This Christmas, listen to the Norbertine Fathers chant. I did.

I'm so excited about listening to these gregorian chants preformed by the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michae's Abbey as Christmas approaches.

You see, I have some personal history here. As a young boy growing up in Southern California, for three years I participated in their St. Michael's Summer Camp ("Where All Boys Have Fun!"). Aside from full days of soccer, swimming, camp fires and hiking, we would also attend daily Mass and even make it to confession.

But even more uniquely, the older (and best-behaved) boys were invited to participate in the chanting of evening prayer with the Norbertines before bed each night. Being allowed to stay up an extra hour and listen to the solemn, beautiful tones of the same Norbertine Fathers who had earlier been leading us in song, charging up mountains and taking point on the basketball court was one of the most moving and formational experiences of my young faith.

These men were real men, and real men prayed.

Here is the description for "Chants for Three Masses of Christmas":

The album includes the proper chants of the three Masses of Christmas (Midnight; the Mass at dawn and the Mass of the day) as sung at St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County, California. After all the centuries, these chants retain their sacramental quality, their supple vigor and the ability to dispose the soul for the contemplation of God and His Mysteries.

It's reassuring to know that I still have much to learn from the Norbertine Fathers. Praise God for them.

(Oh, and for the high-school aged out there, they also run a renown college prepatory school.)