A new song honoring the miraculous apparitions of Fatima has been released ahead of World Youth Day 2023. The song “Brighter Than the Sun,” written by a priest, reflects on the first moment of the encounter between the three children and Mary, the Mother of God. The tune was performed by Darija Ramljak, a former semi-finalist on the 2019 season of The Voice Croatia.
Father Thomas de Beyer
The piece was composed by Fr. Thomas de Beyer, who penned a phenomenal “Missa Lucis” in 2020, despite having no formal musical training. He said he was inspired to write “Brighter Than the Sun” after the 2023 World Youth Day was announced in Lisbon. With Lisbon so close to Fatima, he felt called to honor the 1917 miracle. Father de Beyer explained in a press release:
“Fatima shows us that God exists and that he is not apathetic. On the contrary, heaven is highly interested in everyone’s life and salvation. Our Lady turned to the children in an attitude of motherly love of such intensity, that at certain moments they were overwhelmed by the love that flew from the heart of Mary. We all need the light of faith that connects us with the source of life and leads us on a good path.”
“Brighter Than the Sun”
The tune strikes a nice balance between solemn and victorious as it develops from the verse to the chorus. The easy melody feels at home in church while the orchestration gives it an almost show-tune aesthetic. The song transforms halfway through with the introduction of a percussion section that gives it some nice flair as it finishes.
It’s no small feat to compose an orchestral score, especially without any traditional education in the field. Father Thomas noted that the song was produced three times and it still was not what he had envisioned. When he had almost given up on the project, two of his friends whom he considers true followers of Christ urged him to continue. He said:
“I still don’t know why they were so sure about [the song’s importance]. Anyway: The next day I resumed with intense prayer and completely new harmonies emerged. Following an intuition, I sent an email to Radio Mir in Medjugorje and got in contact with an excellent young singer, Darija Ramljak – and here we are.”
Darija Ramljak
The song is supported by the excellent vocals from 22-year-old singer Darija Ramljak. With the voice that could star in a Disney musical, Ramljak tells the story of Fatima. After the music, she stayed on to give a brief greeting to viewers. Ramljak said:
“Fatima means to me that heaven is real and the Virgin Mary is actually here with us. She’s actually helping us by her prayers and she gives us a lot of love and hope. I’m really looking forward to the World Youth Day 2023, in Lisbon, next door to Fatima. I really hope to see you all there. I wish you all the best and God bless you.”
Click here to listen to more exceptional Catholic music by Fr. Thomas de Beyer.
