We were so very pleased about this item in the local paper (despite the inevitable imprecisions)

JAMES A. BURNS (Bro. Gregory) Oblate of Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight, composer, professor of chant, organist, choirmaster, died on the 3rd of February, at Greenville Hospital, Jersey City, New Jersey, of congestive heart failure.

Born in 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Burns held church positions in New Orleans, St. Louis, numerous churches in New Jersey: Bayonne, Jersey City, Union City, Short Hills, Garfield, and was director of music for the Dominican Sisters, Union City, NJ for over forty years. He commissioned choral music by Ned Rorem for his boychoirs, and organized numerous boychoir festivals in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

With his strong musical principles, opinions and sardonic wit, he made striking contributions to the world of Catholic church music by composing new chants in English for the Divine Office, as well as Antiphons for the Sacramentary with a clear, accurate, uncluttered, rhythmic pulse. Dr. Burns, a man with nerves of steel, was both firm and outspoken, a symbol of his era, supremely self-confident with his understanding of liturgy and music in the Post Vatican II Roman Catholic Church.

Travelling extensively, Burns taught chant to cloistered religious sisters in India, Pakistan, Goa, Phillipines, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, USA, Canada, Austria, Germany, and England. A virtual encyclopedia on church history, liturgy, chant, polyphony, and ecclesiastical endeavors, he is survived by his sister, Mary Janice, a brother Thomas, many students and colleagues, including his ecclesiastical confrere of forty years, Deacon Peter J. Basch, KCHS.

Under the direction of Dan Bradley (gregchantguam@pocketmail.com), the Gregorian Institute of Guam is sponsoring a "Sacred Music Workshop" from 01/04 June 2005 at the Days Inn Hotel in Tamuning GU. Sessions will run from 0900/1600 daily in 50-minute segments separated by 10-minute pauses.on subjects ranging from the nature of Musica Sacra, the Instruction Musicam Sacram of 1967, the place of cantus gregorianus in the Divine Liturgy, and the development of the "traditional" Mass and its structure, to 'Good Hymns for Better Worship' both English and Latin, structure of the New Mass Order of Vatican II, introduction to Gregorian chant, etc. The presentations will be enriched with audio examples from Theo Marier's 1957 demonstration broadcasts from the Pius X School and a video of the development of Gregorian chant from Jewish psalmody, amongst other features. Plans call for a Novus Ordo Mass in English and a "traditional" Latin Missa Cantata employing some of the music studied by the registrants.

A Gregorian chant workshop ? ... in Guam ? How did that ever come about ? ....Years of
experience and observation, along with no small measure of self-questioning, encouraged the Director of the Institute, Dan Bradley, to respond to the real desire evinced by many Catholics on the Island, both young and old, for an opportunity to express their devotion at Holy Mass in a more formal and "dignified" manner than the "celebratory gathering" commonly found in parish churches today.

Thinking that it would be a good way to discover whether he should continue his "quest" with the Institute, or forever hold his peace, the Director decided to propose a four-day "Sacred Music Workshop" open to all interested persons.

A detailed proposal, including some of the 'suggestions' regarding participatio actuosa found in Musicam Sacram, as well as a schedule, was mailed to to the Archbishop of Hagatna with a request for somment and suggestions. A month and a half of silence ensued.

Telephone inquiry elicited a prompt response from the Archbishop's secretary : fax another copy at once. The Director replied that he would hand-carry the copy within ten minutes ! And within 48 hours the Prelate himself phoned to congratulate the Director on his courage, and to endorse the programme whole-heartedly. In addition, the Metropolitan Archbishop called the Seminary to ask that the seminarians be available to attend, and as far as the Seminary schedule permits, offer their active collaboration. Two days later, the Archbishop confirmed his telephone call in writing, indicating that he supports the purpose of the Workshop : that the Divine Liturgy might be celebrated with intelligence, piety and beauty "by the praying Church, the Ecclesia orans."

What can CMAA members on the Mainland do in support of this splendid initiative ? Say an Ave to St Pius X, of course...and perhaps send a word of recognition and encouragement for his example, to

H. E. Most Rev'd Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFMCap
Metropolitan Archbishop of Hagatna
196-B Cuesta San Ramon
Hagatna GUAM 96910.

This news item describes how one musician uses Gregorian chant to comfort the dying.