Monthly Compline service at Saint Martin's open to all
September 21, 2010
Lacey, Washington — Saint Martin’s University will
hold its first Compline (pronounced “complin”) prayer service of the
year on Sunday, September 26 at 8:30 p.m. in the Abbey Church, following
the regular student mass and reception. The service is a monthly
sponsored collaboration between members of Saint Martin’s Abbey and
Saint Martin’s University’s Department of Music and Office of Campus
Ministry. All students, University staff and faculty, and members of the
greater community are invited to attend and participate.
The English word Compline is derived from the
Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working
day. “Saint Benedict named this short prayer service as the prayerful
end of the day and the beginning of the Great Silence for his monks,”
says Susan Leyster, director of campus ministry. “While it is the
official final prayer of the day for Catholics, the service is open to
all who wish to end the day with prayer.”
Says Professor Darrell Born, director of Saint
Martin’s Chorale, “{Compline} is meant to be sung by the entire
congregation. The music is taken directly from simple Gregorian chants
and the texts are almost entirely taken from the Bible.” Brother Aelred
Woodard, O.S.B. will conduct the advanced choir who will lead the
singing.
The schedule for this
Sunday’s services is as follows:
- 7 p.m., Student Mass in the Abbey Church
- 8 p.m., Reception in Old Main
- 8:30 p.m., Compline prayer service in the Abbey Church
For the fall semester, the Compline service will be
held on the last Sunday of each month: September 26, October 31, and
November 28. For more information about the Compline service, please
contact Susan Leyster at
leysters@stmartin.edu, or Darrell Born at
dborn@stmartin.edu.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent
four-year, Catholic, coeducational university located on a 380-acre
wooded campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic
Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine
colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only
one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University prepares
students for successful lives through its 22 majors and six graduate
programs spanning the liberal arts, business, education, and
engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes 1,250 students from many ethnic and
religious backgrounds to its main campus, and 650 more to its extension
campuses located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia
College, and Tacoma Community College.
For additional information:
Genevieve Canceko Chan
Vice president, marketing & communications
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4332
gchan@stmartin.edu
www.stmartin.edu