Canto Divina: Singing Psalms for Transformation is based upon the process of Lectio Divina and adds the gift of sacred music and the baptism of the holy spirit for transformation. This work strategically develops the research on music and medicine and the connection to Catholicism. Deborah presents her education, experience, and personal transformation through the music of our faith and supports this information with a summary of the history and science of music and medicine. The process of Canto Divina is then defined and practiced with appropriate examples to model this transformation. The psalms were chosen for this process of transformation as they clearly reflect the emotional connection to the heart of God through the words of King David. In this work the research and application of music and medicine has been fully integrated with Catholicism while providing a new intervention for transformation. As St. Augustine once noted, when we sing, we pray twice.
Quote from Mike Aquilina:
We need to pray in the first place. We need to pray without ceasing. We need to draw close to the heart of Jesus and intercede with him for others. Yet even our prayer — like our proclamation of the Gospel — can be enhanced by music. That is the consensus of Christian tradition. And it’s the genius of Deborah Keefe’s book. In these pages, she draws from the ancient sources, as well as modern disciplines and personal experiences, as she proposes a thoroughly Christian program for healing — physical, psychological, moral, and spiritual healing. Its keynotes are the Psalms, the songs of ancient Israel that the Church took to the world. They are perfect prayers, reflecting the full range of human emotion and need. They convey it all in vivid poetry, which we put to memorable melody, because we need to remember.
Begun in prayer, in the soul of the apostolate, this book is a heartfelt work of evangelization — an extension of Jesus’ healing to a world in need.
About the Author
Deborah Ann Keefe, MSW offers Canto Divina: Singing Psalms for Transformation as a "Thank YOU" to God for the personal transformation she has experienced through sacred music, the holy sacraments, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. After completing a nationwide research sabbatical on the application of music as medicine, she offers this work as an educator, author, and speaker. Deborah is abundantly blessed with two daughters and resides in the Pittsburgh area.
If you’re interested in contacting Deborah to come to your area for training, seminars, speaking engagements, and consultations—either in-person or online—she can be reached at www.deborahannkeefe.com.
As an accomplished flautist, Deborah performed with the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, the Gordon College Flute Choir, and the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. Her flute teachers include Kathy Curran, Allison Loddengard, Heather Kent, Peter Bloom, and Kris Krueger. After witnessing the health and wellness benefits of music as a performer and educator, she completed her master’s degree in social work at the University of New Hampshire in 2014 with a focus on the application of music as medicine.