The album produced by the Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM) for the Philippine Papal Visit made it to the top 10 of the Original Pinoy Music (OPM) charts in January. This is the first time a JMM album has reached the top 10. “Mercy and Compassion: Songs for Pope Francis” landed in the second spot of the OPM list and in the third spot of the Overall best-selling albums for the fourth week of January.
A copy of the album was presented to Pope Francis when he met with Jesuits in the Philippines on January 16.
The Jesuit Music Ministry is an official ministry of the Philippine Jesuit Province and traces its roots to the pioneering work of Fr Eduardo Hontiveros SJ, who began composing Filipino liturgical songs in response to the mandate of Vatican II in the 1960s. From the first song Fr Honti composed for a group of young boys and girls in Barangka, Marikina to the songs composed by present generation Jesuits and lay partners, JMM songs have been sung in churches not only in the Philippines but in the world.