A group of people are standing in a church, holding hymnals and singing. The room has wooden pews and stained glass windows in the background. The focus is on a woman with glasses in the center.

Liturgy at Saint John’s

A Community of Faith

As the source and summit of church’s life and work, the liturgy is a vital component of life at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary. Drawing on the Benedictine tradition that values the connection between prayer and work, students, staff, and faculty gather regularly to celebrate the Eucharist and pray the Liturgy of the Hours, along with other opportunities for worship. As a reflection of our community, our liturgies seek to embrace the rich diversity of languages, cultures, and spiritual practices present within School of Theology and Seminary and serve as inspiring manifestation of the many parts united in the one Body of Christ.  

A rhythm of communal prayer shapes daily life on our campuses with the celebration of Mass and the Divine Office available within Emmaus Hall, the home of the School of Theology and Seminary, Saint John’s Abbey Church, and Sacred Heart Chapel at Saint Benedict’s Monastery. At Emmaus Hall, the SOT/Sem community comes together for two services each week: Mass and an ecumenical Midday Prayer. In addition to our regular liturgies, we also offer opportunities for prayer and devotions that celebrate liturgical feasts and seasons throughout the year. For both Mass and Midday Prayer, students, together with faculty and staff, participate in preparing the celebrations and fulfilling various ministry roles. 

A priest stands at an altar with arms raised inside a church. Behind him are a crucifix and a large mural of religious figures, including one central figure seated under an arch, with candles on either side of the altar.
A bright chapel interior with wooden beams, arched stained glass windows, rows of chairs, a piano, and an altar beneath a mural depicting religious figures above wooden paneling. Hanging lights illuminate the space.

Mass

The celebration of Mass in the each week in the Emmaus Hall Chapel at the School of Theology and Seminary draws on the diverse gifts of our community. Presiders are most often monks of Saint John’s Abbey, but we have also been blessed with the presiding and preaching of our ordained students, alumni, as well as clergy of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Music at this Mass regularly includes selections by the school’s Gregorian Chant schola.  

Midday Prayer & Convivium

Prayer and shared meals are at the heart of community life at Saint John’s. This is seen most vividly each Thursday when classes pause and students, faculty, and staff gather for Midday Prayer in Emmaus Chapel and Convivium—from the Latin connoting a banquet shared among friends—in the Emmaus dining room. Our Midday Prayer liturgy takes inspiration from the Divine Office with its foundation of praying the psalms, singing hymns, and listening to readings from Scripture. The service also frequently incorporates elements from other styles of common prayer, such as the forms developed by the ecumenical communities of Taizé in France and Iona in Scotland. The Chapel Choir, comprised of students and staff, leads the music during this liturgy, and its repertoire spans a variety of languages and genres. Midday Prayer and Convivium is a sacred time for the SOT/Sem community and follows a tradition established by our Christian ancestors recounted in Acts, where “the breaking of the bread” and “the prayers” were key parts of their common life. (Acts 2:42)  

A group of people stands in a semicircle inside a church with vaulted ceilings and hanging lights, facing a person speaking at the front near the altar.

Father Anthony Ruff and students of the Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary talk about the importance of liturgy at Saint John’s.

Two women sit on a bench, smiling and talking, in front of a large modern concrete structure with arches. The scene is outdoors, with green grass and trees under a blue sky.

Campus Ministry

SJUfaith and CSB Campus Ministry—also provide a variety of opportunities for spiritual enrichment like Theology on Tap, a weekly Holy Hour, and seasonal devotions and programming.