The Deacon's Bench
The 28-year-old Redemptorist priest Damian Maria Montes has surprised thousands of viewers of Spanish television when he passed the blind audition of La Voz (The Voice), a reality talent show in Spain.
One of the important premises of the show is the quality of the singing talent. Four coaches, themselves popular performing artists, train the talents in their group and occasionally perform with them. Talents are selected in blind auditions, where the coaches cannot see, but only hear the audition. The jurors of the show were surprised to see that the singer was a priest.
Father Damian Maria, Redemptorist missionary, was born in Granada and currently lives in Madrid. He was ordained on 27th April, 2013. In the stage performance of La Voz of Spain he performed the song “Angels” by Robbie Williams.
“If you are here that is only because you want to proclaim the word of God through music during the contest, and thanks for that,” said Laura Pausini, the popular Italian singer who was also part of the jury.
At the age of 18, he joined the community of the Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer, in the city of Granada. As a missionary has worked in India, in Calcutta, and Honduras. For some years now he has lived in Madrid where he was ordained a priest and where he now works in the parish of Holy Redeemer.
Check out his performance below.
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