Members of Schola rehearsing in the Mary Frances Clarke Chapel at Mount Carmel Bluffs.
by Michelle London
On any given Sunday in the Mary Frances Clarke Chapel at Mount Carmel Bluffs, the Schola prepares for Mass. What unfolds is more than music—it is a way of entering prayer.
A few voices warm up. A guitar is strummed. Someone laughs. Pages of music are shuffled. Then a musical note rises, and others join in. What begins with sound becomes something more. Schola—made up of BVM Sisters and associates—does not simply sing. They pray through song.
It is the sound of a community alive in God.
The Tradition of Schola
Schola cantorum, meaning “school of singers,” reaches back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. Its purpose was never to perform, but to give voice to the liturgy itself.
“Traditionally, it was a choir whose primary responsibility was to sing the Latin chant propers in liturgical services,” says Dorothy “Dodie” Dwight, BVM, who recently retired as Schola director. “It did more than provide music—it complemented the liturgy.”
In earlier years, Schola sang Gregorian chants for Sunday Masses and major feasts, while supporting a large assembly of sisters, novices, and postulants. Today, the repertoire has broadened, but the purpose remains unchanged. Not only at weekly Mass, but also during Jubilees, liturgical observances, special community services, and more, voices fill the chapel with gratitude and celebration.
The music of Schola draws the whole community into prayer that is not only spoken but felt—joyfully and together.
Karen Conover, BVM plays guitar and sings during a Schola rehearsal.
Music as a Way of Life
For the Schola members who gather each week, music is a way of life.
“Music is like one of the BVM charisms,” Karen Conover, BVM reflects. “Our lives have been filled with music. We don’t live without it.”
That lifelong immersion is personal and memorable. Many began singing as children, long before they could have named it as prayer. They speak of singing for neighbors, of churches filled with song, of family members who accompanied them at the piano, of childhood choirs, and parish gatherings filled with music.
Regina Wagner, BVM, recalls how exciting it was when her older brother, a professional opera singer in New York City, would return home and sing at Sunday Mass. Janine Wolff, BVM, remembers a brother with a beautiful tenor voice who first taught her to sing when she was four years old.
Some sisters earned extra money by teaching music, which they say is a powerful way to connect with students.
“It’s a great communicator, especially with teenagers,” says Dee Myers, BVM. “You reach them in ways you can’t otherwise.”
Repeatedly, the stories return to the same truth: Music was always there.
Members of Schola rehearse once a week.
Devotion to Rehearsal
Schola rehearsals are focused, even demanding at times—but always with purpose, because what they are shaping together is not just sound, but prayer.
“Singing in Schola prepares us for Sunday liturgies,” says Marge Sannasardo, BVM. “It puts us into a reflective mood. It gives us an expression of prayer.”
The music is chosen with care, always in conversation with the liturgy itself.
“What we choose fits with the readings,” says Bette Gambonini, BVM. “It’s an added expression of what we’re hearing in Scripture. It’s not just an isolated piece.”
Most members of Schola have sung all their lives. Even now, in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, that desire has not faded.
“It gets to be like a need,” Karen says. “You’ve done it your whole life—you just want to be part of it.”
That desire finds a home in Schola, where voices come together not in perfection, but in offering. The result is beautiful and communal—because the music is not something Schola performs for the congregation. It is something they share with them.
A Living Gift
The strength of Schola today rests not only in its members, but in the leadership that guides it. BVMs speak with gratitude for Dodie’s years of direction and for Amy Dolan’s liturgical coordination and piano accompaniment, often alongside other talented musicians like Karen (guitar) and BVMs Anne Marie McKenna and Diane Forster (piano and organ).
What stands out even more than the choir’s collective talent is spirit, gratitude, humility, and joy. Even now, with members in their later years, the sound remains, as one sister puts it, “remarkably fine.”
Dorothy “Dodie” Dwight, BVM conducts a Schola rehearsal.
More than fine—it is alive.
Reaching Beyond the Bluffs
That joy does not stay within the walls of Mount Carmel Bluffs.
Through livestreamed liturgies, people from across the country join in—some with no direct connection to the community other than a desire to experience it.
The tradition of Schola has evolved over centuries, but its purpose has not. It is the noise of the Lord—prayer carried on the breath of music.
To hear Schola, join us for Sunday Mass: bvmsisters.org/streaming
About the author: Michelle London is a communications specialist for Sisters of Charity, BVM in Dubuque, Iowa.
Summer Salt 2026: Hands, Heart, Ministry
If you would like to receive Salt, contact the Office of Development for a complimentary subscription at development@bvmsisters.org or 563-585-2864.
The post The Noise of the Lord: Joy Through Prayer and Song appeared first on Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.