Father Anthony Ruff brings love of liturgy to diocese

photo courtesy of Fr. Ruff

+ Enlarge

Father Anthony Ruff

SALT LAKE CITY — Benedictine Father Anthony Ruff of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., will bring all of his knowledge and his passion for liturgical music to a workshop, The Liturgical Music Study Day March 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saint John the Baptist Church in Draper.

A monk for 20 years, Fr. Ruff is associate professor of liturgy and liturgical music at St. John’s University/School of Theology Seminary in Collegeville and directs the National Catholic Youth Choir.

Fr. Ruff served on the draft committee for the United States Council of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) document,

"Sing to the Lord."

The Liturgical Music Study Day is hosted by the Diocesan Liturgical Music Committee under the direction of Timothy Johnston, director of liturgy for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

Over the past 10 years, Fr. Ruff said, liturgical music has gone in several directions. One is a more lively Protestant or evangelical type of music often accompanied by a band, synthesizers, and drums. Other liturgical styles include the use of keyboards, guitars, organs, and pianos. The other major change liturgical music has undergone is the practical use of Gregorian Chant by cantors, choir members, and lay people in the congregations.

Fr. Ruff’s presentation at Saint John the Baptist is just one day in a full itinerary. He will spend the rest of the week working with the choristers of the Madeleine Choir School and Madeleine Adult Choir teaching theology and liturgical music, centered around the use of Gregorian Chant in the liturgical setting.

"The purpose of liturgical music is to support the liturgy and draw us into the ritual,"

said Fr. Ruff in a February 19 interview with the Intermountain Catholic. "The music reflects the truths we celebrate."

In addition to his work in liturgical music, Fr. Ruff also ministers to neighboring convents and the County Jail. His experiences vary widely.

He also served on the music subcommittee of the USCCB as its chant section leader and is a member of the National Association of Association of Past Musicians (NPM).

Fr. Ruff’s interest in liturgical music began when he was in junior high school, playing the electric organ in the tiny rural parish his family attended in southern Minnesota. From there, he joined a Catholic Youth Choir in Collegeville.

Today he plays the organ at the monastery and spends several days a week directing Gregorian Chant for a group of monks and students.

"Gregorian Chant is a very ancient, medieval form of music first used in Latin and traditional Roman rites,

he said. "The music is sung in unison, using mostly Scripture for text. It came to us from as far back as the early middle ages, and its repertoire has grown in every century."

The USCCB document, "Sing to the Lord," recommends a good deal of Gregorian Chant, said Fr. Ruff.

He served on the draft committee with six other liturgists with whom he was familiar. It took them three years to develop the draft document before it went to the bishops for acceptance.

"The bishops were very careful," he said. "They went through everything, making sure the document was doctrinally sound. They went by the book.

"The draft committee was made up of experienced people, all of whom had worked in the field for decades."

He said the contents of the document are both inspiring and practical and that parish musicians will find it helpful and interesting. "It applies to all aspects of liturgical music and is a competent teaching tool."

Fr. Ruff said he would like to see more use of Gregorian Chant on the parish level, although it presents more effort for the people to sing it. He said he would also like to see more priest celebrants use chant in the prayers they usually speak at Mass

Fr. Ruff said he has been to Utah in the past and is familiar with the work of the Madeleine Choir School and the Madeleine Adult Choir.

He said he hopes to see a large turn-out for the Liturgical Music Study Day, including liturgical musicians, cantors, choir members, people interested in liturgical music, and priests and deacons.

For further information on The Liturgical Music Study Day contact Timothy Johnston in the Office of Liturgy at 328-8641.