Cesareo gabarain biography meaning

(Sung during the “Light-Life Oasis” spiritual retreats conducted by Archbishop Wojtyla for teenagers)

Everyone has favorite songs. When I learned Polish religious songs early in life, naturally, I thought that they were written and composed by Polish authors. Twice, in recent years, however, I was mistaken. The first time was with the hymn, My chcemy Boga (We want God.) It was at a Mass in St. Joseph’s Church, in Niagara Falls, celebrated by the late Msgr. Richard S. Amico. I heard the familiar melody with a slight variation. They were singing Noi vogliam Dio. The words were the same, but in Italian. The notation at the top said it was “Traditional,” which usually means it has been handed down from generation to generation, until the author or composer’s name is lost.

Now I ask myself how many more “Polish” songs do I know which did not originate in Poland?
What would you think when a song that you especially liked was also a favorite of John Paul II? There is one that many of us can name and, perhaps, sing. It is Goralu, czy ci nie zal? (Highlander, do you not grieve?) This favorite of our Holy Father was part and parcel of my family’s experience when we, and thousands of other Polish refugees after World War II, were stranded in Europe between the tyranny of communism and the despair of homelessness. That song had a deep meaning also for our Holy Father, who knew that in the same way he, too, albeit for other reasons, would never again return home.
The song, Pan kiedys stanal nad brzegiem, or Barka (The Barge), as it is better known, (Lord you have come to the seashore), was most significant for the Holy Father. It contained the theme that he adopted for his pontificate, since Christ had called him, as he called his apostles, and told him not to be afraid, as henceforth he would be a fisherman of men. And it was with this same homily that Benedict XVI began his pontificate.
My first awakening to the origins of

Madrid, Spain, Feb 4, 2022 / 10:39 am

Spain’s lower house, the Congress of Deputies, agreed Feb. 1 to debate the creation of a commission to investigate sexual abuse committed by members of the Catholic Church.

The request to create the commission was filed by Podemos, a left-wing party that is part of the governing coalition, as well as the Republican Left of Catalonia and EH Bildu, Catalan and Basque nationist parties that give confidence and supply to the government.

The People’s Party and Vox, which are in the opposition, voted against the commission and made a motion that all cases of the abuse of minors be investigated and not just those that have taken place in areas related to religious institutions.

However, this motion was vetoed by Podemos and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, the largest group in the ruling coalition.

In the coming weeks, the Congress will vote on whether to create the investigative commission.

Bishop Luis Javier Argüello Garcia, Auxiliary Bishop of Valladolid and spokesman and general secretary of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, said in a Feb. 2 interview with Ràdio Estel, the radio station of the Archdiocese of Barcelona, that if this investigative commission on sexual abuse in the Church is created, "political issues and the need for support (from other parties) will be more influential than the real interest of the victims of all abuses.”

"Experience tells us that these commissions are more of a platform for clashes between political parties than a search for the truth," he said.

Bishop Argüello told Ràdio Estel that the parties promoting the investigation "are issuing a blanket judgement, saying that the Church isn’t a safe space," and that "if there were real concern about all the abuse of minors, the commission would be different; it’s a problem for all of Spanish society that not only affects members of the Church.”

The Attorney Genera

Editor's Note: This column (September 25) marks the ten-year anniversary of Michael Hawn's "History of Hymns" column. We celebrate this milestone and thank Dr. Hawn for this significant contribution.

"Una espiga" (“Sheaves of Summer”)
by Cesáreo Gabaráin
The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 637

Sheaves of summer turned golden by the sun,
grapes in bunches cut down when ripe and red,
are converted into the bread and wine of God’s love
in the body and blood of our dear Lord*

Monseñor Cesáreo Gabaráin (1936-1991) was one of the best-known composers of Spanish liturgical music following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). He was inspired by the humble people he met during his ministry. His hymns were recorded on thirty-seven albums (the last completed posthumously). He is the only Roman Catholic Church composer to receive the honor of a Gold Record (at least 50,000 copies) in Spain. Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) appointed the priest Chaplain Prelate of His Holiness.

Gabaráin entered the minor seminary in Zaragoza at the age of ten in 1946, where he began his musical studies. He then continued his education in the Seminario Mayor of San Sebastián, near his hometown, in 1952, and was ordained to the priesthood at San Sebastián on December 19, 1959.

Following ordination, he served as chaplain of the College of the Marist Brothers of Antzuola in his home province of Gipúzkoa in 1960. In 1964, he continued his ministry as chaplain at Fundación Zorroaga, a nursing home in San Sebastián. In 1966, he returned to the chaplaincy in the College of the Marist Brothers, this time in Madrid, where he began to compose. In 1980, Gabaráin served in parish ministry in Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows) and was head of religious education in the College of San Fernando. Following a tour of 22 cities in the United States in 1990 to conduct worksho

1974 Spanish religious song

"Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore" (Spanish: "Pescador de hombres", lit. 'Fisher of Men'), in some versions "You Have Come to the Seashore", is a 1974 Spanish religious song by Cesáreo Gabaráin. It was translated into English by Gertrude C. Suppe, George Lockwood and Raquel Gutiérrez-Achon.

"Barka" ('The Barge'), its Polish version, was Pope John Paul II's favourite song. The Polish lyrics were written also in 1974 by Stanisław Szmidt, a Salesian of Don Bosco.

In media

The song is used in episode 6 of season 4 of the Netflix television series Money Heist. In the Peruvian series Al fondo hay sitio, the family and neighbors of Diego Montalbán sing this song while his coffin was lowered, preparing to be buried alive.

References