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On the hill of Saint Mary’s Abbey, overlooking the Lake of Two Mountains, Quebec, the Benedictine moniales pray with Gregorian chant seven times a day and once a night. Like the monks’ Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Saint Mary’s belongs to the congregation of Solesmes, which counts 31 monasteries on 3 continents. Founded in 1936 by four moniales from Notre-Dame de Wisques in the Pas-de-Calais, France, along with a group of Canadian Sisters, the community is proud to uphold the Solesmes legacy to this day, a continuing challenge admittedly requiring much creativity. Monk, monastery, and monastic: three words that immediately evoke God, from Monos, a Greek word at the root of the notion of solitude and separation. Solitary, simple, united… for God alone! The Benedictine monks and moniales are children of St. Benedict (480-557), Benedictus, the Blessed One. Benedict is recognized as the father of Western monks through the Rule of monastic life he bequeathed, the Regula monachorum: “Listen O my son… Prefer nothing to the love of Christ, apply yourself frequently to prayer.” After flourishing during the Middle Ages, the Monastic Order was restored in 1833 in Solesmes by Dom Prosper Guéranger, who sought to rekindle a spirit inspired by Antiquity. Hence, Benedictine life has revolved around the contemplation of the Mystery of Christ experienced through a solemn liturgy and an ongoing, living tradition, all the while in tune with the contemporary Church. In the footsteps of Dom Joseph Gajard (1885-1972), choirmaster at Solesmes and first to make recordings of Gregorian chant, the moniales of Saint Mary’s offer a selection of pieces dedicated to angels. The secret of this recording doesn’t lie in the pursuit of musical exploits, but in the sharing of a prayer among family members. Almost all of the 37 moniales—of various backgrounds and ages—participated in the recording, which was produced in an atmosphere of joy, love, and even friendly humour. The listeners, too, are invited to become brothers and sisters of the Benedictine moniales by delving into their prayer, since “singing is like praying twice.”