2015 marks the 1400th anniversary of the death of St Columban. As part of a series of initiatives to mark this special anniversary the Columbans have commisioned composer, Liam Lawton to write and record a new, brillant hymn that calls to mind the contemporary Columban concerns of Justice, Peace, Care for the Earth and Reconcilaition between peoples.
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LISTEN: High is the Heaven, Deep is the Sea (Duration: 4.44mins, MP3) |
Saint Columban (Columbanus) an "illustrious Irishman who left his own country for voluntary exile, willed and achieved a spiritual union between the principal European countries of his time. He is the patron, Saint of all those who now seek to build a united Europe" - Robert Schuman, a founder of the European Union (EU), at a Congress on Columban in Luxeuil in July 1950.
High is the Heaven, Deep is the Sea
High is the Heaven, Deep Is The Sea
High is the heaven, deep is the sea
Wide is your wisdom that calls us to be
Formed in your Spirit that we might reveal
Love is your dwelling, love is your dwelling,
O eternal mystery
And what of the world that it may reflect
The presence of God, this beauty on earth
Wise be the soul who longs to respect
The Creation of God from its birth to its death,
And what of the heart that yearns to be true
In care for another, in love for the poor
Embracing the wounds that long to be healed
In a harvest of love, in earths lonely fields
And what of the soul that searches for peace
Wearied from toil, yet burdened in sleep
Drink deep from the well in silence refined
Where hope is revealed and love is the sign
And what of the time that passes away
While only God's love for all still remains
For all things shall pass and all things know change
For we are but Pilgrims, still finding the way
And what of our Joy that our hearts should know
The harvest of saints, gathered and grown
The gift to our day from cells hewn in stone
Columban of God, your name we make known
Download the Hymn Sheet Music
Credits
Composed by Liam Lawton
Arranged by Mark Cahill
Performed by The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Choir: Voices of the Ireland Chamber Choir
In the footsteps of St Columban
Join the Columbans on a Pilgrimage in August/September 2015 from Dublin to Italy to mark the 1400th Anniversary of the death of St Columban in the year 615. (more)