Dominican Order

Adore Te Devote, to humbly express faith in the Body and Blood of Christ in a theological, poetic and musical sense.

On the occasion of the 800^th anniversary of the birth of St. Thomas Aquinas, we present 4 videos on Adoro Te Devote: Paul Murray, OP, explains the literary and theological implications of Adoro Te Devote; in the second video, Isolde Cambournac and Olivier Michel tell us how St Thomas’ Eucharistic Hymn came to be interpreted; in the third video, the interpretation of Adoro Te Devote by the Lefèvre family is shown; and in the fourth video, the same family comments on their experience and devotion to St. Thomas.

In the video, Isolde Cambournac recalls that she was in charge of the iAquinas project, which presented videos about St. Thomas Aquinas on the Internet, and to conclude this project she set out to find an artistic expression. “In the parish of Brittany, I met Olivier Michel, who is also a composer, and I entrusted him with the project of composing something based on St. Thomas Aquinas’ words, especially in French. I also wanted to transmit, through this musical channel, something of St Thomas’ thought,” says Isolde.

For his part, Olivier Michel recalls that he had just finished a composition on another text by St Thomas Aquinas—“O salutaris Hostia”—for a composition competition on the occasion of the 800^th anniversary of the Cathedral of Metz.

Then, the project took on a new dimension and passed into the hands of the Lefebvre Family. “I had in mind the warmth of the voices of the Lefebvre Family, their heart with this unique sound. And I intuitively felt that they were the most suitable, at least among those I know, to honor this song,” Michel stresses.

In the fourth video, Anne and Gabriel Lefèvre talk about their enthusiasm for having lent their voices to St Thomas Aquinas’ poem Adoro Te Devote, set to music by Olivier Michel. They talk about their closeness to the Dominicans, their meeting with Isolde Cambournac (iAquinas project) and the composer Olivier Michel, and their joy at contributing to the international celebration of the Jubilee of St. Thomas Aquinas.

The videos were published on the Official Social Networks of the Order of Preachers. To raise the spirit with Adoro Te Devote can be listened to directly on the You Tube channel of the Lefèvre Family. The other videos are also available on YouTube: the official French-language version on the channel the Ordre Dominicain, and Paul Murray, OP, can be heard on the official English-language channel of the Order of Preachers.

We give thanks to God for the talent and Thomistic love of all those who made this musical production—a true jewel of Catholic spirituality—possible. May their witness inspire others to continue expressing themselves artistically for the good of the whole world.

“Adoro te devote” is a Eucharistic hymn composed by St. Thomas Aquinas on the occasion of the introduction of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in 1264, at the request of Pope Urban IV. The hymn was included in the Roman Missal of 1570, at the request of Pope Pius V. The first two stanzas are quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church to explain the Eucharistic mystery theologically and poetically.

The feast of St Thomas Aquinas is celebrated every year on January 28^th. We recall that we have celebrated 3 jubilee years: 700 years since his canonization (July 18^th, 2023), 750 years since his death (March 7^th, 2024) and 800 years since his birth, in 1225, in the castle of Rocaseca, near Aquino (Italy).

Links:

Fr. Paul Murray, OP (YouTube English)
Olivier Michel et Isolde Cambournac) (French YouTube)
Adoro te Devote, performed by the “Famille Lefèvre”. (French YouTube)
The “Famille Lefèvre”. Experience (French YouTube)
Partitura – Adoro Te Devote – Polyphonie

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