A collection of inspirational songs

Those who regularly take the Rodriguez route to and from Manila and Quezon City are doubtless familiar with the Christ the King Seminary. You cannot help but glance while passing by because the place seems like an oasis of peace and quiet in the middle of a busy city. The imposing building in the middle of tree-shaded grounds is home to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) missionaries. Priests live there. So do young men who want to dedicate their lives to the priesthood. And as those who have visited over these past years will surely attest, the atmosphere inside is restful and filled with holiness.

I do not know how old the seminary is. You might have an idea if you like watching old Tagalog movies, particularly the eskrimahan variety. The seminary often played a castle. The SVD though, is now 133 years old. It was born on Sept. 8, 1875. The beginning was a humble one. Founder Arnold Janssen was a German diocesan priest but due to political circumstances, he had to go to Steyl, an unassuming village in Holland to begin the religious order. It was there in an aging house with a small band of believers, that Fr. Janssen’s dream first took shape.

The goal of the order was to bring the Catholic Faith to other parts of the world and it was with that in mind that the SVD missionaries came to Pilar, Abra in 1909. Again it was a humble beginning but just like what happened in Holland from which SVD reached out to the world, it was soon all over the Philippines. The SVD Philippine Province is now firmly in place from Aparri to Jolo with parishes, schools, seminaries and even radio stations.

A lot remains to be done as per SVD’s apostolate in this country. They can certainly use more vocations for one. There are only 500 priests in the Philippines and some of them are posted abroad. Still the past 100 years can truly be considered fruitful and merit a celebration. I do not know how the good priests of SVD will mark this milestone. They must have plans. Maybe not the grand sort. They are not known for that. But definitely memorable and most meaningful.

I learned of the SVD centennial through the release of the album Witnessing to the Word, which is certainly meaningful and memorable because it will be listened to for many years to come. It is a collection of inspirational songs produced by the SVD Center for Wholeness and Holiness and Viva Records. Fr. Raul G. Raga, SVD leads the line-up of performers and together with the Arnoldus Company & The Holy Spirit Sisters opens the CD with a joyous outpouring in One Heart, Many Faces.

Following are He Will Lift You Up by The CompanY; Jesus My Friend, Sa Kabila Ng Lahat and Song of Love by The Fifth Gospel; Language of the Heart also by Fr. Caga; Touch Me Lord by Mark Bautista; In The Light of The Word by Arnoldus Company; To Reach You by Regine Velasquez; And Loved Me Still by Sarah Geronimo; SVD Spirituality Song by Fr. Caga with The Fifth Gospel; Sa Buhay Ko by Fr. Caga with Emmylou Cadelina; Give Thanks by Antoinette Taus; Witness to the World by Fr. Caga with The Fifth Gospel & the Arnoldus Company; and the SVD Centennial Prayer recited by Brent Fernandez.

The songs are mostly originals and in keeping with the SVD spirit of creating a world that respects the uniqueness of every individual. Listen and learn about what goes on the hearts of the SVDs on this very important year.

18 Greatest Love Songs

For more mellow sounds for the Lenten Season you might want to try 18 Greatest Inspirational Love Songs. This is another various artists collection that is so good for our limited budgets these days. You get a lot of great sounds without having to purchase an entire CD wherein you like only one or two selections.

The obvious choices are here. Ngayon by Basil Valdez; The Promise by Sharon Cuneta; How Did You Know by Aiza Seguerra; and May Bukas Pa by Rico Puno. But there are also rarities that were not available on CDs for quite sometime like Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal by Celeste Legaspi; Mahiwaga by Kuh Ledesma; Shining by Becca Godinez; and Nang Dahil Sa Pag-ibig by Anthony Castelo.