John Darnielle’s ‘This Year: 365 Songs Annotated’ collects lyrics from, and brief reflections on, 365 different Mountain Goats songs. Catholicism saturates his lyrics, which include references to saints, heretics, the rosary and the Bible.
Music
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Pope Leo thanks children for sharing love at school Christmas concert
“This is Christmas—God who wanted to draw near to us, especially to the smallest,” the pope said, expressing his hope that “we can feel and live this love” all year long.
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The First Noel: Why shepherds heard the Good News first
Hark! host Maggi Van Dorn visits a farm near the Welsh border and takes up fiddle lessons again in this episode on “The First Nowell” (original Cornish spelling) to find out why.
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Quiz: Christmas Carol History (Part 3)
How well do you know your Christmas carols? Time for another quiz.
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Christmas Carols: A secret lesson for preachers
This week on Preach, we’re offering an Advent treat. Host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., sits down with fellow producer Maggi Van Dorn for a rare on-mic conversation about the spiritual power of Christmas carols. Drawing on their work as producers of another America podcast, “Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols,” they reflect on […]
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Pope Leo attends Vatican Christmas concert for the poor featuring Catholic singer Michael Bublé
Christmas carols in every language and culture are expressions of how music can convey “feelings and emotions, even the deepest movements of the soul,” Pope Leo XIV said after listening, clapping and singing along at the Vatican Christmas concert with the poor.
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Quiz: Christmas Carol History (Part 2)
How well do you know your Christmas carols?
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‘Angels We Have Heard on High’: What do angels sound like?
“Angels We Have Heard on High” draws us into that holy night. Encounters with the divine rarely stay within the bounds of one language, and this carol embodies that truth.
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Pope Leo asks Michael Bublé to give his best for the poor at Vatican Christmas concert
Michael Bublé, a Catholic who spoke to reporters after meeting the pope, said he was “overwhelmed” and “I’m really still not over the moment.”
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The Coventry Carol: A mother’s lullaby, born of biblical tragedy
In this episode, host Maggi Van Dorn travels to Coventry, England, to trace how this centuries-old lament survived the Reformation, a devastating library fire and the 1940 bombing of Coventry Cathedral during the Second World War— and how it has served the city’s witness to grief and reconciliation.