23 february, 2011
 The author says: “To me, the text is a prayer” The lyrics for the hymn of the centennial of the apparitions has been chosen, after a national contest promoted by the Shrine of Fatima. The author of the composition is Marco Daniel Duarte, employee of the Shrine of Fatima. In a short interview at the Press Office of the Shrine, Mr. Duarte said: “I’ll enjoy hearing the hymn sung by the pilgrims; that will make me very happy.” The title of the composition is “Teacher of the Announcement, Prophecy of Love”. The refrain, in Latin, reads as follows: Ave o clemens! Ave o pia! Salve Regina Rosarii Fatimae! Ave o dulcis Virgo Maria! There were 29 compositions presented. To select the winning composition, a jury was formed, which was made up of: Rector of the Shrine, Fr. Virgílio Antunes; Fr. Vítor Coutinho; Professor Maria Helena da Rocha Pereira; Writer Vasco Graça Moura; and Fr. Tolentino Mendonça. The jury met on February 4 and composition #17 was chosen by a unanimous decision of the jury and awarded the first prize. Fr. Antunes says that one can distinguish two parts in every stanza of the composition: “The first part is theological and evangelical; the last verses relate always to the Message of Fatima. There stands out in every stanza the figure of Our Lady throughout the history of mankind and in the apparitions of Fatima.” The author explains how he structured the composition: “The text presumes that the Message of Fatima springs up very clearly from the Good News of Christ as shown in Sacred Scripture. The stanzas present indeed that structure: as Mary presented Jesus to the Magi, so She did present, at Fatima, Her Son to mankind; as Mary prayed in the Christian assembly, so She continues to intercede for mankind… The last stanzas are an echo of the comments of the last Popes on Fatima, including the homily of Benedict XVI on May 13, 2010.” Now that the lyrics have been chosen, the Shrine will next organize another context, this time to come up with the music for the hymn. Mr. Duarte states: “I thought, above all, of the great assemblies of Fatima and of the opportunity they’ll have to sing the Message of Our Lady based on the treasures of Sacred Scripture, which, as recommended by the Council and also current Church documents, ought to be opened up, wide open, I dare say. To me, the text is a prayer that, since I was the author, I had the privilege to be the first to pray it. May it also serve, God willing, as a prayer for prayer groups.” |
