Carmelites First Album Features Visayas, Mindanao Artists

The first-ever album produced by the Philippine Province of the Order of Carmelites (OCarm), through the Carmelite Mission Office, features local singers from Visayas and Mindanao.

The album, entitled “Faith: Like and Share”, features seven tracks namely Shield me in your love, Hymn to Mary, Touch my Heart, The Love of God, Compassion, Inflame my heart, and I need you.

According to Fr. Gilbert Billena of OCarm, the tracks are mellow love songs that many people could easily identify with, a way of supporting young and promising music artists who wish to contribute their God-given talents to the beat and rhythm of the new evangelization.

“We hope to popularize spiritual music wedded to the gospel message of faith, love, and compassion through the songs in the album,” said Fr. Billena.

One of the album’s carrier single, Mercy and Compassion, was inspired by the sufferings that the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), especially those in Bantayan Island, Cebu.

“When we went to Mambacayaw Daku Island in Bantayan for relief operations and rehabilitation efforts, I was touched by the sacrifice that the children had to go through, especially in going to school into another Island. Education was really a very big problem in the area and extreme poverty was prevalent, and for them to go through Yolanda, it was very tragic,” lamented Fr. Billena.

He said that it was apt for the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis on January 15 to 19 to carry the theme Mercy and Compassion as these twin virtues are needed to help ensure the dignity of victims of both man-made (war, violence, demolitions, poverty) and natural calamities.

As the song goes: “God calls us to be merciful and compassionate; He calls us to open our hearts to those who seek. God is calling us all over, to lay our lives to others..calls us to save His people from raging storms.”

The songs were written by Fr. Billena, a parish priest of San Isidro Labrador Parish in Bagong Silangan, Quezon City and sits in the Provincial Council of the Order. The melody was composed and arranged by John Cadeliña of Davao-based band Skeights, ABS-CBN’s Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2 finalist.

The songs were given life by Laarni Lozada, ABS-CBN’s Dream Academy Season 2 Grand champion, and Rocky Rosabal, first runner-up and fan favorite of international singing competition The Voice of McDonalds 2014 held in Orlando, Florida, among others.

The album is produced in cooperation with SVD logos publication.

The Order of the Brothers of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel was founded in the 1200’s in Mt. Carmel with their rule given by St. Albert of Jerusalem. They came to the Philippines in the 1960’s and helped the Human Rights Victims during Marcos dictatorship through their strong.