Choir sets the Parable of the Prodigal Son to Gregorian chant

The parable of the prodigal son has been depicted many times in art. Recently, the choir Harpa Dei, made up of three siblings, released a Gregorian chant video that tells this story of “the Father’s mercy and his great longing for lost children to return home.”

“Over the past few weeks, we have been working on a project that sets many of the words spoken by Jesus himself during his public ministry to Gregorian chant,” siblings Nikolai, Lucía, and Mirjana Gerstner told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, on June 24.

“These are very ancient chants that have evolved since the early centuries within the context of the liturgy, both in Holy Mass and in the breviary,” they said.

Why the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Latin?

While they sing in other languages ​​as well, the siblings said that “our focus and home as Roman Catholics is Gregorian chant. One of its fundamental characteristics is that its texts are exclusively in Latin.”

After highlighting that Latin serves “for the worship of God and, therefore, easily lifts us from the profane to the transcendent,” Harpa Dei said it hopes this chant will help “the faithful rediscover the beauty of Gregorian chant and the value of a sacred language as great treasures of the Church.”

The Gerstner siblings also noted that “the words of Jesus, who is the Word made flesh, possess great power and efficacy. They offer comfort, guidance, and strength; they invite conversion and reveal the Father to us just as he truly is.”

They said Gregorian chant makes it possible to “penetrate the soul deeply and gently, and to become imprinted upon the memory and the heart.”

The Prodigal Son video

They also said they hope to help “the ‘prodigal’ sons and daughters of this world realize that God, our Heavenly Father, is waiting for them, and that his great desire is for them to return to him, to their true home.”

The siblings said they filmed the video in the Danube Valley and at Lake Constance in southern Germany. “Throughout the filming process, we could clearly recognize God’s guidance in finding the right locations and managing all the logistics,” they said.

Since 2011, following a peace initiative, the siblings have felt called to evangelize through sacred music. Their mission has taken them to many countries around the world, such as Mexico, Israel, Germany, Russia, Ecuador, Lithuania, and the United States, among others.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.