de Montfort Music: Mater Eucharistiae

If you're a Catholic music-lover, then surely you know about the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. They have two beautiful albums - Advent at Ephesus and Angels and Saints at Ephesus. The latter has been at the top of the charts in the classical album section for over thirteen weeks. I missed out on the debut of both albums, but I vowed if they released another one, I would get in on the ground floor. Well, they don't have a new album (yet), but the same label, de Montfort Music, de Montfort Music, has an album by The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist entitled Mater Eucharistiae.

Before I review the CD, I'd like to provide some background on the sisters. The Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and were founded in 1997 with only four sisters. In those short sixteen years, they have increased to 110 sisters, which is remarkable! You might recognize the name of this order if you watched the American Bible Challenge game show and saw Sister Peter Joseph, Sister Maria Suso, and Sister Evangeline finish in second place on the most recent season. The purpose of this album, and the focus of the sisters' lives, is to draw people closer to Jesus through Mary, and they certainly succeeded in that goal.

The album itself is composed of fifteen songs and is just under 45 minutes long. The music is a mixture of English and Latin and it incorporates some instrumental and a capella pieces. You will recognize some of the music, such as Salve Regina or Pange Lingua. However, there is also an original one entitled "I Am in Thy Hands, O Mary." I first listened to this album at work and it transformed my whole day and made it more Christ-centered. I try now to listen to at least some of the album once a day, and in different places like home or the car. Doing this helps remind me that every aspect of our lives should be prayer and worship of God. It also helps transform my car or job-site into a mini-place of worship. I am truly grateful, not only for the 5-star CD that these sisters produced but more importantly for the example of their lives.

If you would like to see a behind the scenes look at the making of this album, check out the video below. As always, if you found this review helpful, click this link and hit Yes.