In 1986, I was in the midst of my graduate studies at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. One of my graduate classes was on the Social Justice teachings of the Catholic Church. Fr. Sean O’Rearden, who taught in Rome during the academic year was my professor. Over the years, he taught theologians of the caliber of Gutierrez, Boff and the like. He knew well the atrocities perpetuated by the Oligarchies of Latin America on the people of Latin America. Many of these atrocities were encouraged by American business interests and our own American government either directly or indirectly. The men who tortured, disappeared, and murdered many innocent Latin American men and women during the late 70’s, and 80’s learned all their techniques of torture and oppressions at the United States School of America. My world was shaken to learn the culpability of the United States in the horrors taking place in Central and South America.
Shortly after having watched the film documentary, “Roses In December”, addressing the rape and murder of 4 American Catholic missionaries in El Salvador, I began work on this Psalm Offering.
I was influenced by the work of Krysztof Penderecki’s great work, “Threnody For the Victims of Hiroshima.” This is not a pleasant, tune-filled Psalm Offering. It begins with diminished chords and leads to a section of 12 tone music. It gradually moves from dissonance to a quiet resolution of consonance. The overarching scripture that influenced this composition is the question that St. Paul poses in his letter to the Romans. “What can separate us from the love of God?” Paul then talks about torture, imprisonment and many of the very things the School of America taught, and concludes that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from Christ’s love. Dissonance to consonance. Conflict to peaceful, quiet resolution.
For all the martyrs of Argentina, Chile, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, and so on, this Psalm Offering is for you and your families.
