AST WEEK, I shared news about the liturgical experience at last month’s World Youth Day 2016 in Poland. I wrote about the wonderful work done by the Dominican Liturgical Centre in Kraków, which orchestrated all the liturgies at the Mercy Centre (Tauron Arena), the main English-speaking catechesis site.
If you would like to taste a bit of what pilgrims experienced that week in Kraków, you can do so with the help of iTunes, where the Dominicans have released seventeen new tracks. Take note that the album, entitled “Jesus I Trust in You,” is not a collection of live recordings from the Mercy Centre, but rather the same pieces recorded earlier by members of the Dominican Liturgical Institute. You can download the album here:
(WYD music recorded by the liturgical ensemble of the Basilica of the Holy Trinity & Hubert Kowalski)
This music is beautiful, simple, and sacred. It enhanced the World Youth Day liturgies greatly, and it serves as a model for what can be done to promote truly sacred music at the popular, grassroots level.
* * * UPDATE * * *
Additional recordings of some of the “Gouzentine” music used at the Mercy Centre are freely available on SoundCloud. These recordings were made in 2010 by the Columbia University Catholic Ministry Choir, including Chris Mueller, Fr. Lukasz, and other singers.
(Music recorded by the Columbia University Catholic Ministry Choir)
