Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song CD Review

Sometimes on the weekends, I catch The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song on EWTN and I absolutely LOVE it!  So, when I was asked to review the CD from The Catholic Company, I jumped at the chance.  Now I can listen, sing and pray with it any time I want.  Pure joy!

Here's a bit of my own personal history with this trio of singers. The three lead vocals, Ms. Trish Short, Mr. Michael Bethea and Ms. Crystal Yates sing like angels in my opinion.  The first time I heard them sing was on EWTN and it was truly by divine intervention, I am sure of it.  I had walked into the room with the tv blaring and it had some garbage reality programming on and it felt like horrible noise.  I was disgusted by it and turned the channel and ended up on EWTN.  These three talented singers were in the midst of singing this prayer and I froze in awe.  It felt like the ugliness in the room vanished and light shined in.  It brought real tears of joy and amazement to my eyes.  I was hooked.  I was familiar with the Divine Mercy Chaplet Prayer and even heard it sung by a family on EWTN.  I really liked it yet it didn't tug at me like this trio of singers.

If you're not familiar with The Divine Mercy Chaplet Prayer, it's a Catholic devotion inspired by the visions of Jesus to St. Faustina of Poland back in the early 1900's.  As the title of the prayer states, you're praying "for mercy on us and on the whole world."  The chaplet can be prayed silently or in a group, or sung with this CD.  A rosary is typically used to keep track of the prayers when you pray to God "for atonement for our  sins and those of the whole world" on each large bead.  The second part is to pray "for mercy on us and on the whole world" you would use the smaller beads.  If you do not have a rosary, you can always use your fingers to keep you focused.

Included in this CD, is a short synopsis of  the three singers.  I was unexpecdtly surprised and pleased to learn that not all of them are Catholic yet they share a common pro-life view.  Ms. Trish Short is Roman Catholic who is a producer/director, singer/songwriter to this Chaplet of Divine Mercy CD. Not only is she known for her musical talents but she travels and speaks openly about her two abortions and her change of heart.  Mr. Michael Bethea is an African Methodist-Episcopalian who partnered with Ms. Short to make this CD.  He's also a Contemporary Christian Artist who sang the opening song from his album titled Real.  Ms. Crystal Yates hails from an Assembly of God denomination as a praise and worship singer.  All three of them  collaborated on this project and it's result is a beautifully moving prayer in song that seeks mercy and atonement on all of our sins, of every person of faith and even those who do not believe.

This review was written as part of the catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company.  No monetary compensation was given for my review.  Check out the The Catholic Company for more information on The Chaplet of Divine Mercy In Song CD.  You can also find many great ideas for baptism and christening gifts for your family and friends.  If you're in need of a bible or bible study resources you can visit their online store here.

Blessings,
Noreen