mangalore today

Redemptorists in Mangaluru mark jubilee with rare musical on Sept 11


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sep 9,2016: According to an exclusive communication received, from Rev Fr. Eugene D’Silva CssR, of the Mangalore redemptorists order, who are marking thier jubilee are to present an ’Musical tribute to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour’ by a famous Mumbai based Choral ensemble "The Stop-Gap" on Sept 11, Sunday from 6.30 to 7.45 pm at the Fatima Retreat House/Centre, Jeppu, Mangaluru. They will welcome all interested to join this cultural programme.


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It will feature the classical redition of 16 composers from 15th to the 21st century (including  Jacques Arcadelt/Thomas Luis de Victoria/Guilio Caccini/ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/ Johann Bach & Charles Gounod/ Giuseppe  Verdi/sir Charles Santley/ Sir Edward Elgar/ Lorenzo Perosi/ Sergei Rachmaninoff/ Antonin Dvorak/Vincent Cimatti/ Carey Landry/Xabier Sarasola/ Alfred Joseph D’Souza) The ensemble will be conducted by Alfred Joseph D’Souza. This tribute has been done also in Goa,Bengaluru,Mumbai and now it is the good fortune of Mangaluru on Sept 11, Sunday. 


About the ’Redemptorists’:  Since 1732  the Redemptorists have followed the footsteps of Jesus Christ, preaching the Word and serving the poor and most abandoned.  The ’Redemptorists’, a congregation of missionary priests and brothers founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori, who was renowned for his devotion to Mary. Our mission—and our joy—is bringing the message of salvation to all people. Our spirituality is based on the incarnation, the cross, the Blessed Mother, and the Eucharist.

 

The Icon of Mother Mary:  In April 26th, 1866, the re-discovered and restored Icon of the Mother of Perpetual Help (‘Mater de Perpetuo Succursu’) was hung over the high altar at San Alfonso Redemptorist Church on Via Merulana, in Rome. Beginning this year, in 2015, the Year of Jubilee continues.  Pope Pius IX, when giving the picture into the care of the Redemptorists, said to us ‘Make her known to the World’,- and Redemptorists all over the world have been doing this ever since. 

Since 1866, the Redemptorists have spread devotion to Mary under the icon and title of Mother of Perpetual Help. According to tradition, the ancient Byzantine icon of Our Mother (or Our Lady) of Perpetual Help was stolen from a church in Crete where many miracles had occurred. The image remained in the private possession of a Roman merchant and his family until 1499 when it was publicly displayed in the Church of St. Matthew in Rome

The Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy: The Stop-Gaps Cultural Academy, formed in 1984, under the direction of its conductor, Alfred J. D’Souza. In a short while, it to expand it to a fully registered cultural academy, which encompasses the promotion of music, dance and drama, and has left an indelible mark on the Mumbai music scene.  The performances of The Stop-Gaps and its effort at fostering and promoting international music have been lauded by both, press and public. Its repertoire ranges from serious classical to effervescent jazz and pop. Not only has the generation gap been bridged, but religious, economic and social barriers have also been broken down through song.

The group consists of highly placed professionals such as, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, school and college students, as well as people in service and retired persons, with an age span of 16 to 70 years and over, belonging to different faiths and communities – Hindus, Muslims, Parsees and Christians, from various regions in India.

 It was the first-ever Indian choral group to be invited and selected to participate in the Festival International de Chant Choral de Nancy, France, a singular honour further compounded by several encores, standing ovations, critical acclaim and rave reviews, that did India proud. It was also invited to perform in Israel in December, 1998 at the closing celebrations of Israel’s 50th anniversary of Independence, proving again to be a hot favourite in concerts at Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth.


The Stop-Gaps Choral Ensemble was again invited to perform at the Festival International de Chant Choral de Nancy, France from in May, 2002. The highlight, of this trip abroad, however, was singing at the special Papal Audience on 15th May, 2002 at the Vatican, at which the Ensemble was specially requested to sing the world’s most popular song ’Happy Birthday’ for the Pontiff, who closed 82 years three days later. It was joined by a record 25,000 audience in St. Peter’s Square, the event being televised and broadcasted to the whole world. In July 2004, the Ensemble toured Germany singing in Stuttgart at the invitation of the Mayor of Stuttgart, and winning two Silver Medals in the Popular Music and Scenic Folklore categories at the 3rd Choir Olympics 2004 held in Bremen.

As it enters its 25th year, The Stop-Gaps has just had the privilege to be one of only six choirs from across the globe to be selected after stringent review to participate in the prestigious 7th Choir Competition at Elsenfeld, Miltenberg Germany (10th July – 14th July, 2008) – an immensely edifying way to usher in its Silver Jubilee!

Thanks to the initiative of the Stop-Gaps, many Indian choirs have been exposed to discerning and appreciative Mumbai audiences, through the ever popular Festival of Festive Music held every December in association with the National Centre for the Performing Arts at the prestigious Tata Theatre. Through this the choirs have found themselves listed with The International Federation of Choirs, which enables them to receive information about invitations to choir festivals and competitions abroad.

 The Stop-Gaps is an organisation with a heart, having organized and performed, free of charge, concerts to support several charities such as Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, The Army Central Welfare Fund for victims of the Kargil Conflict, the St Vincent de Paul’s AIDS Hospice, Mobile Creches and Senior Citizens Homes.

The Stop-Gaps Choral Ensemble endeavour to live up to their motto of ’BRIDGING THE WORLD WITH SONG’