’s Cathedral, Cardiff. At this time he also began composing music for the Liturgy in English. He was chosen to compose the Mass that was sung for the Papal Visit to Cardiff in 1982.

In September 1968 he joined the novitiate at Belmont Abbey and made his Simple Profession in September 1969. He was solemnly professed on 29th September 1972. From 1970 to 1972 and again from 1974 to 1982 he was House Master of Cantilupe. He studied at Sant’ Anselmo, Rome, from 1972 to 1974 and was ordained a priest by Bishop Mullins on 29th September 1974. For six years he was also Assistant Novice Master and from 1982 to 1986 Novice Master. From 1970 until his death he was Choirmaster and Organist. He served on the Abbot’s Council from 1975 to 1986 and was Delegate to General Chapter in 1977.

In 1986 he was elected Abbot in succession to Dom Jerome Hodkinson. He was universally loved as a gentle and loving father and taught the community by word and example. However, he disliked being in authority and eventually, suffering from depression, had to resign after seven years in office. During his abbacy the annual May Procession in honor of Our Lady was initiated.

In 1993 he was appointed Titular Abbot of Tewkesbury and continued his ever expanding work as a retreat giver and confessor. He also continued to write prayers for publication and compose music for the Liturgy. His music for the Mass and the Divine Office is now sung throughout the world. He was a member of the Panel of Monastic Musicians from 1972 and Chair of the Society of St Gregory from 1981 to 1985. He had worked with ICEL (The International Committee for English in the Liturgy) since 1985 and was currently involved in setting the new English translation of the Missal to music. In recent years he was also Vicar for Religious in the Archdiocese of Cardiff.

Unfortunately, periods of deep depression recurred in 2000 and again from May 2005. This final bout of depression, despite hospitalization and on-going therapy, was to prove fatal and he died on 2nd October, having been rushed by helicopter to Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham. During his final illness he was anointed on several occasions, though he was convinced that he had lost the gift of faith, so dear to him throughout life, and that he had been abandoned by God.

The vast number of tributes received by the Abbot and Community is proof of the great love and esteem in which he was held by so many people. He will be sadly missed by his Community and family and by his countless friends throughout the world. May he rest in peace.

The above tribute prepared by Belmont Abbey.
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The following tribute published in The Telegraph:

Abbot Alan Rees, who has died aged 64, made a major contribution to the music of the Roman Catholic Church when the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s led to Latin being replaced by vernacular languages in public worship.

Although he was brought up in Welsh Nonconformism with a love of its hymnody, his compositions were firmly rooted in the Gregorian chant which Rees loved and sang every day as a monk of Belmont Abbey in Herefordshire.

He insisted that the new music of the Church should be: "easy to sing, generally tuneful, easy to learn - music that will cause as little preoccupation with the notes as possible and the greatest attention to the texts and resulting prayer." Writing in Gregorian medieval modes rather than modern scales, he claimed that his Nonconformist background might have helped him to write in the first seven modes, but he had difficulty in capturing the grandeur of the eighth.

Rees was a founder-member in 1971 of the Panel of Monastic Musicians, which encourages those communities, both male and female, which sing the choral offices. Its 1996 publication Hymns for Prayer and Praise, which he co-edited, is now used in monastic communities throughout the world. When the panel found itself short of a tune for a particular hymn text, Rees would often be sent out to write one; 10 minutes later he would return with a finely crafted composition.

Besides his Congress Mass, written for the National Pastoral Congress in Liverpool in 1980, and the Cardiff Mass, composed for Pope John Paul II's visit to Britain in 1982, he was prepared to write many simpler settings for anyone who asked him. His Belmont Psalm Tones and Responses and his choral and organ music are performed widely in both Anglican and Catholic churches.

Although a superb organist and improviser, he much preferred setting words: Music for Evening Prayer was an attempt to re-establish the ancient office of Vespers in parish churches.

Alan William Rees was born at Morriston, near Swansea, on February 1, 1941. His love of religion and music began when he was taken to the Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Chapel by his father and to St David's Church in Wales by his mother; and he started to learn the organ at a young age.

Young Alan became an Anglo-Catholic while at Dynefor Grammar School, Swansea, and a Catholic in his first year at University College Cardiff, where he gained an honors degree in Music and a diploma in Education; he later became an Associate of both the Royal College of Music and the Royal College of Organists.

Rees visited several monasteries before being accepted for the novitiate at Ampleforth; but a nervous breakdown led him to shelve this plan and go into teaching. From 1963 to 1968 he was organist and choirmaster at St David's Cathedral, Cardiff, when he began composing music for the Liturgy in English.

In 1968 Rees joined the novitiate at Belmont Abbey, where he was solemnly professed three years later. From 1970 to 1972 and from 1974 to 1982 he was housemaster of Cantilupe House. Rees also studied at the Benedictine house of Sant' Anselmo in Rome for two years before being ordained priest. He was then assistant novice master for six years and novice master for four years; from 1970 he was choirmaster and organist.

In 1986 Rees was elected the ninth Abbot of Belmont, which was founded in 1859 and raised to be an abbey in 1920. During his abbacy he initiated the annual May procession in honor of Our Lady. But while universally loved for his gentleness, he disliked being in authority and, suffering from depression, resigned his post after seven years.

Rees was appointed Abbot of Tewkesbury, a titular appointment which stretches back to the pre-Reformation Church, and he found ever expanding work as a retreat-giver and confessor, as well as in being vicar for religious in the archdiocese of Cardiff.

He worked with the International Committee for English in the Liturgy from 1985 and was recently involved in setting the new English translation of the Missal to music. Although a prolific retreat-giver, particularly sought after by religious orders, he was the sole author of only one small book, Prayers from the Cloisters, based on the age old monastic practice of Lectio Divina (Holy Reading), the meditative approach to Scripture.

Several of his own prayers, which appeared in To Speak in His Presence (1995), give an insight into the inner turmoil which led to serious breakdowns before his sudden death on October 2, convinced that he had lost the gift of the faith, which had been so dear to him, and that he had been abandoned by God.

Peter Kutch, OFM Cap

Peter P. Kutch, OFM Cap

January 12, 1940 – March 2, 2015

Peter Paul Kutch was born January 12, 1940 in Gary, Indiana to Peter and Maria Kutch. His father was a supervisor at the steel mills in Gary. Peter's family was very loving of four brothers and four sisters; Peter was the youngest of eight children. In the 1940s two of his brothers, Herman and Leo, were shot down in separate flights over the Pacific Ocean during the Second World War. Their bodies were never recovered. It was a great loss to the family.

As a young child Peter had an early interest in music. To the surprise of his parents, at the age of four or five he started playing the piano by ear. They soon got him piano lessons and as a child he would go to Chicago alone for lessons. His love for music would last his whole life.

Peter went to Holy Angels Catholic Grade School. When he was in the eighth grade his pastor was promoting St. Lawrence Seminary at his parish. Three of his friends said they were going there and wondered if Peter was interested, so he went along with them. His friends left St. Lawrence after the first year, but Peter loved St. Lawrence. He thought that the friars were always so happy during his time there, and so he became interested in Capuchin life. He decided to join the order after a year in college at St. Lawrence.

Peter was invested as a Capuchin novice in August of 1959 at Huntington, Indiana. It was a large class. He spent his novitiate there and was given the name Alban. After making his first profession of vows in 1960, Peter went to Crown Point, Indiana to continue his studies for the next four years. Peter loved community life and how the brothers and clerics worked together. However, he never understood the separation between clerics and lay friars that we had at that time. From Crown Point, the next step was St. Anthony's in Marathon for theological studies. On October 6, 1966 Peter was ordained a priest by Bishop Tracey. After ordination he had "Fifth Year" in Milwaukee, which was an opportunity for the young priests to get pastoral experience.

In 1968 Peter went to Rensselaer, Indiana to obtain a degree in music and organ. From there he went to St. Lawrence Seminary to teach music and direct the band. He taught the first year or two with Myron Kowalsky. He shared his love and knowledge of music with his students and encouraged his students to also have a love for music. This assignment lasted for 19 years and was filled with his love and enthusiasm for teaching.

While at Calvary Peter also received his first assignment to a parish as pastor of "little" St. Joseph Parish in St. Joe, Wisconsin, population "not many" as a homemade sign on each end of the village proudly proclaimed. He loved parish work and had parish assignments for much of the rest of his Capuchin life including St. Joe, St. Patrick Parish in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then back again at St. Joe, Holy Cross Parish in Mt. Calvary, and St. Cloud Parish in St. Cloud. It was at this time that he became the first pastor of the "Holy Land Cluster" of parishes and laid the groundwork for what would become St. Isidore the Farmer Parish under one of his successors.

Peter said he was interested in people and he didn’t like to see people hurting. As pastor he could help them spiritually or in their own difficulties of life. He accompanied the people in his care and was with them at their baptisms, weddings and funerals. Peter was interested in and enjoyed people and their stories. He called it being nosy, but he was such a great listener and empathized with the difficulties or problems of anyone who came to him. Sometimes he had suggestions, but often he knew what one was experiencing because he had gone through it himself. He encouraged people who came to him. Peter said that the province made the choices as to where he was stationed and the people where he was stationed would say that Peter made the choice to wholeheartedly love them and serve them.

Peter also spent two years at St. Fidelis Friary in Appleton, Wisconsin as local minister and director of our provincial retirement community. In his last days Peter stated with conviction that he never had a bad assignment. Peter served on the Provincial Council for one term. He said it was a good way to serve the province, but also observed that at times knowing too much could be a burden. Peter thought that sometimes we forget how gifted and blessed we are. Peter thought that we are especially blessed with our young friars and that we have so much to be thankful for.

Peter’s last years were at St. Clare Friary in Chicago where he served as a member of the post-novitiate formation team. He liked being with the young friars. He thought the young friars were pulled in so many directions and that it was important for them to have a good community to come home to. Peter helped provide that fraternal presence, a role he had hoped to continue for many more years upon his retirement as a member of the team in the autumn of 2014. An added bonus for Peter during these Chicago years was that he was also close to his family for the first time in many years.

Peter was a funny guy, compassionate, and a great listener to those who needed it. This is why he was successful in parish work and was loved by his brothers in the community. Traveling with Peter was always fun, though the trips were usually not overly organized, which at times gave us trouble. He was interested in so many things: he loved music, art, and architecture. I had the same interests and so we got along. Peter also encouraged me when I needed it, a true Capuchin brother to me.

Peter's memorial card for his ordination contained a quote which inspired him all those years: “When through one man a little more joy, peace, and love come into the world then that man’s life has meaning.” Being a Capuchin helped Peter to do just that and there is no doubt that he had great joy in his life.

Peter was a Capuchin brother first, and then a priest, pastor, confessor and always a friend. Peter died at St. Paul Home in Kaukauna, Wisconsin on March 2, 2015 at the age of 75. His funeral liturgy was celebrated at St. Isidore the Farmer Parish - Holy Cross Church, Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin. He is buried in the Capuchin Cemetery, Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin.

Tribute prepared by Michael Gaffney for Capuchin Communications.

Mary Martina Schaefer

Mary Martina Schaefer

March 25, 1936 – March 27, 2013

Dr. Mary Schaefer died peacefully at home in Halifax, Nova Scotia on March 27, 2013, Wednesday of Holy Week in the company of good friends just as she wished. This was just two days after celebrating her seventy-seventh birthday with her customary good humor and joyful spirit. Born March 25, 1936 in Schenectady, New York, Mary was the eldest daughter of Paul Schaefer and Carolyn Keseberg. Attending Mass daily and singing the Mass each morning while attending St. Joseph’s Academy had a formative influence on her later life.

Mary began her post-secondary education at the University of Toronto (St. Michael's College), with an Honors Degree and Gold Medal in Art and Archaeology. She was recipient of a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to study Art History at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. For some years she taught in the Fine Arts Department at the University of Toronto and Scarborough College.

During that time with a group of women Mary made the case before the bishops of Canada for ordination of women to the diaconate. She was not surprised by their response. Resigning her teaching post, she worked for two years in Northern Alberta in adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan, Peace River country, then at the Catholic Information Centre, Edmonton. It was during this period in her life that she began the study of liturgy in the summer program at St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota.

In 1975 Mary wrote scripture commentaries for Publications Service, Ottawa (Sunday Mass Book, 1976), followed by a full year of teaching at U of T and the University of Guelph prior to graduate school at the University of Notre Dame (1978-1983).

Immediately following her Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies at Notre Dame, Mary taught Christian Worship, spirituality, systematic theology, and art and architecture at Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax (1983-2001). She wrote especially in areas of Eucharist, ordination, ecclesiology, and trinitarian theology, and at her death awaited publication of her work of twenty years, Women in Pastoral Office: The Story of Santa Prassede, Rome (Oxford University Press). She was a knowledgeable student of Europe’s works of art and in Roman libraries. Romania and its monasteries were especially beloved.

Mary became a Canadian citizen on June 24, 1996. From 1996-2003, she was the Canadian member of the Advisory/Consultant Committee of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. She served on the Societas Liturgica council, an international ecumenical Liturgical Society, and was a member of the North American Academy for Liturgy, the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Canadian Theological Society, and the Society for Patristic Studies, giving papers at their annual conferences. From 1995-1996, Mary was president of the Canadian Theological Society.

She spent herself in trying to serve the Church through her professional and volunteer activities. In her years following retirement Mary continued to share her talents in liturgy, education, outreach, parish council, and Refugee Committee II at St. Patrick’s Parish, Halifax. She was consulted and corresponded widely on matters of Liturgy and Theology. She received the Elizabeth Seton Award (Sisters of Charity) and the Archdiocesan Medal of Merit. She was chair of the Places of Worship Committee for the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, and in that capacity inaugurated symposia on church restoration. She was honored by the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia with an award in 2012.

Mary was an extraordinarily active person and had a passion for figure skating. She traveled widely and enjoyed many visits back to 'the Castle' in Keene, NY until it was sold. Her great and lifelong relaxations were solo mountain climbing, canoeing and camping, especially in the Adirondacks. She climbed Gros Morne 23 days after a mastectomy and also the highest mountain in South India. She was turned back in an attempt to complete an ascent of the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, by a blizzard.

David Clark Isele

David Clark Isele

1946 - 2016

David Clark Isele, composer, conductor, organist, and choirmaster, died at the age of seventy on June 24, 2016, in Tampa, Florida.

Born in 1946, he studied at Oberlin Conservatory, Southern Methodist University, and the Eastman School of Music. From 1973-1979, he served on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where he founded the Notre Dame Chorale and conducted the Notre Dame Glee Club. From 1980–2011, he served as professor of music, composer-in-residence, and director of choral and vocal activities at the University of Tampa, Florida.

His compositions vary from works for orchestra and instrumental ensembles to large choral works, song, anthems and accompanied pieces for solo instruments. Several pieces have had European premiers, including “Prologue and Conjugation” for organ and “Cognitions,” also for organ. The latter was recorded for Swiss National Radio. “Te Deum,” a work for chorus and organ, had its London premier. He may be best known in pastoral music circles for his Holy Cross Mass, especially for its alternate “Lamb of God” setting and his Psalms for the Church Year.

During his time in Tampa, David also served as organist and choirmaster at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and, in retirement, as organist at St. Andrew Episcopal Church. He will be remembered with a concert at the University of Tampa Chapel at 2 p.m. on August 27.

Paul Philibert, OP

Paul Philibert, OP

December 30, 1936 - April 14, 2016

Dominican Fr. Paul Philibert, OP, died April 14, 2016, in St. Louis. Fr. Paul had been serving as a senior fellow at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. He earlier was the third provincial of the Dominican Friars Province of St. Martin de Porres.

Paul was born in Baltimore on December 30, 1936, entered the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 1956, professed solemn vows in 1960 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1963. He received a bachelor's degree in humanities from Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1958, and advanced degrees in theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Faculté Catholique de Lyon, France, and Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.

Fr. Paul was a lecturer, professor or in the administration at several schools including Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut; Providence College; St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland.; the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; and Dominican School of Theology and Philosophy in Berkeley, California. He also served on the staff for continuing education for the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Fr. Paul served as director of the Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. He was prior of St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis and distinguished visiting professor of Church and society at Aquinas Institute, 2000-03. He was a theologian in residence and professor at Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, South Carolina; the University of Fribourg in Fribourg, Switzerland; the Rice School for Pastoral Ministry in Arcadia, Florida; the Collegeville Institute, Collegeville, Minnesota. He was resident scholar in North Carolina and a chaplain in Texas. He became senior fellow at Aquinas Institute in St. Louis in 2015.

A longtime contributor to Celebration, Fr. Paul provided readers with timely and substantial essays on theological and liturgical themes relating to the reforms advanced by the Second Vatican Council. His published works explored priestly spirituality, the role of the laity, changes in religious life, and Christian formation. He was recognized for his careful scholarship, as a teacher, preacher and administrator, devoted to the church and to ministry at many levels.

Fluent in French, Fr. Philibert did translations for English editions of works by M.D. Chenu and Yves Congar, Dominicans who had a major impact on Vatican II. His reputation as well-grounded in the vision of the Council led to an invitation from the bishop of Limerick, Ireland, to provide a keynote address that helped shape the preparation period for a diocesan-wide synod held in the spring of 2015, the first synod in 70 years for the Irish church. Fr. Philibert’s address was a showcase of his comprehensive understanding of the implications of the council’s reforms for the local church.

Catherine Dooley, OP

Catherine A. Dooley, OP

August 8, 1933 – December 1, 2015 

 

As students, colleagues, and friends speak of the life and work of Catherine A. Dooley, OP, they recall a woman with a gentle spirit who convinced grade-school teachers and scholars alike to blend liturgy and catechesis. She is remembered too for her infectious smile and gracious presence, and for opening her home at Christmas and other holidays, inviting students and colleagues to feast and celebrate.

Catherine Agnes Dooley, OP, better known as Kate, died on December 1, 2015, at St. Dominic Villa, Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. Her life reached into many spheres and is being recalled fondly on more than one continent. She was born August 8, 1933, in Minnesota, spent 62 years as a Sinsinawa Dominican Sister, taught first graders and college students, and guided doctoral students through dissertations. She is known as a pioneer of liturgical catechesis, a field on which she wrote both pastoral and scholarly articles in periodicals that ranged from Today’s Parish to Louvain Studies.

Her friend Jim Schellman explained that her work in the grade-school classroom grounded her in the practical when she spoke to her graduate students and scholars. “She could hold the vision together in the way that few people could,” he said. “The stories that she would tell to illustrate the vision of liturgical catechesis were right out of her experience of teaching in a parish setting.”

Those stories formed the students who decades later continued to integrate into their work what Sr. Kate taught. “Kate's work in catechesis, and liturgical catechesis in particular, inspired me to delve into the field that continues to know her as a true pioneer,” said Richard McCarron, associate professor of liturgy at Catholic Theological Union. “Her ability to connect thorough scholarship and pastoral insights and to communicate them in approachable ways remains an inspiration,” continued McCarron, one of Sr. Kate’s students during her twenty-five years at The Catholic University of America (CUA).

With a background in preparing youngsters for the sacraments, Sr. Kate provided exceptional insights, “She was the first professor at CUA who truly integrated the practical, pastoral expertise with youth, adults, parishes, and higher education with academic depth and scope,” said Annette Pelletier, IHM. Pelletier, an associate professor in the Theology Department at Immaculata University, added, “Her stories of her experiences of teaching children in sacramental preparation integrated theological insight with humor and wit.”

Sr. Kate’s methods of teaching provided students with new understandings that influenced their careers and ministries. Pelletier noted that the combination of pastoral sensitivity and academic expertise contributed to her decision to become a professor and to delve into liturgical catechesis as a method to teach theology. “Liturgy was never the same after taking one of Kate Dooley’s courses!” she said.

As the director of the Catechetical Centre for the Diocese of Derry, Ireland, Rev. Paul Farren continues Sr. Kate’s work of liturgical catechesis with another generation. “She convinced me without a doubt that the liturgy is the starting point for all catechesis,” he said, adding, “Kate formed me to live the priesthood because she revealed through her teaching the power of the liturgy to teach, to form, and most importantly of all, to lead into the mystery of God’s loving relationship with us.”

Michael P. Horan, professor of theological studies and associate dean at Loyola Marymount University, saw in Sr. Kate the liturgical leader that he wished to become. “She was liturgical to her core, and so it was impossible for her to teach a class that was not informed and inspired by the genius and guiding principles of the catechumenate,” he said. He is grateful not only for the influence that she has had on faith formation but for the spirit that she left. “The Church is a better, kinder, more humorous and human church because of her.”

Perhaps, too, the Church is more connected because of her. Margaret Kelleher, OSU, who taught at CUA with Sister Kate, said, “Catherine (Kate) Dooley, OP, had a gift for gathering both people and ideas. Her home was always a place where people came together to share a meal, talk and laugh. In her academic work, Kate integrated her knowledge of liturgical/sacramental theology and catechetics to make significant contributions, especially in the area of liturgical catechesis. Her catechetical work was grounded in theology and her theology was always connected with the life of the Church.”

As Sr. Kate’s life is recounted, a woman in relationship with God and others emerges. Sr. Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, said, “Kate always turned to the heart of the matter. As she once described liturgical catechesis, ‘Mystagogy is not so much about looking at the meaning of the rite as it is about the meaning of relationships... Mystagogy is a way of interpreting life in light of the mystery celebrated” (“Liturgical Catechesis: Mystagogy, Marriage, or Misnomer?” Worship 66 (1992) 386–397). She continued, “Kate delighted in initiating people-from the youngest child to her university students and colleagues, to the sisters and friends she gathered around the table-into relationships with one another and with God. She embodied the gifts of the Wisdom Woman in Proverbs 31-always inviting others to the feast that God has prepared for all of God’s beloved children, the feast she now shares in abundance.”

Both doctoral students she directed and friends told of how Sr. Kate extended herself to help others meet their goals. Rev. Michael S. Driscoll, associate professor of liturgy at Notre Dame, recalls her help when he was beginning his doctorate in Paris and she was concluding hers in Louvain. “I encountered a magnanimous person who was extremely generous with her time, her scholarship, and her very person. She gave me valuable bibliographical tips and advice and followed me along my doctoral studies.” He added, “I have huge admiration and affection for her. She will be greatly missed.”

One after another, former students and friends, recalled how Sr. Kate’s stories, laughter, and hospitality enlivened their gatherings. Her joy and fervor for the liturgy surely will continue to inspire, said Stephen S. Wilbricht, CSC, assistant professor in the Religious Studies Department at Stonehill College.

“Kate had the brightest of eyes, a quick wit, and a passion for telling stories,” he said. “Taking her to dinner was always a highlight for me, as she would tell such fun and interesting stories that would always include her hearty laugh. I have no doubt that Kate will be entertaining the angels with her smile and will be challenging them to understand anew the heavenly liturgy.”

Tribute prepared by Mary G. Fox for Pastoral Liturgy.

Peter Jones

Canon Peter Jones

June 29, 1951 – April 10, 2016

Peter Jones, a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, composer, liturgist and a former editor of Music and Liturgy died peacefully on the morning of April 10, 2016 as a result of the effects of non-Hodgkins lymphoma for which he had stoically endured lengthy and unpleasant treatment for the last 18 months.

Peter was born in 1951. He taught music at Cotton College, a school run by the Archdiocese of Birmingham and, following its closure, decided to join the priesthood. After studying at the Beda College in Rome he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese on his 40th birthday, June 29, 1991. After serving parishes in Coventry and Birmingham area, in 2013 Peter was appointed parish priest at Holy Redeemer, Pershore, where the distinguished liturgist J.D. Crichton had designed the church and ministered for many years.

Peter first came to real musical prominence with the “Coventry Gloria”, often known as the “Jones Gloria”, which he was commissioned to write for the Papal Mass with John Paul II at Coventry Airport, Pentecost 1982. Peter also worked at rehearsing a section of the large choir made up of parishioners from the Birmingham Province for that mass. That work was hugely successful both in the UK and the US, in both the Catholic and Anglican communions. His revision to fit the 2010 text has been similarly successful.

Peter was a member of the “St Thomas More Group” of composers, founder and chair of the Archdiocese of Birmingham Music Committee, and undertook much formation work with parish musicians all over the diocese during a period of over 20 years, traveling the length and breadth of a huge diocese. His last major diocesan project was running sessions on music for the new translation of the Roman Missal in 2011 throughout the diocese. Peter was editor of the Society of St Gregory journal “Music and Liturgy” from 1981 to 1987, taught music and liturgy at the seminary at Oscott College, Birmingham for a number of years, was an adviser to Central Television and was Director of Music for the Papal Mass for the Beatification of John Henry Newman with Pope Benedict XVI at Cofton Park, Birmingham, in September 2010.

Peter also led a team of organ advisers to the archdiocese who supported and advised parishes on the care and maintenance of existing organ and the acquisition of new instruments. The team has even advised on projects in other dioceses when help has been sought, with Peter leading on at least 15 projects in the last 6 years. This work led to his being appointed to the art and architecture commission of the archdiocese.

In his relatively short period at Pershore he managed to do much to revive a parish that had not had a resident priest for some time before his arrival and was very grateful for the support that he received from many parishioners. He was particularly gratified when he arrived at Pershore to find that his new parishioners had redecorated the presbytery ready for his arrival!

Peter was embarrassed but gratified to be appointed an honorary member of the chapter of Canons of St. Chads Cathedral and Minor Basilica at Holy Redeemer on March 12, 2016.

Tribute prepared by Keith Ainsworth for the Society of Saint Gregory.

William Storey

William Storey
April 23, 1923 - January 16, 2014

William Storey passed away on Thursday, January 16, 2014 after a brief illness. Born on April 23, 1923 he started his 90 years in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. He was born to Anglo-Saxon and French Canadian parents who preceded him in death.

Educated in a public grade school and a collegiate high school, Bill entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order at the age of 19. For four years he endured its peculiar lifestyle before continuing his education at Assumption College of the University of Western Ontario, earning a B.A. and M.A. in Honors Philosophy. He then moved to the United States to enter the Medieval Institute of the University of Notre Dame from which he graduated with an M.A. and a doctorate in Medieval Studies.

In September of 1951 he married Elaine Curry of Detroit, MI. She preceded him in death in 1999. Together they had seven children, Elizabeth (deceased), Margaret (Raymond Ortiz), David (Cathy Roemer), Joan, John (Janice), Paul (Tamara) and Clare (deceased). Bill was gifted with five grandchildren, Corey Gill (Jill), Zachary Ortiz (Kaity), Mathew and Neil Storey, and Claire Storey; and one great-grandchild, Oliver Ortiz. Also surviving are three nephews of his late sister, Shirley and her husband, Walter; Paul, Peter, and Mark along with their families. He was preceded in death by his brother, David. After his divorce in 1977, Bill espoused Philip Howland Schatz in a happy and prized ‘marriage’ until his death.

In 1955 Bill began his teaching career in the department of history of Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, specializing in Medieval History. He was department chair for six years and an adjunct professor in the department of theology, teaching Liturgy and Church History. During most of those years he was also a fairly well known activist in interracial affairs, the war against the Vietnamese people, and the beginnings of the Catholic Pentecostal Movement. As a result, he was not popular with the Duquesne administration, the bishop of Pittsburgh, and as it turned out, with the F.B.I. which kept an all too copious file on him and tried, and failed, to prevent him from becoming a citizen in 1965. Bill was rather relieved in 1967 when he was invited to teach in the newly founded doctoral program in liturgical studies at Notre Dame. In 1968 he was asked to devise an undergraduate program for majors in theology and began a 10-credit course in Church History as the core of that program. Bill retired in 1985 but continued directing doctoral students in Liturgy until 1988. He enjoyed a long and fruitful connection with many of his students and colleagues and was grateful for their cooperation and lasting friendship. In retirement Bill became part owner of Erasmus Books in South Bend and with his partner, Philip, enjoyed a long career as booksellers. He continued his career in publishing a popular series of prayer books.

Bill died in the communion of the Catholic Church and the Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on January 24, 2014, at St. Hedwig Catholic Church, South Bend, IN. He asks his children, grandchildren, friends, and other relatives to pray for the repose of his soul. They may like to use this prayer (prepared by Bill):

Heavenly Father,

by the precious blood shed by your only Son

on the cross of Calvary for our salvation,

and by the prayers of the great Mother of God,

Mary most holy, and of all the saints gone before us;

please forgive the sins of Bill Storey, committed by his own fault,

in his thoughts and in his words, and by what he failed to do.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Emily Rokas, CSJ

Sr. Emily (Mary Victoria) Rokas, C.S.J.

July 4, 1924 — September 13, 2015

Sr. Emily (Mary Victoria) Rokas, C.S.J. entered this world as the sound of fireworks permeated the landscape and their brilliant colors lit up the sky, on July 4, 1924.

She was received into the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph from LaGrange, Illinois on August 15, 1943. Her musical talents were quickly identified and she was enrolled in the Chicago Conservatory majoring in piano. She earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. To her piano skills she added voice, dance, and organ and nurtured her enthusiasm for learning, throughout her life, by participating in seminars and conventions.

She spent her entire religious life as the principal pastoral musician and organist at the LaGrange motherhouse and taught music at a number of the elementary and secondary schools her congregation sponsored. She directed the novitiate choir and taught Gregorian chant to her fellow sisters.

At her funeral she was credited with introducing the congregation to the liturgical movement and preparing them for the liturgical and musical reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council. Her funeral tribute included references to the fact that as the Council’s many liturgical changes were eventually implemented, the community “hardly blinked an eye” having been so well prepared and informed. Sr. Pat Bergen, C.S.J. a member of the community’s leadership team, declared, “Who among us can forget Sr. Victoria and her classes on the writings of Virgil Michel?” Emily was an avid reader and familiarized her sisters with an endless stream of the latest resources, insisting that the community keep pace with the history of liturgical reform and the latest opinions.

When the community decided to build a new chapel, Emily was sent on a tour of various European countries to study and experience the finest organs available. As the new chapel was built and completed during 1968 and 1969, she oversaw the building and installation of a magnificent Noack organ (Opus 44) that graces the motherhouse chapel to this day. Sr. Emily worked closely with the congregation’s Mother General at the time, Mother Walburga, C.S.J., herself an accomplished organist and cellist, and Fritz Noack, the instrument’s builder. She invited Grigg Fountain from Northwestern University to be a member of the organ building committee for which Richard Proulx was a consultant. She took upon herself the difficult and challenging task of raising the necessary funds to build the instrument. Sr. Emily’s family was among the generous donors. Fritz Noack himself inscribed her father’s name on the largest C pipe. The instrument has been featured in a number of articles and included in various local organ tours.

In the mid 1960’s Sr. Emily was appointed to the Archdiocese of Chicago Liturgical Music Commission. She then became one of the founding members of the Music Staff of the Archdiocese of Chicago Office for Divine Worship that was formed after the Second Vatican Council replacing the Music Commission.

Sr. Emily served on numerous Music Staff committees—often as chair—for a number of the various choral festivals, cantor conferences, children’s choir festivals, and other music programs the Office for Divine Worship offered throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. Participants by the hundreds took part in these important events, which contributed significantly to the implementation of the liturgical music reforms that the Vatican Council mandated. Most notably she was a member of the music committee for Chicago’s first papal mass, which was celebrated in 1979 at Grant Park, with Alexander Peloquin conducting and Pope, (now saint), John Paul II presiding. Sr. Emily’s contribution to the musical life of the Archdiocese of Chicago was significant. She hosted numerous workshops at the LaGrange motherhouse making good use of the Noack organ and the distinctive acoustical environment, tuned for the musician’s ear, that she and Mother Walburga worked so hard to create in the motherhouse chapel.

Her generous life of music ministry also included collaboration with her colleague Sr. Mary Ricardo, C.S.J., herself a gifted violinist and teacher. Together they sponsored well-attended Orff and Suzuki summer camps for elementary students that took place year after year. After Emily’s sabbatical in 1993, Sr. Miriam Rose, C.S.J., an accomplished voice teacher, joined Emily and Ricardo. Together they formed a music school offering piano, violin, and voice lessons for the young and the young at heart. The program continued until 2011. Emily was skilled at identifying gifted piano students whom she introduced to organ study. These fortunate students were privileged to experience and explore the splendid chapel instrument. Later in life Sr. Emily went on to direct “The Golden Tones”, a secular choir of elderly residents drawn from the local area. As the years passed, with Emily and her sisters’ welcoming spirit, countless aspiring music students and lovers of the art of music of all ages passed through the doors of the noble LaGrange motherhouse.

The list of music Emily requested for her funeral was more than a collection of her favorite songs. Selections were identified by liturgical season and the final selections were determined as appropriate for Ordinary Time when her funeral took place. She also requested organ accompaniment and left instructions that the assembly was to be offered the privilege of singing ALL the verses of the various hymns! The choir consisted of singers from Our Lady of the Woods Church in Orland Park, Illinois, Infant Jesus of Prague Church in Flossmoor, Illinois, and members of the St. Joseph community all under the direction of Emily’s dear friend Nancy Schoenberg. Numerous other friends from around the Archdiocese joined in the music making including the cantor, Christine Tamani, a long-time friend and fellow member of the Music Staff. Fr. Robert Oldershaw, the founding chair of the Music Staff, offered the final commendation as composer Steve Janco led the assembly in his rendition of “Saints of God”.

Tribute prepared by Michael A. Cymbala with help from the Congregation of The Sisters of St. Joseph, LaGrange, Illinois.