First Event of Spring 2024 Public Lecture and Concert Series!
Join us for the first event of the Spring 2024 installation of our Public Lecture and Concert Series! RSVP here!
Vox Psalmistæ, Vox Ecclesiæ: A Biblical-Liturgical Study of Sunday Vespers
Lecture by Fr. Joshua Neu, Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture and Director of Sacred Liturgy at St. Patrick’s Seminary
Friday, February 9, 2024
7 p.m. PST
Free Admission
In-person at St. Patrick’s Seminary (320 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park, CA), or online streaming available.
Vespers and a reception follow the in-person event. Ample on-site parking is available. Please note that streaming of vespers following the lecture is not available.
About the Lecture
The psalms and canticles of the Divine Office represent the voices of ancient Israel from the time of the Exodus through the Second Temple period, more than 1000 years of the Divine encounter with Israel. Each psalm, whether praise or lament, history or instruction, sings of this encounter from its own particular circumstance, but in a way that opens into new readings of the psalms through the unique encounter between God and man in the Incarnation. The Church, whose liturgical prayer is one with the prayer of the Incarnate Son glorifying the Father, suggests fresh readings of the same psalms through the antiphons of the Divine Office, readings that both respect the voice of the original psalmist and simultaneously draw out meanings the psalmist may not have recognized. This study of Sunday Vespers explores the meaning of these important psalms in their original context and the renewed meaning of the same psalms when the voice of the psalmist is taken up into the voice of the Church at prayer.
About the Speaker
Fr. Joshua Neu is an Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture and Director of Sacred Liturgy at St. Patrick’s Seminary.
About the Series
The Public Lecture & Concert Series of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music welcomes the general public to St. Patrick’s Seminary to hear from preeminent scholars about topics which have a profound impact on the Church and humanity, inviting them especially to consider the Church’s wisdom on matters related to the worship of God, the spiritual life, beauty, and works of art.
We invite you to join us for these important and inspiring events.
The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music’s director, Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, recently appeared on Ave Maria radio’s “Notes from Above,” discussing some beautiful recordings of chant and basics for understanding sacred music at parishes.