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Singing is priest’s way of spreading word of God
By Madonna Virola
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: October 27, 2010
A DISTRAUGHT student who once tried to kill herself felt God’s care as she listened to Fr. Raul Caga singing the gospel pop song “Life is Beautiful.”
This story was shared by an Augustinian nun to attest how the priest’s music has helped renew the lives of people in distress.
“I did not know I was starting a music ministry [10 years ago] until positive feedback kept coming my way, telling me how my songs had brightened their day, consoled their weary hearts, accompanied them in their long trips, and calmed their emotions amid monstrous traffic,” said Caga, vice rector at the Divine Word Seminary (SVD) in Tagaytay City. Caga performed in a dinner concert dubbed “The Tenth Cure” at the SVD seminary’s Arnoldus Hall on October 9. Some 150 relatives, friends and benefactors attended. Through his songs and a few narratives, Caga related nine turning points in his life as a priest and an artist – entering the seminary in 1982, singing his first vocation crisis (1987), his experience of liberation (1990), becoming an SVD (1992), real priesthood (1993), heartbeats for love and challenges in mission (1996), the music ministry (2000) and his birthday this year.
“Music ministry has become for me a special ministry within my priestly ministry,” he said. Fred Saniel, rector of the Divine Word School of Theology, said Caga is the “animator” of people in liturgical and other SVD gatherings. Caga, whose passion for music began when he was a child, said that during the first five years of his priesthood in Mindanao, he used music to motivate parishioners to attend liturgical activities. “It became my entry point to the youth and kids. I taught parish choir myself,” he said. He said he found that “music, and especially singing, is a very efficient tool in evangelization ... and giving inspiration to people.”
Singing has been one of the elements in his “priestly survival kit,” he said. “I express my joys and pains, hopes and frustrations through singing.”
His album, titled “Called by Love,” was a finalist in the 2006 Catholic Mass Media Awards for best religious album. Other CD albums with other artists followed, such as “Witnessing to the Word,” “Complines and Vespers,” and the recently released “Words of Life.”
He produced two MTVs – one on his composition “By The Roadside,” and the other, the SVD centennial song “Witness to the Word.”
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‘Singing priest’ animates liturgy
Posted By tuey On October 18, 2010 @ 4:04 pm In Countries, Daily Service, Features, Philippines | No Comments
A Filipino missionary uses his musical talent to “animate” liturgical celebrations and motivate people to attend Church activities.
“(Music) became my entry point to the youth,” said Father Raul Caga, vice rector of the Society of the Divine Word [1] seminary in Tagaytay City, south of Manila. The priest said he found that “music, especially singing, is a very efficient tool in evangelization and giving inspiration to people.”
“Father Caga is our ‘animator’ during gatherings,” said Father Fred Saniel, rector of the Divine Word School of Theology. Father Caga added that singing has become an effective coping mechanism and an element in his “priestly survival kit.”
“I express my emotions through singing,” he said. His music ministry blossomed as he performed “gospel concerts” in Europe, Canada and in the Philippines. His album, Called by Love, was a finalist at the 2006 Catholic Mass Media Awards [2]for Best Religious Album.
“Music ministry has become a special area within my vocation,” Father Caga said, adding that the people’s positive response “affirmed the ministry’s goals.”
He held a concert dubbed Tenth Cue on Oct. 9, highlighting the nine “turning points” of his life since entering the seminary in 1982. Father Caga said his passion for singing stemmed from childhood. “The seminary provided me countless opportunities to nurture this gift,” the “singing priest” added. Related reports
‘Baguio’s Pavarotti’ takes the stage [3]
The liturgical renewal I would like to see
Photo: Father Raul Caga, SVD at the Oct. 9 concert in Tagaytay City. Photo by Madonna Virola.
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Article printed from ucanews.com: http://www.ucanews.com
URL to article: http://www.ucanews.com/2010/10/18/singing-priest-animates-liturgy/
Pursuing Music Ministry
Raul G. Caga, SVD
(August 2005)
To say that music is the language of the heart is to recognize the power of music to touch the soul. This claim was once again evident in my recent concert tour in Germany. But before recounting this latest experience, let me trace the origins. The production of my first CD album Life is Beautiful was accidental. To say the least, there was no plan at all. The main reason was that recording was only for the professional singers. Moreover, one needs a producer who puts up the high cost of production. But both obstacles found solution with my meeting with Nez Marcelo in summer of 2000 at Christ the King Seminary. With his knowledge and experience in music album production with the Fifth Gospel singing group, he gave me the green light signal. Luckily, Logos Publications picked up the plan and the album Life is Beautiful was born. With this album a music ministry was born too—it would become a special ministry within my priestly ministry. But it was not so at the beginning, for I thought I was simply recording religious songs which people can listen to alongside other religious music. The idea of ministry did not dawn on me until I began to receive encouraging feedbacks from the people who have listened to my songs. The positive feedbacks underscored the inspiration and message that the songs have sparked upon their lives. That they played my songs often and especially on Sundays brought a sense of fulfillment. For some, my songs have become their companion in the car while traveling long distance, and when they are caught in the traffic. Nothing can be more fulfilling than the realization that my songs, in a way, have become “good news” to many. This very encouraging development inspired me all the more to promote the CD album whenever there was an opportunity. An additional boost was the people who volunteered to help me promote the album. So a launching concert in January 2001 was organized by our SVD Friends in Davao, where I was based at the time. That was followed by a concert tour four months later again in Davao City, then in two towns of Agusan del Sur, and the last one in Christ the King Seminary Church, Quezon City. When I went to Rome in 2001 for my further studies in Moral Theology, I thought the music ministry which just took off was ended. The contrary happened. The opportunity to proclaim the good news to our kababayan in foreign lands through the medium of gospel pop music presented itself. The growing ministry was capped by a gospel concert in the eternal city after my studies in October 2003. This was followed by another series of gospel concert in Canada in November of the same year while on my way back to the country. The reception and response was even overwhelming beyond my expectations. This time half of the audiences were not just Filipinos but Canadians. In the summer of 2005, I went on a concert tour in Germany. Organized by friends in Frankfurt and Fr. Adonis Narcelles, SVD, with Steyler Bank as a major sponsor, the proclamation of the Word through songs brought me to Heidelberg (April 30), Frankfurt (May 5), Saarlouis (May 7-8), Munich (May 13), Hamburg (May 15), Cologne (May 20), and Berlin (May 22). The list of venues in most major cities of Deutschland is impressive but more so the reception. Indeed, the successful outcome continues to reinforce the goals of the newly-found music ministry: evangelization through music, vocation promotion to the society, and fund raising activity for the seminary. Now the music ministry which is hitherto largely personal takes on a further step. A vision is born which is to establish formally the music ministry for Philippine SVD. Production of religious music albums and religious video materials characterize the scope of this envisioned ministry. Divine Word Seminary Tagaytay will serve as its base and the seminary studio offers the required space. Pursuing music ministry as a serious apostolate is discerned to be a call of the present time. The power and influence of music continue to captivate the contemporary person. Should we not seize the opportunity and exploit the medium of music for God’s Kingdom? More significantly, such ministry channels the Arnoldus charism and spirituality to the world. CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Fr. Caga, SVD
°Ordination to Priesthood: December 8, 1993
I. Mission Assignments:
1. Assistant Parish Priest
(December 1994- May 1996)
Parish of St. Isidore the Laborer
Loreto, Agusan del Sur
2. Parish Priest
(June 1996- May 1999)
Parish of St. Julian of Toledo
La Paz, Agusan del Sur
3. SVD Agusan District Youth Coordinator
(June 1996 –May 1999)
4. Vocation Promotion Director for Mindanao
(June 1999 – May 2001)
SVD Southern Province
Divine Word Formation Center
Davao City
5. Chairperson, Directors/Directresses of Vocations in the Philippines
Archdiocese of Davao – Davao Chapter
(June 2000 – May 2001)
II. Further Studies:
Licentiate in Moral Theology (Magna Cum Laude)
The Alphonsian Academy - A Higher Institute of Moral Theology
Pontifical Lateran University
Rome, Italy
October 2001 – June 2003
III. Present Assignment:
Professor of Moral Theology
June 2004 until at present
Divine Word School of Theology
Tagaytay City
Philippines
IV. House Admonitor, Divine Word Seminary (2005-2008)
V. Vice Rector, Divine Word Seminary (2008-2011; 2011-2014)
VI. Director, Arnoldus Communications Center, Divine Word Seminary Media Apostolate
VII. Coordinator, Social Communication Desk, Philippine SVD Central Province
VIII. Music Ministry
1. Member/Musical Director of Arnoldus Company (1986-93)
-Official singing group of Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City
2. Vocalist in religious music cassette album Touch Me, Lord (1987)
-first produced cassette album of Divine Word Seminary
3. Life is Beautiful CD Album (December 2000)
-Co-producer and main interpreter
-Composer of the song Life is Beautiful
4. Concert Guesting in Great Jubilee Concert of Jamie Rivera, Carol Banawa and
Jeffrey Hidalgo in December of 2000 at Davao Convention Center, Davao City
5. Launching Concert of my first CD Album Life is Beautiful at Grand Men Seng
Hotel, Davao City on January 22, 2001
6. Promotional Concert Tour with the Fifth Gospel Singers (May 2001) in four
places: Trento and San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, in Davao City, and in Christ
the King Seminary Chapel, Quezon City
7. Life is Beautiful Concert in Rome (October 12, 2003)
8. Life is Beautiful Concert Tour in Canada
-Hamilton (28 October 2003)
-Holy Cross Parish, Burnaby (8 November 2003)
-St. Joseph Parish, Port Moody (16 November 2003)
-St. Matthew Parish, Surrey (22 November 2003)
9. Life is Beautiful Concert Tour in Germany
-Heidelberg (April 30, 2004)
-Frankfurt (May 5, 2004)
-Saarlouis (May 8, 2004)
-Munich (May 13, 2004)
-Hamburg (May 15, 2004)
-Cologne (May 20, 2004)
-Berlin (May 22, 2004)
10. Album Launching of the second album Called By Love at Divine Word
Seminary Chapel, Tagaytay City on January 17, 2006 event covered by ABS-
CBN TV Network
11. TV Guesting in Dee’s Day (RPN 9), Sunday TV Mass (ABS-CBN & IBC 13),
Reflections by Atty. Rene Puno (RJ TV)
12. Called By Love Concert in Laoag City on December 10, 2006
13. Called By Love Concert in Hongkong on December 17, 2006
14. Called By Love Concert in St. Paul University, Q.C. on March 17, 2007 with
Chin-Chin Gutierrez as guest
15. Called By Love Concert Tour in Germany (May & June 2007) [Frankfurt,
Bonn, Cologne, Karlsruhe, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Offenburg, Berlin]
16. Called By Love Album a nominee in the Catholic Mass Media Awards
(CMMA) for Best Religious Album in 2006
17. Called By Love Concert Tour in the U.S.A. (April-June 2008)
April 27 St. Andrew The Apostle Church, Brooklyn, New York
May 4 St. Anthony Claret, Lakewood, New Jersey
May 11 St. Anthony of Padua, Hightstown, New Jersey
May 16 St. Rose of Lima, Brooklyn, New York
May 18 St. Anthony Parish, Belleville, New Jersey
May 30 Techny Towers, Techny, Illinois
June 7 St. Paul Parish, Austin, Texas
June 14 St. Joachim, Hayward, California
June 29 St. Timothy, San Francisco, California
18. Production of the centennial album “Witnessing to the Word” for the centennial celebration of Philippine SVD (1909-2009) in December 2008.
19. Centennial Concert Tour from August 2009 to May 2010 in (with the Arnoldus Company)
August 20 Tagaytay City
August 29 San Jose, Mindoro Occidental
September 11-12 Puerto Galera
September 25-26 Legazpi City
October 24 Semirara, Antique
November 5 Cebu City
January 15-16 Abra
April 9-12 Surigao/Siargao
May 29 Manila
20. Participation/Artist in the CD Production of “Words of Life” of Fr. Adonis Narcelles, SVD
21. Concert in Taiwan on January 1 & 2, 2011
22. Coming European Concert Tour from May 16-July 31, 2011 covering Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria and Germany
Tuesday, November 14, 2006Fr. Raul Caga, SVD
Raul Caga (center) at the CMMA Awards
flanked by Fred Saniel (left), rector of DWST
and SVD seminarian Ketchie Barrantes
Fr. Raul Caga's album "Called by Love" (Arnoldus Communications Center 2005) was a nominee in the Best Religious Song Category of the recently concluded Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA, Nov. 11, 2005). Raul is a professor of Moral Theology at the Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City. The nomination was a formal recognition of the quality of the album and Fr. Caga's talent. It is also an acknowledgment
