MUSICAL SPOKESMAN FOR UKRAINE

  

Again in looking at one person, I find another. The article about the Ukrainian conductor Kirill Karabits (see previous Blog), led me to a composer I had never heard of. As the war in Ukraine continues, their artists and musicians continue to work in whatever capacity they can, often to help provide support for those behind the lines.

                                                           Valentin with Kirill Karabits

Among them is the renowned Ukrainian composer, VALENTIN SILVESTROV, who will be 87 in September. In the beginning, Valentin did not want to leave Kiev, but as the war progressed he and his daughter and granddaughter were forced to flee to Berlin on the night of March 8, 2022. Since every train was too packed to board, they were lucky, an acquaintance spied them and drove, via back roads, to the Polish border, where they caught a train to Germany. His grandson stayed behind as a volunteer with the war effort.

 His Prayer for the Ukraine, composed in 2014, is now seeing performances in concert halls around the world. This lovely piece can be heard on Youtube. Valentin Silvestrov is perhaps the most important living Ukrainian composer. His music is now performed worldwide as a symbol of unity and solidarity with the Ukrainian people.  and stillness. 

He is  known as a master of poetryn for his quiet, tranquil tones, both in chamber music and in works for larger orchestras, yet his compositions are both sensual and thoughtful.  "I do not write new music. My music is a response to and an echo of what already exists," Valentin has said.

In an interview with "Deutsche Welle", the usually quiet Ukrainian composer openly condems Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in the strongest terms, but not Russian culture. Rather, he considers Russian and Ukrainian music to be a part of European culture. Valentin sees his music as a response to totalitarianism and violence. It is sad that so many Russian artists across the world have been rejected due to the regime of one madman!

In 1974, under pressure to conform to both official precepts of socialist realism and fashionable modernism, and likewise to apologize for his walkout from a composers' meeting to protest the Soviet Union invasion of Czechoslovakia, Valentin chose to withdraw from the spotlight. In this period he began to reject his previously modernist style.

 Instead, he composed Quiet Songs (1977)) a cycle intended to be played in private. Later, after the fall of the Soviet Union, he also began to compose spiritual and religious works influenced by the style of Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox liturgical music.

  Some of his music, particularly the symphonies,  tended at times towards the tempestuous, yet much of his choral work is more in keeping with his chamber music, in that it displays the gentler, quieter side of his palette. This, as the composer has explained, is entirely intentional: ‘It’s no accident that the symbolic crown and ending of the Maidan 2014 cycle is a quiet lullaby. For I’m neither able nor willing to duplicate the noise of this terrible war. Instead, I want to show how fragile our civilization is.’

 Valentin laments how his stock has risen since the Russian onslaught. He's now the musical spokesperson for his homeland, and more people are hearing his music. Even at his age and in exile he is still composing.

The BBC’s Andrew McGregor said: “Like so much Silverstov, you don't have to know how or why it works to be deeply affected by it. It feels simple, yet it obviously isn't; it's profoundly beautiful, timeless, and unforgettable”. 

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HEARTS OF CHRIST & HIS MOTHER

 

Tomorrow and Saturday we celebrate the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of His Mother Mary (Saturday).

Pope Francis announced yesterday that he is preparing a reflection, which will be published in September, on the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a world “that seems to have lost its heart”.

 “I am happy to prepare a document that brings together the valuable reflections of previous magisterial texts and a long history going back to the sacred Scriptures to re-propose today to the whole Church this devotion, full of spiritual beauty.

 The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, , reminds us of the need to respond to the redemptive love of Christ and invites us to entrust ourselves with confidence to the intercession of the Mother of the Lord.

 I believe it will do us much good to meditate on various aspects of the Lord’s love, which can illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal, which says something meaningful to a world that seems to have lost its heart.

 We ask the Lord, through the intercession of his mother, for peace: peace in the tormented Ukraine, peace in Palestine, Israel, peace in Myanmar.

 We pray that the Lord will give us peace and that the world will not suffer so much from war.”

 Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, intercede for us!

Paintings by Josef Mehoffer - Polish (1911 & 1926)

UKRAINIAN CONDUCTOR IN UK

 

Another find in the BBC music magazine our neighbor gives us each month is another famed Ukrainian musician.

Since the invasion of his beloved homeland in February 2022, the conductor KIRILLS KARABITS has combined a punishing schedule here and around the world with constant concern for his family, friends and country.

Regarding Russia’s invasion of his home country, Kirills said it has “a huge impact on my life, my career and my state of mind as a musician and human being,” and he thinks about what he can do as a conductor.

" I think that in such tragic circumstances Ukraine and Ukrainian culture has a huge chance of getting better known around the world and I see my very important role in promoting the music of Ukrainian composers which I do on many levels."

But he says, more than anywhere else, he has found the greatest support and understanding with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, its staff, musicians and audiences.

 It more than sums up the remarkable bond formed over the past the fifteen years since he began his musical stewardship in the 2009/2010 season, having first performed with the orchestra back in 2006. He followed the famed American conductor, Marin Alsop- not an easy task.

 Another of his great highlights in the past 15 years has been conducting the music of his late father Ivan Fedorovych Karabyts, a renowned Ukrainian conductor and composer.

Having achieved everything he wanted to achieve, at the age of 47 Kirills now finds himself trying to work out what his next challenges are.

 “Part of this is that together, we have been championing Ukrainian music for many years, before it was fashionable. Now it’s fashionable. When Ukraine began to appear every day in the news in 2022, the orchestra knew much more than other people about it."

Kirills was born in Kyiv (then in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union). In his youth, he studied piano, musicology and composition developing an interest in conducting at age 13. His early teachers included Tatiana Kozlova. In Kyiv, he studied at the Lysenko Music School, and later at the National Tchaikovsky Music Academy. In 1995, he began studies at the Vienna Musikhochschule and earned a diploma in orchestral conducting after five years of study.

Kirills made his first public conducting appearance aged 19. He was the first Ukrainian conductor to be named principal conductor of a UK orchestra.

A series of CDs with music by composers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, such as Kara Karayev, Boris Lyatoshynsky, Chary Nurymov and Avet Terterian has appeared on the Chandos label

Kirills was recognized with an Honorary OBE earlier this year for Services to Music and the promotion in the UK of symphonic works from Ukraine and the East.

His last concert as chief conductor in the orchestra’s home base was an emotional occasion. A packed audience gave him a standing ovation before he had even conducted a note. The last piece played was the beautiful and mysterious: the Farewell Serenade by fellow Ukrainian Valentin Silvestrov (see following Blog), a piece whose ineffable gentleness, beautifully played by the orchestra, came as a healing balm. 

ANOTHER EUCHARISTIC MODERN SAINT

 

One of the reasons I love researching modern saints, is there is often so much information, that we know to be true- not mere legends. Case in point, is BLESSED LOJZE GROZDE, a Slovenian student who was murdered by Partisans during World War II. 

He was born in 1923 in a village called Zgornje Vodale in Slovenia. He was the illegitimate son of a young woman, daughter of poor farmers. Due to the circumstances of his birth, he was never looked upon favorably by his family. When he was four, his mother married, but her new husband was not fond of Lojze, so Lojze was forced to live with his grandparents. It was his grandfather who taught him how to pray.

Lojze  described his childhood as “a starless night.” At the age of six, he was at the top of his class. He loved to study. Lojze was able to go to school for a few years where he learned to read, write and do math. He soon had to help with the farm work, and eventually ended up as a herdsman for cattle. Nonetheless, he found a way to continue with his studies by waking up earlier to let the cows out to graze so as to have more time to learn.

His aunt Joan, whom he loved, left their little village to work as a house maid in the capital. She told the house owner she worked for that she had a nephew who was very smart, but did not have enough money to go to school. The woman was moved and decided to help the boy. She sent him word to go the city and take the entrance exam for the Marianum College.

The twelve-year-old Lojze arrived at Ljubljana on June 28, 1935. It was the day the Eucharistic Congress was being celebrated, which was a big celebration for Slovenians with music bands, tapestries, and flags everywhere.

When he came to the house where his aunt worked, the family was  astonished to see the boy with his broken rope-soled sandals, tangled hair, dirty clothes, and smelling of cows. The woman was somewhat caught off guard before this so-called student.

His aunt Joan, whom he loved, left their little village to work as a house maid in the capital. As soon as she could, she told the house owner she worked for that Lojze was very smart, but that he did not have enough money to go to school and had to settle for being a herdsman. The woman was moved and decided to help Lojze. She sent him word to go the city and take the entrance exam for the Marianum College.

The twelve-year-old Lojze arrived at Ljubljana on June 28, 1935. It was the day the Eucharistic Congress was being celebrated, and in which Slovenians put all their energy into taking part in the celebrations. Lojze, who had never left his village, was amazed. There were a lot of people, music bands, tapestries, and flags everywhere. When he reached the house where his aunt worked, the family was also astonished to see the boy. He wore broken rope-soled sandals, had tangled hair, dirty clothes, and smelled like cows. The woman was somewhat caught off guard before this so-called student,yet despite her fears, Lojze passed the entrance exam and was accepted.

 The atmosphere at Marianum was not easy for him to adjust to with his unsociable and rough nature. Although he changed into clean clothes and learned good hygiene practices, the other children made fun of his farmer ways and he defended himself the only way he knew how to: by punching. One day he even went so far as to throw a pocketknife at a boy who was bothering him, wounding the boy's face.

The complaints against him reached the principal, who had no mercy on the young Lojze. He gave him a stern warning that if he did not change his behavior, he would have to go back to his village. After his conversation with the principal, he made incredible progress, and with great strength of character, decided to fight against his bad tendencies, but would have to practice self-control throughout his life. He became a model of good behavior.

 One of his classmates affirmed: “When I did not know how to act, I looked at Lojze, careful not to be noticed. I heard his point of view and adhered to his position... I really could not imagine him not keeping the rules and going against the superiors’ orders. What could be considered natural in others, was unbelievable in him.”

Hard to believe, but Lojze became one of the best students at Marianum, and one of the most loved by his classmates. He joined the choir, played on the soccer team and wrote for the student magazine "Izvir". He was known for his poetry and was famed for of being “the one who knows everything.”

 On December 8, 1936, he joined the school’s Marian congregation, where he began to lead a serious life of prayer and deep interior life. From that day on, he always felt the Virgin Mary’s presence close to him. He found in her the mother he never had, which brought him happiness.

During recess, while the others played, Lojze would go to the chapel to pay a visit to Jesus in the tabernacle. One of his favorite prayers was: “My God, let me know You, and let me know myself.” He drew strength from prayer to overcome his interior battles against his passions. Soon he started to receive Holy Communion on a daily basis, even when he had to walk a long way to find a church.

When he was 15, he discovered Catholic Action and quickly became one of its bravest and most daring members. The situation in Slovenia was terrible. Lojze described it as “a burning wound.” The country, entirely under German control, tried to organize a resistance against its invader. Meanwhile, the groups of Communist partisans, backed by Russia, gained power provoking violence throughout the country.

In Lojze’s fifth year of studies, a new boy named Antoine joined his class. He was intelligent and easy to get along with yet he had been formed by the Communist militant youth and professed the Marxist and atheist materialism ideology. War was breaking out between Lojze and Antoine: Christianity against Communism. The class was also divided into two groups.

During recess, Antoine would gather together his followers and, all of a sudden, Lojze would show up and defend Christian convictions with such brilliance that he brought about every difficulty possible for the Communist seducer. One day a student asked to have his photo taken with Lojze.

 During the summer break of 1942, Lojze worked in railway construction. This experience made him realize the serious reality of the times, the de-Christianization of workers, and the hatred and violence raised by the Communists. From that time, he carried a note in his wallet which read: “A young person should be ready for sacrifice, martyrdom and death.”

Shortly after, the procession of martyrs began in Ljubljana. Among them was Lambert Ehrlich,a young priest. Some of those killed were also members of Catholic Action and friends of Lojze. He had a premonition that he was going to die, but was not afraid: “Even if they kill 90% of our ranks, they will never intimidate us.”

 During Christmas of 1942, Lojze decided to go back to his village. The train service was suspended because of the snow, so Lojze began his journey on foot with a friend. He spent New Year’s Eve at his friend’s house, and then made his way to his own village. It was a first Friday, and Lojze received Holy Communion in reparation.

The following day, he took a bus to his village. Halfway there, he was stopped by a Communist patrol. Lojze was identified as a sought for person, and was brought to a shelter. There, Antoine and the boy who pretended to be his friend looked at him in triumph. There on the table was the photo used to identify Lojze.

The partisans commanded him to put the Communist uniform on and fight for them. In response to Lojze’s resolute refusal, they prepared his torture. They stripped him of his clothes and pound him with clubs. They cut off the ends of his toes, tore off his ear, plucked out his right eye, and made a huge wound in his jaw, pulling his tongue out through the hole. Then they dragged him into the woods nearby and finished him off with the blow of a pickaxe to his head. 

At the end of February, his body was found in the woods by children. He was buried in Saint Rupert Cemetery, near his birthplace. Lojze Grozde was just one of the hundreds of Slovenian martyrs from the 20th century. The Communist regime did not leave a single town without victims. In one of his poems, Lojze wrote: “Given over, powerless before the enemy, with bloody hands that approach you. Oh, heart, be at ease! God lives forever!”

This great lover of the Eucharist, lived and died a saint's death, in spite of a hard beginning. He is a model for youth, that no matter one's nature, there can always be change.

FOR CORPUS CHRISTI

 

                                        “O Christ, Thou Art Within Me Like a Sea”  

 O Christ, thou art within me like a sea,

Filling me as a slowly rising tide.

No rock or stone or sandbar may abide

Safe from thy coming and undrowned in thee.

 

Thou dost not break me by the might of storm,

But with a calm upsurging from the deep

Thou shuttest me in thy eternal keep

Where is no ebb, for fullness is thy norm.

 

And never is thy flood of life withdrawn;

Thou holdest me till I am all thy own.

This gradual overcoming is foreknown.

Thou art within me like a sea at dawn. 

                                                     Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Edith Lovejoy Pierce (1904-1983) was a 20th-century poet and pacifist. Born in 1904 in Oxford, England, she married an American in 1929 and moved to the U.S.the same year. She was a poet and pacifist whose Christianity informed her works

EUCHARISTIC MEDIATOR

Perhaps a saint we can pray to in relation to not only the war in the Ukraine, but also in Gaza, and for the relentless anti-semitism in our own country now, is ST. JOZEF BILCZEWSKI. He was born into a Polish peasant family in Wilamowice on 26 April 1860, the eldest of nine. In August 1880 he entered the Seminary of Kraków, one of the most prestigious schools in Europe, and was ordained a priest on 6 July 1884. He then moved to Vienna to continue his studies, earning a doctorate in theology.

In Rome and Paris, he specialized in dogmatic theology and in Christian archaeology. In 1891 he became a professor at the University of Lviv.

At the suggestion of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, he was appointed Archbishop of Lviv for Latins on 18 December 1900. In his episcopal mission he had to face difficulties due to internal problems and the conflicts of the First World War. He was known for his love of the Eucharist and formed his priests in love of the Blessed Sacrament. The archbishop also encouraged devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and urged priests to implement Eucharistic Adoration in their parishes.

He often intervened with the civil authorities on behalf of Poles, Ukrainians and Jews. Archbishop Bilczewski aided his people throughout the onslaught of World War I organizing relief and food for those displaced and those who became refugees; he likewise aided beggars and the homeless in his archdiocese. 

In 1918 he did all he could to smooth tensions during the Polish-Ukrainian War and he collaborated with his brother bishops in helping their people when the conflict escalated; he likewise did the same thing during the Bolshevik occupation of Poland and Ukraine while also collaborating with the apostolic nuncio Achille Ratti - the future Pope Pius XI.

He stood firm to protect one and all without distinctions of race or religion. From 1918-21 his Archdiocese lost about 120 priests. 

Seriously ill, he accepted sickness calmly and courageously. He died on 20 March 1923 in Lviv.  He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and his feast is March 20.

At this time of Eucharistic revival, he is certainly one saint who can influence this devotion.

100 YEARS ON SHAW- THE GENERAL STORE

 

This Memorial weekend our small SHAW ISLAND GENERAL STORE celebrates 100 years. Started in 1898, it is one of the oldest businesses in the San Juan Islands and in Washington State. Located at the Shaw Island ferry landing, with a small marina, it has been called the best store for boaters in the San Juan Islands.

Painting of Shaw Store with Orcas Landing in Background- Cindy Margritz

In 1898, Eugene and Sadie Fowler started the little store in their home near Blind Bay on Shaw Island. In 1924 they built the store at its present site, on the water’s edge, with the post office in the back. In the early days, feed (for the many island chicken farms) and building supplies for Shaw and other islands were an important part of the store trade.

The warehouse, adjacent to the store, was originally a cannery built for the Shaw Island Canning Company in 1912. The cannery processed salmon and produce from local farms. Later, the building was used for boat building, as well as sales of feed and lumber for the store. The Fowler family ran the store for almost 30 years, with Gene’s daughter Mabel Fowler Crawford working in the store and also eventually serving as Postmaster from 1943 to 1963. Mable also kept a shelf of books in the store for checkout, the first “library” on the island. Mabel was nicknamed the ‘Mayor of Shaw Island’ by her children

In 1953, the Fowlers sold the store to the Don and Gwen Yansen, who sold it to the Leidigs in 1959, who sold it to John and Geb Nichols in 1971. In 1976 they sold it to Henry Ellis (who gave Our Lady of the Rock our property), who in 1976 helped a small order of Franciscan nuns acquire the property. For 28 years, the sisters ran the store and the ferry.

The “Nuns” were famous for meeting the ferry in their brown habits and greeting people at the store. They maintained a chapel near the dock and welcomed many friends and visitors to Shaw and continued to serve the Shaw Island community for 27 years.

                            Mother Kateri Meets the Ferry with Kane- Dan Olsen

In 2004, Steve and Terri Mason along with their children bought the store from the nuns. Over time the owners and the kinds of items for sale have changed but the store has always been the central hub of Shaw Island life. Even during the two years of covid shutdown, islanders were well taken care of.  When the country was searching for toilet paper, we always had a good supply!

Today thw store continues to carry staples needed for everyday life, but also local products, supporting as many local farmers and artisans as possible, from wine to our monastery herb products.