ALL THE WORLD IS SACRED
Peter Kearney's second album especially for children.
Sixteen songs for celebration and faith education.
Suitable for primary to lower secondary.
Track List
History
Comments by others
Preface by Peter Kearney
Background Notes on some songs
SONG LYRICS

TRACK LIST

1. Come Let us Sing - ''And when we 're singing we're praying, flying on the wings of song, sharing the bread of the moment right here, singing along.. Are you singing along?"

2. All The World Is Sacred - A hymn of thanks, praising God for the wonders of the natural world. "This world is holy. This world is holy, hallelujah. Surely all the world is sacred in my eye."

3. All Thank God - Fun to sing... mentioning many unique Australian creatures.

4. When I Pray - Where, when and why we pray

5. The True Magician - As I hope the song makes clear, this is not about trickery but 'true magic', meaning 'wonderful, exciting . . . producing surprising results'. I wrote this song after reading 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson-Burnett.'

7. I'm a Birdy - just for fun

8. Looking For The Seed - Celebrating the great potential of each person. "Earth is the soil. God is the sun. I am the seed."

9. Living In The Land Of Australia - A very popular song with children, celebrating tolerance and diversity in multicultural Australia

10. Mary In Black - a dramatic song telling three episodes in the life (late teens/ early 20's) of Mary MacKillop . . . goes well with 'Mary, When You Were A Girl' on the Celebration album

11. Who's That?! - How do we treat each other in school? A light hearted way to look at some behaviours that detract from the happy environment we aim for. A song which has been 'top of the pops' year after year for state-school children taught by Catechist, Gil Long. Ideal for Reconciliation programs.

12. Dry Bones - A gruesome title, but to the teachers' surprise, the children really take to this song. A lively setting of the message of the prophet Ezekiel ... comparing people who don't love to 'dry bones'. A useful song for Lent and Reconciliation

13. Rain In The Air - Playing with sounds and words - a song about the rain.

14. A Bridge In The Sky  The rainbow -  a favourite symbol for children . A song of hope

15. The Christ Child Lay - A setting of the beautiful poem by G.K.Chesterton. A song for Christmas

16. Then We Go In Your Peace - A prayer-song, ideal for Reconciliation or as Recessional

PROJECT HISTORY:
Published 1996 by Crossover Music.

RECORDING: Recorded 1996 at the Studio of 'The Little Portion', Welby, NSW. Produced and arranged by Peter Kearney. Mixed by Kenny Miller and Peter Kearney.

SINGERS AND MUSICIANS: Louise Cassidy, Claire Parkhill, Helen Archer, children's choir from St. Paul's Primary School, Moss Vale and adult choir.

ARTWORK: Cover and illustrations by Dorothy Woodward.

COMMENTS:
"It is refreshing to find a CD such as 'All The World Is Sacred' in which just about every song has a use in the classroom and school. Too often religious albums for schools have one or two terrific songs and the rest are nice to listen to but not much use, particularly for singing in the school. 'All the World Is Sacred' is an exception. I've used 'All Thank God' in Kindergarden. They love the line about 'picking on the Kindies' in 'Who's That!'. We have used 'Looking For The Seed' and 'Then We Go In Your Peace' at many school masses and the latter was especially appropriate at Graduation. Our older boys love 'Dry Bones' and the teachers loved 'Mary In Black' and many hope to use it in their classrooms. In these days of ever reducing budgets for schools, it is a bonus to find a collection of songs that can be used in such a variety of ways."
(Susanne Schmidt, St Benedict's School, Narrabundah, A.C.T.)

PREFACE by PETER KEARNEY
'All the World Is Sacred'  is my second album of songs for children. Over the years, I've had great fun singing with children on my visits to hundreds of schools in the city and in the bush of Australia. As the children and I sit down to begin our 'workshop', their energy and enthusiasm bring me alive and make me feel very glad to be where I am, doing what I do. The songs lift us and join us. We are inspired with a common purpose because in the evening we are putting on a concert for families and friends, a celebration of community and shared values, of the natural world, faith, love and life . . . and the simple joy of singing, singing, singing.

''And when we 're singing we're praying,
Flying on the wings of song,
Sharing the bread of the moment
Right here, singing along.. "

So here are some new songs for singing, praying and sharing. I hope they will be enjoyable and useful in many situations. Many thanks to the schools that have invited me into their communities for workshops and concerts with children.

DEDICATION
I'd like to dedicate this album to Dorothy Woodward with deep thanks for her support and artwork. Her artwork, colour and black and white is featured throughout the 'All The World Is Sacred' album.

LIVING IN THE LAND OF AUSTRALIA
Originally written for the children of Sacred Heart School, Cabramatta in Sydney. Mutmutbilly Creek is near Goulburn, NSW and Turn-Back-Jimmy Creek is near Jerilderie, NSW.

LOOKING FOR THE SEED
Scriptural references: Matt 13: 1-9. Matt 13: 31-32; John 12: 23-24.

DRY BONES
Based on Chapter 37 of the prophet Ezekiel. If you're wondering where you've seen or heard this before, this song (now revised) was included in my first ever song collection, 'Songs Of Brotherhood' (1966), which also included 'Fill My House' and 'The Beatitudes'.

JESUS LAUGHED
Biblical references: Matthew 17: 24-27. Luke 1 9: 1 - 1 0 ; John 1 2 : 1-8

THE TRUE MAGICIAN
 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson-Burnett - a wonderful story set in Yorkshire, England in which Colin, a sad 'cripple' boy, is healed through contact with nature. He comes to believe that the 'magic' in nature is also in him:

"Do you believe in Magic?" asked Colin. "That 1 do, lad," she (Susan Sowerby) answered. I never knowed it by that name but what does the name matter . . . The same thing that sets the seeds swellin' and the sun shinin' made thee a well lad and it's the Good Thing . . . The Big Good Thing doesn't stop to worry. It goes on making worlds by the million - worlds like us. Never stop believin' in the Big Good Thing and knowin' the world's full of it. And call it what tha' likes."

THE CHRIST CHILD LAY
Words by G.K. Chesterton. The language is a little old fashioned but quite lovely I think. G.K. Chesterton was an English writer who lived in the early 1900's.

MARY IN BLACK (on Mary MacKillop)
On Mary MacKillop, who looks likely to become the first Australian saint. The song was written for and first sung with the children of St. Joseph's, Penola, South Australia on my first visit there in the late 1980's. Thanks to Sr. Mary White RSJ, of Penola for helpful information. Explanation of these three episodes in the life of Mary MacKillop will bring this song alive for the children :

1. Mary, aged 18 - 19, went to work as a governess on the property of her uncle, near Penola in South Australia. As well as the children of the owners, she insisted on looking after an aboriginal child born to one of the station hands.

2. With the encouragement of Fr. Julian Tenison Woods, Mary, aged 24, began teaching poor children in the town of Penola. The school was an old stable that had been converted by her brother, John.

3. While teaching at the school, on the feast of St. Joseph -March 19, 1866, Mary began wearing a plain, black dress as a symbol her special dedication to God.

RAIN IN THE AIR
A song having some fun with words and sounds, written around 1968 with my good friend, Denis Sweeney , who, tragically, was killed in a car accident during 1973.