"Let
us Work with God"
A CD of music and reflection
by the choirs,
musicians
and friends of St. Peter's Phibsboro.
Foreword
In November 2001, the parish priest of St. Peter's Church Phibsboro, Fr. Sean Farrell, CM
decided to capture the contribution which music had made for many years to
the liturgical celebrations at St. Peter's. On June 22nd 2002 after
many months of work and preparation, the choirs of St. Peter's came
together to record some of the music which has echoed around this
beautiful church of St. Peter's
to this day.
This gathering
of singers represented the diversity that now exists in St. Peter's, from
the Ladies choir, the Mixed
Voice Choir, to the African choir and the Folk Group. Beautiful
contributions both musical and spoken were generously made by Kathleen
McDonagh, Paul Lyons and David Ayo.
St. Peter's is a Vincentian parish and the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul is clear from the
music chosen: 'Let us Work with God' written and composed by Ephrem
Feeley, Bread to Share composed by Marty Haugen based on John 6,
and my own composition, The Cry of the Poor, a setting on Psalm 33
(34) all reflect the sentiment of the Vincentian Fathers. The award
wining Irish Composer Ephrem Feeley was commissioned to compose a piece
for the CD. In his compostion "Let us Work with God", the
title track, Ephrem sensitively caputures both the ethos and the vision of
the Vincentian Fathers.
The Mission Statement of
St. Peter's reads:
In the Spirit of St.
Vincent de Paul,
we welcome you to this holy place
where we are fed,
and God is found
and from where we journey
with fellow pilgrims to our sisters and brothers
who hunger
for the bread of life
St. Peter's is a parish
which like all parishes face the challenges of the 21st century.
Questions of welcome, tolerance and justice now demand both
consideration and reflection. The Vincentian Fathers and the people
of Phibsboro have long been committed to the cause of justice. The
Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been active here for many years.
The work of the Parish of the Travelling People is based here, and the
Vincentian Fathers in conjunction with the Daughters of Charity and the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul have been active since 1998 in their
support for the emerging asylum seeker and refugee community in Dublin.
The moving and
challenging words of Kathleen and David
reflect the need for change and an appreciation of both the richness of
our cultural differences and our common humanity.
Helen Walsh
Musical Director St.
Peter's
September 2002
The CD entitled 'Let us work with God' was launched on September 27th
2002 The Feast of St. Vincent de Paul by Fr. Kevin O'Shea, CM, Provincial
of the Vincentian Community in Ireland.
The CD is dedicated to Patty Swan and James
P Walsh. We sing, inspired by their love of music, their attention
to every detail and their love of God. All involved extend a special
thanks to Fr. Sean Farrell, CM whose vision brought us to record this
little piece of history.
May the music and words of this CD bring people closer to God.
Tracks
1 Who is welcome among us
2 Bread to share
3 We love this place
4 Sing to God rejoicing (Jubilate
Deo)
5 To be your bread
6 Jesus be with us now
7 I had a dream
8 Let us work with God
9 Be Iose im chroise
10 Hornpipe from the water music
11 The rainbow
12 Iyin ye olorun was, halleuyah e e e
halleuyah e
13 The cry of the poor
14 Hiding place
15 I am the bread of life
16 Lee ala oma ahu
17 Hosanna filio David
18 Your mercy like rain
Copies of the CD
will be on sale at the Parish Office, St. Peter's Church,
Phibsboro from
30th September 2002. Cost €15. Enquiries to 01 8389708 or to
vinphibs@iol.ie
Extract from launch by Fr. Kevin
O'Shea, CM
Thank God for the diversity here at St. Peter's. We are all made
in the image and likeness of God and this CD was inspired by the wealth of
many voices and faces and minds which are gifted to us by God here in
Phibsborough. We share a common humanity and yet in our differences
as well as in our likenesses, God is alive.
And so I call now on Patricia
Swan to come forward as a
representative of those who worked on this CD to accept a final copy.
This CD is a symbol of diversity alive and well, of the need to listen to
the voices and experiences of others and to celebrate those differences.
It represents also the challenge to take ones own place in worship and to
allow others take their rightful place also.
May the music and words of this CD bring people closer to God.
27th September 2002.
