Andrea Bocelli was once an agnostic. But after immersing himself in the works of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, he returned to the Catholic faith. You can see it in most of his works. The legendary Italian tenor even sang for the late Pope John Paul 2.
Catholics hold Mary, the mother of Jesus, in high regard. To Catholics, Mary is not only the mother, but also queen of heaven and earth. That’s why there are many hymns dedicated to her.
No one sings like Andrea Bocelli.
This is the Italian tenor at his finest, singing in St. Paul Cathedral in London, filling the place with his iconic voice to “Ave Maria“. But it is not the “Ave Maria” people are familiar with. Not Schubert’s. This is a grand, Italian song, full of emotion and power from the Italian tenor.
It is based on the Italian “Hail Mary” prayer,
“Ave, o Maria, piena di grazia, il Signore č con te. Tu sei benedetta fra le donne e benedetto č il frutto del tuo seno, Gesů Santa Maria, Madre di Dio, prega per noi peccatoti, adesso e nell’ora della nostra morte. Amen.”
What would you give to be able to sing like Andrea just for a day?
When Celine Dion said “if God would have a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli“, she really meant it. And to think this was once a man who believed that the existence of God was unknowable.
Andrea says of his agnosticism,
“The young Andrea would probably not understand that today I believe in faith and great values, in the need to be pious every day. Over the years I have come to believe that faith cannot be acquired effortlessly: just as any other discipline, it requires commitment, perseverance and sacrifice. To be committed to faith means we need to comply with simple deeds that may even appear tedious. If we want to improve our faith, we have to submit to prayer.”
This thundering version of a hymn dedicated to the mother of God surely puts to rest any questions about Bocelli’s faith.
Andrea may have been blinded at the age of twelve but the way he sings, it’s like he sees nothing but Mary and the rest of the heavenly host. Catholics believe that by honoring Mary, they give more glory to Jesus. Andrea just gave her the highest honor with this performance.
A viewer says,
“Soooo beautiful, peaceful and festive! Gracie, Andrea, thank you! Peace to the world, to every single soul!”
The orchestra does a great job of accompanying what David Foster calls the most beautiful voice in the world. Pretty tough job playing an instrument for that voice.
Andrea Bocelli can open the heavens when he sings!
That’s the effect a Bocelli performance has. Not even the horrible year that was 2020 can touch the man so beloved by millions. The world is truly a better place when Andrea Bocelli sings.
Watch and listen to Andrea Bocelli’s incredible hymn below!
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