This is the 'Mucha Quartet' of Slovakia. It is performing a piece by one of the most famous musicians of this country, Ján Levoslav Bella.
ANDREJ MATIS
'When I was 15 years old, I decided to play the violin professionally and so I went to live in Bratislava, the capital of my country. There, in addition to receiving violin lessons, I met people from Opus Dei. It was there that I learned that music, besides being my professional vocation, can also be a path that brings me closer to God and brings my friends closer to God.'
When he was 21 years old, Andrej decided to join Opus Dei and put his life at the service of God and the Church. A few years have passed and he will now become a priest along with 28 other deacons.
ANDREJ MATIS
'My life has been an adventure. Like many adventure books, you don't know what's going to happen on the following page.'
ANDREJ MATIS
'My friends would ask me, 'Are you sure you want to give up music? You've dedicated a lot of time in your life to the violin. You've worked so hard, and now you're giving it all up to do something else.''
'I see a lot of continuity with what I did as an artist, and what I will do now as a priest. As I said, in the end, art, music, can be a path that brings me closer to God, and that brings God closer to my friends. As a priest I would like to do the same.'
Andrej does not have a single favorite composer, but he is fond of Russian composers from the first half of the 20th century, such as Shostakovitch, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky.
As a priest, he will not spend the same amount of time on the violin, but with his new life as a priest, he will touch many people's souls.
The ordination will be on Saturday, Sept. 5. There are 29 new priests in Opus Dei from 13 countries. They will be ordained by Secretary of State, Card. Pietro Parolin.
JMB
Translation: CC
