Patriarch Daniel of Romania highlighted the significant role of church music in promoting spiritual well-being during the 16th edition of the National Church Music Festival-Competition Praise the Lord, which focused on pastoral care for the sick and honored healer saints.
The festival, held recently, emphasized the healing power of liturgical music for singers and listeners alike, underscoring its profound impact on the soul.
According to Patriarch Daniel, church music, rooted in biblical and hymnographic texts, not only serves educational, communal, and Eucharistic purposes but also acts as a soothing balm for spiritual health.
Referencing the Old Testament, the patriarch pointed out the calming effect of King David’s psalms, citing how his music would comfort Saul and drive away evil spirits.
The festival program featured choral performances by award-winning ensembles at both metropolitan and national levels, celebrating the spiritual essence of church music in various forms.
These choirs, embodying peace, joy, and love, performed during the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest, and also spread comfort through their music in churches and hospital chapels across Bucharest.
This year’s festival also enriched Romanian liturgical music with new compositions honoring the healing saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia. Participants in the Composition section created Byzantine and harmonized works inspired by psalms on suffering and healing through faith.
Additionally, the final stage of the festival included an academic conference on “Faith and Healing through Music” at the Justinian Patriarch Orthodox Theology Faculty in Bucharest, featuring composers, scholars, and performers discussing the interconnectedness of music, faith, and healing.
Patriarch Daniel expressed gratitude to all involved in making the event a success, extending blessings of health, joy, and divine support to participants, organizers, and attendees. He also thanked the audience present and those who followed the event on Trinitas TV and Radio Trinitas.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper / Mircea Popa
Source: basilica.ro