The Poor Clare Sisters in Galway have released a song ‘Calm the Soul’ with the hopes it will help others. The song, which was released on Thursday 3 October, was produced in collaboration with professional vocalists and musicians.
Sister Consilio Fitzgerald, the founder of the Cuan Mhuire addiction treatment centres was invited by the nuns to launch the song in the monastery in Galway. Speaking at the launch, she said, “I wasn’t sure at first why I was being invited to launch a song – I haven’t a note in my head…but now I know the reason!”
Sister Consilio spoke about how the themes in the song fit so well into the program in Cuan Mhuire and she said that those on the program who heard the song found it to be very healing and inspirational.
“It speaks to people who are going through troubled times. The person singing the song is saying that the only Person who can help them is God and that is for sure when you are in addiction. Without the spiritual dimension and without the God-power, there is no recovery.”
She shared some moving responses to the song, from some of those on their recovery programmes. She quoted one man who said “I know now that addiction brought me to dark places. ‘I stumbled about in the darkness’ as the song says but God intervened and I feel grateful.”
Another said that the line ‘Sometimes I live life on the surface’ spoke to him. “God helped me to come here and now I know who I am.”
She concluded by saying that “I know that this song is going to be heard in our houses very often for years to come and I have no doubt that it will touch the lives of an awful lot of people and help them in their darkest days.
Sister Colette, Abbess of the Poor Clare Monastery in Galway said that the simple poem ‘Calm the Soul’ touched people who read it so deeply that the Sisters thought that a musical setting to the words could make it more widely accessible. They began to experiment with various tunes and came up with a melody that draws on the musical motifs of a traditional Irish love song, and it seems to really capture the mood of the poem. She said, “It’s God’s business what happens with the song and if it makes the charts it would be great. If it goes viral that would be great too. Our hope is that the message of the song will reach those who need a soul-lift or maybe who are just struggling to keep afloat in the ordinary everyday grind.”
Ian Callanan, the arranger and producer of ‘Calm the Soul’ said. “This has been a gift and a blessing for me. It has just been an absolute pleasure and honour to be part of this. I am so excited about it. I would ask you all to get on to everyone you know and encourage them to share it on social media buy it on iTunes so that we can try and chart it- it is registered for the charts. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get the sisters to number one?
“I would like to say a huge thank you to the sisters because they put up with me…and I put up with them! When they put their minds to something they really get on with it and see it through and we have got a wonderful friendship and relationship and it’s just been a pleasure to be part of it.
Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, who was the female soloist on the song said, “When the sisters contacted me I was surprised. But once I read the email and listened to the track there was no hesitation whatsoever to accept the invitation. It was an added bonus to meet the sisters when I came here in July to record the verse of the song I was to sing and it was such a humbling experience to be part of this project. No words can explain it, because it has meant so much to me and when I saw the finished product the other day was just so excited. I hope you all enjoy it. It draws you in when you listen to the arrangement and the music and the words. Thank you again for asking me to be part of this.”
Any profits from the sale of the song (when it charts and/or is placed on iTunes) will go towards helping persecuted Christians.
Click here watch/listen to ‘Calm the Soul’.
