In celebration of the conclusion of Holy Rosary Month, Sister Narges Hanty from the Congregation of the daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus held an evening of Marian hymns titled "Mary, Queen of Peace" last night at St. Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Church in Baghdad, attended by several priests, monks, nuns, and a crowd of believers.
Hanti, accompanied by the musician Dante Hikmat, presented a selected bouquet of Marian hymns, whose languages varied between Arabic, Syriac, Chaldean, and Latin, but united in honoring the Virgin and her divine son. And it was interspersed with meditations from the writings of the fathers and popes, praising the Virgin and seeking her intercession for peace in the world.
Hanti said in an interview that the idea for the evening was initiated by Father Hanna Kallo, the pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Baghdad, who invited it to accompany the prayers of the faithful for peace with its hymns on the occasion of the conclusion of the month of honoring the Holy Rosary.
The attendees accompanied Hanty with chants during the evening, especially the popular hymns that the faithful recite daily. "The prayer for peace finds its vigor when the people themselves pray it, beseeching the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to intercede with her Son to grant our world peace, especially in the Middle East, and specifically our Iraq, and to abolish the wars that threaten and kill all the beauty that our Lord has created," according to Hanty.
She expressed her happiness at returning to chant in her hometown Baghdad after nearly 20 years, "where I experienced my calling to consecration and the love of God, His gifts and talents, which have qualified me to stand today at His altars to praise and glorify Him.
Hanty pointed out her deep emotional impact from the hymn "O Virgin Mary, I entrust myself to your mercy" and its expressive words written by Saint Thomas Aquinas. She added, "When I chant it, asking for the intercession of my mother the Virgin, I feel as if I am speaking to her, and that she hears me and will speak to her son's heart about me." And she is the one who has always accompanied me in the most beautiful and the most difficult days of my life, enveloped me in her love, and taught me to proclaim the great things the Lord has done for me.