The song Prayers for Europe has been written in the first place to foster the intercessory prayer for Europe in the year befor

HOW THE SONG PRAYERS FOR EUROPE WAS BORN

Kees Slijkerman

The song Prayers for Europe has been written in the first place to foster the intercessory prayer for Europe in the period before the European Gathering of Leaders and Intercessors, organised by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services, September 24th-29th 2002 in Poland. For this purpose I have tried to formulate prayers according to the heart of God our Father.

This prayers have been spread over Europe by the European Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Info-Letter (Euccril) - issues 63 and 69 - and translated in different languages.

I wrote prayers, but in my heart I also had a melody to sing this prayers. I did not tell it anybody because I never wrote a song on a new melody. I waited for somebody with music-talent, but received no response. Finally I asked a friend of mine to bring his recorder to our prayer-meeting. I sang the song on the audio-tape and my friend did sent it by post to Poland. Ten days before the conference started the music-group that should lead the music during the conference received the cassette and became enthusiastic. A young lady in the music-group motivated her enthusiasm by saying: "I have just seen the film 'The pianist' of Polanski, about the way the Jews were treated in World War II. We have to confess the sins of our continent."

This music-group, Mocni w Duchu (Strong in the Spirit) made the song in two ways better. They decided to repeat the second half of every couplet and to sing the second half of the song ("We proclaim…") a little bit higher.

Krakau-Lagiewniki, September 27th, 2002

HISTORICAL TAPE

During the conference we sang this prayers frequently and people started to ask for the song on audio-tape and the written music. In the end of the conference I discovered that the music-group did not write down the music. "We only had the music in our hearts", they said, after hearing my cassette.

During the conference we did not organise to make a good tape of the song. But back home I was happy to discover that the song was recorded at the end of the teaching in Krakau-Lagiewniki, on Friday-afternoon September 27th, 2002 (1). This had been a remarkable moment, for in the morning of that Friday we visited with 600 people from many European nations the nazi-destruction-camp in Auschwitz. After seeing what happened in Auschwitz we were shocked and impressed. With this feelings in our hearts we went to the basilica in Krakau-Lagiewniki for a teaching on reconciliation and to celebrate the Eucharist. It was the living place of sister Faustina. In her life the mercy of God was the central message. (2)

SING IT WITH AUSCHWITZ IN MIND

With the horror of Auschwitz - symbol of all evil - in our minds we heard a teaching on reconciliation between peoples and we sang the song:

"Lord we confess

the sins of our continent,

the wars between people, …,

we ask You forgiveness, …".

It was cold in the basilica and the music-group was not complete. But it was significant to sing these words together after visiting Auschwitz and before the Eucharist started. You can hear this historical tape now on internet or on audiocassette (1).

A few months later somebody offered me to write down the music. I cannot play an instrument or write music-notes. The music was first published in the Dutch magazine Bouwen aan de Nieuwe Aarde, March 2003, and is now also published on website StuCom (www.stucom.nl) as document 0110.

The only purpose to publish this on internet is to foster the intercessory-prayer for Europe. You are invited to pray with.

(1) The song is at the end of audiocassette P1668 / 10, with the teaching of fr. A. Grefkowicz (Polish, English and French) on 'Reconciliation and Forgiveness'. It can be ordered by mail to: info@vocepiu.it (see www.vocepiu.it)

(2) Reports of the meeting in Poland are in Euccril 82, 72, 76, 77 Europe: http://www.isidor.se/ccreurope

On this European web site you can find also pictures of the European ICCRS meeting in Poland, September 2002. Go to: http://www.isidor.se/ccreurope/documents/pictures/poland