His music has been published in a number of Roman Catholic and Protestant hymnals in the United States and around the world. He is the first and possibly the only Filipino-American priest whose composed music has been sung in Catholic churches throughout America. His name is Father Ricky Manalo, known to have introduced “Asian liturgical music” into mainstream Roman Catholic hymnody in the United States through his popularly sung hymns, specially Many and Great and By the Waking of our Hearts.
The best compliments you can receive are those coming from respected experts in your field. Thus when David Haas, American author and composer of Contemporary Catholic Liturgical Music whose music is sung throughout the world, complimented Father Ricky Manalo, it is an honor indeed. Haas said he believes Fr. Ricky Manalo is “one of the brightest lights composing liturgical music today.” The American Organist Magazine, the most widely read journal devoted to organ and choral music in the world, said that “Manalo’s well-crafted music produces a wide range of emotions, from invocation and confession to praise and celebration. These fresh musical settings of texts new and old are pleasant to hear, and are relevant to contemporary liturgical needs.”
Father Ricky Manalo is a presbyter in the Paulist order, which is dedicated to the ministry of evangelization, reconciliation and ecumenism. An accomplished musician, composer, lecturer and author, he specializes in ritual music, liturgical inculturation and spirituality. His compositions combine accessibility with challenge, continuity with variety and solemnity with joy.In 2004, he collaborated with popular Filipino composer Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ, and produced the first Filipino-American liturgical music collection for the US Catholic Church, Gentle Strength. He was the main facilitator of the first national gathering of Asian and Pacific Catholics (Arlington, VA: June 20—July 3, 2006) sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He serves as an advisor to the US Bishops in areas of cultural diversity, Asian ministry, and liturgy.
In July 2007, his hymn, That All May Be One In Christ won a national hymn competition sponsored by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and the Atonement Friars in preparation for the annual Week of Christian Unity.
Recognized as a leading authority on intercultural liturgical issues and music, Father Ricky’s book Chanting on Our Behalf: A Pastoral Guide to Presidential Chanting and Musical Leadership is a standard text for seminarians, deacon, priests and bishop who want to improve their role in chanting the liturgy. Destined to become a necessary textbook at US seminaries, Chanting on Our Behalf is also a much-needed resource for the continuing formation of those already ordained. “Finally, a manual to help presiders learn to chant the liturgy! Ricky Manalo presents a carefully constructed process for reading the chants of the Sacramentary. ...The CD is an extremely useful tool for those who have had little opportunity to be schooled in musical notation. What I appreciate most about the manual is the careful dissection of the various elements that make up the basic pattern of our chants. ...As one teaching seminarians to chant the liturgy, I find this book very useful as a pedagogical tool, “said Loretta Manzara, the Director of Music from St. Peter’s Seminary, London and Canada.
In 2008, two of Manalo’s songs were featured during Pope Benedict XVI’s Eucharistic celebration in Washington, D.C., Pange Lingua and Come, O Spirit of God.
Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy.
In an exclusive interview with Asian Journal, Father Ricky told us more about himself. “I was born in Brooklyn, NY, the fourth of six children to my parents, Dr. Dominador and Paciencia Manalo. My mother, a pharmacist, and my father, a physician, did their internship at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. I am a middle child, the fourth child. My other siblings include: Lyn, Dom, Riza, Robert, and Chris.”
Manalo admitted that his Filipino upbringing made him who he is today. “We grew up in a VERY religious Filipino household. Weekly mass, Catholic devotions and religious practices were major components during my upbringing. Mom made sure we prayed the rosary every night (even during those evenings when we’d rather watch Happy Days or The Love Boat). Eventually I learned to appreciate those moments as they brought us together. On the weekends, we often gathered with other relatives nearby and ate, ate, and ate. And after we ate, we ate again. Another Filipino element was the music that shaped my life: we lived in a very musical (and very noisy) household. My dad would often blast out the stereo system to deafening heights with Beethoven and Chopin, while my mom would quietly hum melodies (some of them original) around the house. Meanwhile, we ALL had to learn how to play the piano. I began when I was 6 years old. Most of my siblings would eventually quit taking lessons, but I persevered,” shared Ricky.
While in high school, Ricky discovered that he could compose music. “After taking classes at the Mannes College of Music in New York during my high school years, I eventually majored in music composition at the Manhattan School of Music. I studied under wonderful composers such as Ludmilla Ulehla and John Corigliano,” said Manalo.
He then received a Certificate in Philosophy from St. Hyacinth College and Seminary prior to a Master’s degree in Theology from the Washington Theological Union, Washington, D.C., with a concentration in Word and Worship.
“For a long time I was preparing to be a film composer, commercial jingle writer, and a Broadway composer. Then, while I was completing my music degree, I became more involved in the music ministry of my hometown parish, St. Gabriel’s Church in Marlboro, NJ. Ministering through music eventually led to a deeper discernment towards the ordained priesthood. I entered the seminary taught by the Conventual Franciscans (St. Anthony of Padua Province), and later joined the Paulist Fathers as I felt more drawn to their dynamic charism and vision of North American culture. On May 27, 2000 I was ordained by Cardinal Roger Mahony at St. Paul the Apostle Church in New York City, the Mother Church of the Paulist Fathers,” the young accomplished priest stated.
“After being assigned to St. Philip Neri Church in Portland, OR for the first five years of my presbyterate, I went to China for 2 years (Beijing, then Hong Kong) to learn and better experience the various Asian worldviews (Taoism and Confucianism). In the fall of 2005, I began my Ph.D. academic pursuit at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, while living at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in Chinatown, San Francisco,” said Fr. Ricky.
He is presently a doctoral candidate writing his dissertation on the intersection between liturgy and cultural sociology. He shared, “I want to investigate how ‘everyday spirituality and religious practices’ (e.g., meal prayers, noticing the beauty of God during walks, watching religious television shows, etc.) come to impact and shape our Sunday Eucharistic worship.”
Manalo directed the liturgy for the Catholic Cultural Diversity Network Convocation at Notre Dame University in May 2010. Throughout the year, he co-facilitates the Cultural Orientation Program for International Priests, sponsored by the Center for Religion and Spirituality, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA.
Ricky has served as liturgical director of the Asian/Pacific Apostolate Office of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and as choir and liturgy director of the Washington Theological Union. He is currently an adjunct professor in the College of Arts and Sciences in Sta. Clara University, California.
Proudly Filipino, Father Ricky loves visiting his homeland. “I have been to the Philippines about a half dozen times, mostly to produce liturgical projects and for theological and cultural education. The best part is catching up with relatives and reminding myself just how many families (and villages) are related to me. And then, of course, there is the food! I’m a major foodie and though I love the growing Filipino restaurant scene that’s taking place in San Bruno and Daly City, CA, nothing beats the food from the homeland!”
Father Ricky explains his work to Asian Journal. “When I compose liturgical music, I always have the assembly’s voice in mind. I rarely compose music that only features a choir performance (my Pie Jesu is a good example of such a choral piece). What comes first, the words or the music? My answer is: the theology and the ritual action. I first ask what part of the Mass am I writing for. If I am writing a communion song which involves a communion procession (i.e., people walking while singing without holding a hymnal or worship aid), the structure and form of that song will be drastically different than if I compose a Glory to God (i.e., people standing in place). Also, since I am a theologian, I always make sure the theology of the words and music “breaks open” the meaning of the ritual action. Once these are more or less in place, I instantly “hear the music” in my mind and visualize the action as if it is taking place. I “see” the worship space, I “hear” the new song being sung, I “smell” the incense or other odors, and I “feel” the physicality of my environment. The final step is to refine the words and text to the song, looking for rhyme schemes while adjusting the music where necessary,’ he explained.
Manalo shared that the best part about being a priest for him is ‘becoming a mentor to future priests. I enjoy teaching and training seminarians how to preside and preach. This is one of the reasons why I am pursuing a doctoral degree in liturgy. I believe the training and formation of our priests is important for the future life of our Church. Without good quality preaching and pastoral leadership, the people in the pews suffer. Many people even leave the Church because of this (among other reasons).”
On January 21, at the fifth concert of the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra- FASO at the Cathedral- two songs composed by Father Ricky will be performed, Pie Jesu and On This Day. Father Ricky expressed his excitement about FASO at the Cathedral, not only because his songs will be performed, but mainly because the affair honors Cardinal Mahony, who was the one who ordained him 10 years ago
Expounding on the two songs, Father Ricky said, “Sunday is the Day of the Lord; it is the day Christians gather together to celebrate the paschal mystery through the proclamation of God’s saving Word and the sharing of the Eucharistic meal. The text to On This Day was composed to reflect the significance of this day in the life of Christians around the world. It is an opening/gathering processional hymn. The verses are based on the popular hymn Die parente temporum (1745), later translated by Henry W. Baker (1821-1877). I re-worked the hymn by adding an easily sung refrain in order to encourage assembly participation.”
On the song, Pie Jesu, Father Manalo explained, “The original version of this piece was composed during my early seminary years with the Conventual Franciscans. Every October 3, in the evening, we would commemorate the Transitus of St. Francis, his death and rising to new life. I never did anything with this piece until years later. A parishioner from my hometown parish, St. Gabriel’s Church in Marlboro, NJ, wrote me and requested that I compose a piece for the members of the church choir who were experiencing the grieving process of those members who had passed away. I searched my storage boxes and eventually found a hand written copy of the Pie Jesu that I had written for Transitus, replaced some of the texts to make it more general by entreating the intercession of all saints, and presented a revised version to my publishers, Oregon Catholic Press. This is essentially a prayer directed towards God, asking God through Jesus, to grant eternal peace to the deceased. Then, the prayer asks that the angels lead the deceased into paradise. Finally, the prayer asks that all holy men and women to pray for us in our moment of despair and grief.
Father Ricky Manalo believes that music is a precious gift from God. St. Augustine once said, “He who sings prays twice.” And to this, Father Ricky wholeheartedly agrees. “May we continue to sing to the Lord from age to age,” he exclaimed.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek Jan 12-14 MDWK pg.1)
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