In the Sight of the Angels

Representing the fulfillment of a life-long dream for Fr. Ricky Manalo, In the Sight of the Angels is a liturgical collection in which each song is a collaboration with another composer. The result is a collection of various cultural styles, gifts, languages and faith perspectives. Songs of inspiration, they invite each of us to dialogue with one another and to collaborate in our praise and glory to God.

This collection of music extends, deepens and celebrates every aspect of musical, textual and liturgical collaboration. For this collection of new and pastorally appropriate music Fr. Ricky joined forces with Sarah Hart; Bob Hurd; Jesse Manibusan; Dan Schutte; Suzanne Toolan, RSM; and Jorge Monterroso, OCarm, to create a wide range of musical styles.

Featuring music from multiple cultures and pastoral contexts, including contemporary, cathedral Asian pentatonic, praise and worship, gospel and more, In the Sight of the Angels also incorporates music in a variety of languages: English, Filipino, Italian, Latin and Spanish.

Highlights include the beautiful choral anthem, "Laudato Si'! Be Praised, O God," which—like Pope Francis' encyclical of the same name—calls attention to the present ecological concerns of our world and challenges us to respond and act accordingly. Premiered during Pope Francis' historic visit in 2015 to Manila, "Blessed Are You/Mapapalad Kayo" fills a need for more bilingual music in English and Filipino for worship communities who wish to recognize and celebrate their Filipino heritage.

As you listen to the album or sing through the songs in the octavo packet, you'll begin to see the wonderful effects of this collaborative project. You'll find that each song is unique in style and theme, yet designed to achieve one goal: the creation of beautiful music to engage worshiping assemblies in full, conscious and active participation.

Eight songs for liturgy from Fr. Ricky Manalo, featuring music from multiple cultures and pastoral contexts, including Christian rock, gospel, contemporary, cathedral and more. Besides being great for listening, the digital album provides a helpful tool for learning to sing these songs and pronounce some of the more complicated foreign words and phrases.