News - April 2017 RSS Feed

IMPORTANT: To see the lyrics and hear the hymn please click on the title. There is then a link to click on to hear an MP3 recording. Parishioner Bob Czerny has composed a hymn that offers a very human perspective on the anguish of those who were closest to Jesus after the Crucifixion. Bob and his wife Kathy joined St. Basil’s in 1977 and have participated in many ministries and activities. Bob is a Sunday fixture – he has led the music at the 9 a.m. Mass since the early 1980s with his 12-string guitar and several mates. “I’m not sure what inspired me to write the hymn,” says Bob, “but the Stations of the Cross paintings probably contributed. Although the original set were quite abstract, they conveyed the human drama so powerfully. “It struck me that as believers, we don’t have the experience that Mary and the others had in the aftermath of the Crucifixion. They did not know that the Resurrection was around the corner. They did not anticipate joy. I figured there is something to be gained by speculating on how they felt. Besides the mother of Jesus, I chose to focus on Mary Magdalen, Peter and Thomas. And I already had the melody – I had written it years earlier to accompany Shakespeare’s text that starts ‘Fear no more the heat of the sun.’” Bob thanks Kevin Burns for recording him; Fr. John Pungente SJ for putting the lyrics on the igNation blog site; Denise Trottier for permitting the use of her father’s painting; and Gerard Lewis for putting the hymn on the web site. “My apologies for the voice quality,” he adds; “I’m OK for live performance, but recording shows all the warts. I hope someone else will do a better job with it!” Lyrics found on Home Page/Pastor's Welcome

The Renovation Campaign Benefit Concert lifted the spirits of a large audience on the afternoon of Sunday, April 2. The event, featuring the National Capital Concert Band under the direction of Maestro Rocco Romeo and the lovely Tzietel Abrego, raised $3,300 for the renovation campaign as we kick off the $50,000 second phase of the Campaign at St. Basil's Parish. For a taste of what you missed, here's a sound clip of this excellent concert band and the glorious voice of Ms. Abrego. Thanks to the Renovation Campaign organizers of this benefit concert aided and abetted by our tireless Knights of Columbus!  We are indeed a blest community.