Florida Catholic | Dana Performs At St. Finbarr Mission

Dana performs at St. Finbarr Mission

Irish singer to perform for Pope Benedict XVI in Yankee Stadium in mid-April.

BOB REDDY | FLORIDA CATHOLIC VENICE BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 03.28.08

Catholic singer and songwriter, Dana, performs for a full house at St. Finbarr Mission.
Courtesy Photo

NAPLES | Dana Rosemary Scallon does not know what she did to deserve the success she has gained as a songwriter and singer of inspirational music, but she does know that God had something to do with it.

The award-winning Irish folk singer, commonly known by her stage name, Dana, performed before more than 700 people March 7 at St. Finbarr Mission. The concert included her most famous songs, “We Are One Body” and “Lady of Knock.”

The concert at St. Finbarr was not the largest group she has ever performed before — more than 280,000 young people at World Youth Day 1993 in Denver would probably be the most — but the group in Naples got a more intimate look at the internationally known singer.

Dana is renowned as one of Ireland’s most successful entertainers for her best-selling Catholic recordings, as well as for her stance as a pro-life activist.

“We Are One Body” is the song she will perform for Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium April 20.

“I was so thrilled when I heard about this,” she said. “I had met the Holy Father when he was Cardinal Ratzinger after I was summoned to the Vatican because I had caused some controversy. I was nervous. But he was a gentle, humble, genius, holy man.”

Courtesy Photo
Father Tom Heck, left, joins Dana and other members of the audience for song.

This is not the first time she will be performing for a pope. In fact, she has performed at three World Youth Days and “We Are One Body” was the theme song for the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver.

“It has been an incredible journey,” she said prior to the concert. She said she came up with the idea for the song after arriving in the United States after retiring for the first time in 1991.

She was with children in Boston who were going through the confirmation process when she came to the realization that there was no problem with the children facing the truth of the Ten Commandments; the problem was with the adults.

“I wanted there to be a way to tell young people not to be afraid, so I started thinking hard about this and praying” she said. “All of a sudden I heard this song, ‘One Body in Christ, we do not stand alone.’”

It wasn’t long after that she performed the song before thousands of people at the Louisiana Superdome.

“That is when I realized how important the song was and the words had an even greater meaning,” Dana said.

The beginning lyrics of the song are, “We are one body, one body in Christ; and we do not stand alone.”

Dana came to Naples at the request of her friends who live on Marco Island. The concert raised money for St. Finbarr’s Council of Catholic Women. During her performance she brought audience members up on stage to sing with her. Also performing at the concert were the Gaelic Gorman Irish Dancers.

The lesson Dana said she learned from her extraordinary career as a performer is, “If God can use this in my life, he can do this in anyone’s life.”

Her current goal is to continue to teach children the prayers of the church. Performing before Pope Benedict XVI and thousands at Yankee Stadium is just one way to achieve that goal and serve God.

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Dana performs at St. Finbarr Mission

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