Three songs by the Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM) of Jesuit Communications earned nominations for the 39th Awit Awards, bringing music shaped by faith and prayer into the spotlight of one of OPM’s most prestigious celebrations. The nominations were announced during an August 6th livestream by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) and Go Live Asia.
The three nominations span two categories and reflect three different expressions of faith through music: finding light in darkness, trusting God through life’s uncertainties, and giving young people a voice to share their faith.
Bukas Palad Music Ministry’s Bless Our Darkness, featuring Ayee Guanio and Ali Figueroa, received a nomination for Best Inspirational Recording. Written by the esteemed composer Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ, and arranged by Norman Agatep, Arnold Buena and Palan Reyes, the recording emerged from an album that sought to bridge “prayer and playlist, altar and everyday life.”
The song’s message is particularly resonant in difficult times. Bless Our Darkness offers a prayer for peace, healing and light, reminding listeners that sorrow need not be understood as emptiness, but can become a place where God’s light breaks through.
Nominated in the same Best Inspirational Recording category is You Are My Shepherd, also performed by Bukas Palad Music Ministry featuring Karylle. Written by Luis Gabriel Enriquez and arranged by Gino Torres and Arnold Buena, the song draws from Psalm 23 and the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.
With its message of steadfast confidence, You Are My Shepherd carries one of Scripture’s most enduring images into a contemporary musical setting—a prayer of trust in a God who does not abandon his people.
The third nomination carries a distinctly youthful story.
“To Be Close to Jesus,” performed by Young Voices of the Philippines and featuring Klaire Tan, Jia Concepcion and Nelyja Abesamis, is nominated for Best Recording by a Child or for Children. The song’s words were written by JMM Director Lester Mendiola, while its melody and arrangement came from sisters Maria Sophia and Maria Regina Roldan.
Sophia was only 16 when the melody came to her, while Regina, 14, helped shape the arrangement. Inspired by their experience in Assisi and the witness of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the song became part of a musical and spiritual journey centered on youth, faith and the desire to share God’s love. Its recording brought together young soloists and choristers, under the guidance of Prof. Jude Roldan and Dr. Maria Theresa Roldan, whose voices gave the composition an especially personal character.
For JMM, the three nominations are ultimately about more than recognition.
“We are humbled to celebrate three nominations,” expressed JMM on social media with much gratitude for everyone who contributed to the recordings—from composers and arrangers to artists, musicians, engineers and production teams. Most of all, JMM said it truly appreciates how the songs “continue to accompany people in prayer and draw hearts closer to Christ.”
That may be the most meaningful measure of these recordings.
On September 15th at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Bukas Palad and Young Voices of the Philippines will soon take their place on a grand awards stage alongside some of the country’s finest OPM talents. But whether heard there, in a church, through headphones or in a quiet moment of prayer, their purpose remains the same: to give faith a voice, and to let that music continue its journey toward the hearts of those who listen.
AMDG
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