Maria, ster van de evangelisatie

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts, we traverse far
Field and fountain
Moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Oh, star of wonder, star of might
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading
Still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light

Born a babe on Bethlehem's plain
Gold we bring to crown him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

Oh, star of wonder, star of might
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading
Still proceeding
Guide us to the perfect light

Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship God on high

Oh, star of wonder, star of might
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading
Still proceeding
Guide us to the perfect light

To mark the day the Church remembers Saint Francis which falls each year on October 4th we bring you some music inspired by this great man.

Among this music an opera, as Monsignor Philip Whitmore tells us, written by a composer of deep faith back in 1983. 

He's Olivier Messiaen and not the only famous composer to have drawn inspiration from Saint Francis ...

If you don't already know find out who some of the others were in this programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick (Vatican Radio)

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On Wednesday Pope Benedict XVI challenged the men and women of today’s world to recover the deepest meaning of art, in its multitude of expressions, but particularly as the path of beauty which leads to God. And in doing so he also shared personal memories of how art had moved him to God with the five thousand pilgrims gathered for the general audience in the tiny village of Castel Gandolfo.

"Assumpta est Maria. Mary has been assumed into heaven , the angels rejoice..."

Any text about rising to heaven is a gift for a composer, says Monsignor Philip Whitmore as he asks us to listen to the joyful surging scales in Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's motet focusing on the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven.

To mark this feast day, Monsignor Whitmore also steps ahead in time chosing music by a living English composer John Tavener...

A programme focusing on the Fourth Glorius Mystery of the Rosary produced by Veronica Scarisbrick.

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Monsignor Philip Whitmore brings you some musical notes to mark the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In a special way he draws on a modern and rather challenging work, 'La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur'. It's an extended meditation for voices, instrumental soloist and orchestra written by Olivier Messiaen in the 1960's. At the beginning we hear the choir chanting in Latin the account of the story given by St Matthew. 


A programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick (Vatican Radio).

Listen: >>  

This Tuesday morning, the Holy See released the text of a letter Pope Benedict XVI has sent to the Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, who is also the the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, which this month marked its 100^th anniversary with a conference here in Rome.