Choral Composer Competition: Oneness Peace Journey

I suppose it’s an odd time to post this. But since the committee was able to meet today (Saturday – I guess that’s yesterday now) to make it’s decision, and since this text is so much what Easter is really about, and since I’m on a high after a fantastic Easter Vigil at the abbey… here we go.

In the Saint John’s School of Theology this semester we had a student competition to create the best sacred text, to be given out to choral composers for a competition of the best choral setting of it. The selected text was to expresses – in an open, accessible way – what our liturgical tradition at its best means. Below is the winning entry. Christians will immediately pick up on the sacramental undertones which become quite eucharistic at the close.  But it doesn’t preach at you. Very much in the spirit of Pope Francis, it invites in all people of good will (probably including atheist journalists!). 

Compositional requirements, and directions for how to submit choral settings, will follow. For now, enjoy this sacred text. Happy Easter! – awr

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Oneness Peace Journey

peace, pieces of peace
one
the journey is oneness
you are the journey
you are peace

space
be the space
be the peace
you are peace space

silence sounding
space expanding
oneness diversifying
in the peacejourney spaceplace

peace
piecemeal
banquet of one-peace-ness.

Anthony Ruff, OSB

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, is a monk of St. John’s Abbey. He teaches liturgy, liturgical music, and Gregorian chant at St. John’s University School of Theology-Seminary. He is the founder of the National Catholic Youth choir. He is widely published and frequently presents across the country on liturgy and music. He is the author of Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform: Treasures and Transformations, and of Responsorial Psalms for Weekday Mass: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter. He does priestly ministry at the local county jail and the neighboring community of Benedictine sisters in St. Joseph.

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Anthony Ruff, OSB

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9 responses to “Choral Composer Competition: Oneness Peace Journey”

  1. Jared Ostermann

    I was just groggy enough on Easter Tuesday morning that it took me a minute…

    This is great!

    Reply
  2. Alan Hommerding

    Can’t wait to hear somebody or some group singing the elided sibilants of “peace space”

    Reply
    1. Karl Liam Saur

      I thought this was April Fool’s Day humor, but who am I to judge?

      Reply
      1. Anthony Ruff, OSB Avatar
        Anthony Ruff, OSB

        Oh, you don’t think this is profoundly Catholic, Benedictine, and liturgical??
        Hahaha. April Fools!
        awr

      2. Karl Liam Saur

        Well, let’s just say that its syntax blows right beyond the more Latinglish collects of the 2011 Missile for [insert noun of choice here], and its tether to “sacred” (let alone Christ or God) is sparer than gossamer. But you chose not to tag it as Humor (or Humour?), yet did so with the tiara piece, which was an interesting Rorschach test. (Personally, I could see Pope Francis mussing with the tiara to scramble the shibboleths if he got in the mood to do so.)

        Hmm, more gerunds, please, Mr Bumble? Double plus score for a a neologism like entropying (because the Second Law of Thermodynamics is, like, sacred).

  3. Thomas Keesecker

    Oh, looking for a peace piece then, eh?

    Reply
    1. Karl Liam Saur

      World pease.

      Reply
  4. Rita Ferrone Avatar
    Rita Ferrone

    Thanks for the giggle!

    Reply
  5. Anthony Ruff, OSB Avatar
    Anthony Ruff, OSB

    Such great poetry, but not everyone can appreciate it. I can’t resist sharing one comment – without the author’s name – that came in:
    “I wouldn’t waste my time composing for that piece of sh– New Age poem. Not only does such a text have no place in Catholic liturgy, it has no place in Catholic spirituality. What sort of sh– are you encouraging that such an idiotic text is the winning entry for a ‘sacred text’?”
    🙂
    awr

    Reply

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