23 november, 2009
Five years after the first publication of “Marian Hymns of the Shrine of Fatima” (October 12, 2004), which has since then been republished, the Shrine of Fatima presents a new musical work, available for sale at the Bookstore of the Shrine of Fatima. The voices in this CD, titled “I saw the Holy City”, belong to the members of the Choir of the Shrine of Fatima, reinforced, as it is the custom during the anniversary pilgrimages, with some elements of the choir groups of the Parishes of Alburitel and Our Lady of Pietà (Ourém). Mr. Nicholas Roger is the organist.
Fr. Artur Oliveira, chaplain in charge of the Department of Sacred Music of the Shrine of Fatima, is the director of this project. He explains it this way:
“The Liturgical Year is set for us to live the most profound mysteries of our faith. From Baptism to Parousia it is long the way which leads us to our encounter with God. The sequence of the liturgical times is the image of the Pilgrim Church walking on Earth and living the joys and the sorrows of this life; it helps us contemplate the mysteries of our salvation.
This was the principal idea behind this CD. From amongst everything the Choir of the Shrine performs throughout the year, following the Liturgy, each hymn is a shout of hope. The Liturgical Year is, therefore, the first reference. And the second is this: the different moments of the Mass. It concludes with a last reference, related to our purpose as a choir: the great pilgrimages of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. We use the words, always timely, sung every day in this Shrine, borrowed from the motto of our missed Pope John Paul II, so much devoted to Fatima. “Totus Tuus, Maria!”
We call it: I saw the Holy City…
We can never forget our participation in the inauguration of Most Holy Trinity Church. The first hymn echoing through those majestic walls was the hymn that the panel suggests: the Holy City…
This work, now turned into a gift to the People of God who comes to Fatima, is a sign of the individual effort of each one of the members of the Choir, who, coming from nearby or from far away, generously, week after week (and also during the great pilgrimages), say yes to the celebrations of our faith, which have in the singing its maximum and solemn expression. To all a sincere thank you for the perseverance, willingness and self-denial. This is what we were able to offer within our possibilities”.
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