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| HOSTED BY SAINT JOHN'S ABBEY AND UNIVERSITY |
| Collegeville, Minnesota |
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| June 20, 2000 |
| This morning we went to the College of Saint Benedict for a tour of the college campus and the monastery church of the Sisters of St. Benedict. St. Ben's is a women's college approximately the same size as St. John's, and buses connect the two campuses so that the undergraduate program is entirely co-ed for students of both colleges. We saw the Benedicta Art Center, where the music department is housed. Then we saw the beautifully renovated monastery church. We sang some of our pieces there in the chapel, and also heard some of our staff play the very fine Noack pipe organ. Then we returned to St. John's to have Mass with Fr. Anthony. |
| After lunch and a bit of rehearsal we set out for the Twin Cities. First we toured the Basilica Co-Cathedral of St. Mary in Minneapolis. We learned what a basilica is and the various parts of a church (cathedra, nave, apse, etc.). Dr. Kim Kasling, organ instructor at St. John's / St. Ben's, and organist at St. Mary's Basilica, played for us Litanies by Jean Alain on the large (and loud!) pipe organ. We sang some of our pieces also, and the staff at the Basilica immediately invited us to give a concert there next year! We hope that will come about. |
| Then we went to Annunciation Church, the site of our evening concert. We ate our submarine sandwiches in the church basement. Then we warmed up, said a prayer, and it was Concert Time! The acoustics are very good for singing in this church. The concert went very well--our best so far. We got a long standing ovation from the large crowd, and the free-will offering was our largest so far. |
 In concert at Annunciation Catholic Church. |
| Back home to Collegeville a bit after 11:00--we sang Compline together and then went to the dorms to end a great day. |
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