The Gregorian Schola of St. Joseph Parish was founded by Br. Christian Guertin, FFSC in 1993 as both a performing group and a study group dedicated to the cultivation, study, and promotion of Gregorian chant as a musical art. Performances are frequently, but not exclusively, in the context of a Catholic mass.
The Schola studies the notation and history of Gregorian chant. It chants in Latin from the "square note" neum notation in the Gregorian Missal and other sources.
The Gregorian Schola is based at St. Joseph Catholic Church of Fayetteville, Arkansas. It sings primarily at the Saturday 5 p.m. anticipatory mass, where it is the regular choir, and on feast days. The Schola sings a selection of the "propers" of the day and leads the congregation in the singing of some of the "ordinary" (e.g., "Sanctus," and "Agnus Dei"). When it sings at mass it provides a sheet of the Latin texts of the chants with translations for prayer and meditation by the congregation. The Schola (or a subset of its membership) has also performed at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the University of Arkansas, some other area churches, and the Fayetteville Square. In March of 2007 it performed at the Rogers Public Library. In December of 2007 it performed at First Night in Fayetteville.
The Schola was founded by Brother Christian Guertin, FFSC in 1993. The current director (since 1996) is Richard Lee, who has also been cantor since the inception of the group. Prof. Lee previously sang chant under Prof. William Mahrt at St. Ann Chapel in Palo Alto, California.
The current membership of the Gregorian Schola includes men and women, mostly, but not exclusively, Roman Catholic. The group has included atheists, protestants, Jews, and Franciscan Brothers, but consists primarily of Catholic lay people. Most members are American, but it has members from Europe and Africa.
"Gregorian Chant" refers to the vast corpus of religious music amounting to some three thousand compositions traditionally named after Pope Gregory I (reigned 590-604). He has been credited with the development and codification of the Roman Catholic plainsong.
The Schola takes its name from the inspiration of Pope Gregory I, who founded choir schools and scholas to foster the art of chant throughout Europe. Weekly sessions usually conducted at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, seek to discover the unique artistic, spiritual and theological qualities of Gregorian music. | 
