​

Dedicated as a tribute to the support, affection and faith of my dear parishioners in my Canadian Catholic Churches (St. Michael’s, Cobourg; St. John the Baptist and Sacred Heart, Peterborough).

​

About the Recording:

​

Voice, Guitar and Base Guitar: Andres Ayala

Drums and Percussion: Steve Ward

Guitars in fifth song and solo in second: Maurice Kelly

Acknowledgments:

Steve Ward, IVE Provincial House, Nancy Marrocco.

Oración del Remanso (“Prayer of the Backwater”) is the prayer of a fisherman from Valerio Backwater, a place in Santa Fe (Argentina) where stands a statue of the “Christ of the Nets” (Cristo de las Redes), Patron of fishermen. This prayer is for fish, for a catch. The tone is anxious but, at the same time, intimate and devoted: anxious for fish, like a poor person trying to make ends meet, but speaking to Christ with the intimacy of a friend, the confidence of a child. The first three verses introduce the fisherman and his work; the refrain and the fourth verse are the fisherman’s prayer—not only for food but also for his beloved wife whom he misses while he is at work.

​

My Way is, for me, a song about authenticity, freedom and greatness of soul, the truth of how we can best do what we must do. When we follow Jesus as our friend, His way becomes our way, because we have chosen to be with Him wherever He goes. Nobody forced us to follow Him: we made His way our own way out of love for Him. For me, the meaning of doing it “My Way” is to do what we have to do, not out of obligation, not because we have “no choice”, but as something we choose because we realize it is good for us. Doing what we must do out of fear of punishment is, at least, doing it, but we are meant to grow from fear to love: to do the right thing out of love, conviction. This is to make Jesus’ way truly our own way. We do it “Our Way” not because we set the rules, but because we follow God’s rules freely, out of love.

​

I Am Yours Lord was originally intended as the Anthem for the 2019 IVE Youth Festival in USA. Jeremiah told the Lord that he was too young and did not know how to speak, but God responded that the handicap of youth was no excuse for not preaching God’s message, precisely because it is God’s message and not Jeremiah’s own wisdom. We cannot save the world, but God can, and He wants to do that through us. God does not call us to His service because of our talents. God’s calling us to our mission is an act of mercy because it implies that God wants to share with us His power to save others, His Word and His love. God calls those who consider themselves “youth”, because they realize their own limitations, and are therefore readier to be instructed and led by Him.