Welcome to Thomas Jude Shaheen Music
Catholic Christian recording artist Thomas Jude Shaheen's debut CD, Don't Stand Idly By, is now available--click to preview tracks and purchase. Below, you will find the complete tracks that can be streamed whenever you want. This web site will shortly contain complete information about Thomas Jude, the new CD, booking and more. I am very interested to see how the music has affected or inspired you--please click on "Contact" above and fill out the short form.
Thomas Jude Shaheen: Don
The Pro-Life Song: Don't Stand Idly By--Listen Now
St. Pope John Paul II is one of my personal heroes. The song "Don't Stand Idly By" came out of a reflection on my reading of the pontiff's encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" (the Gospel of Life). As well, Elie Wiesel, one of my other heroes, states that the worst thing a person can do is to stand idly by while another person's life is in danger or great need.

The pro-life song "Don't Stand Idly By" addresses the protection of the unborn, the poor knocking at your door, the children of war and respect for those at the end of life. I wrote the song to ask you to get in the game and "Don't Stand Idly By" ... give of your time, your talent and/or your treasure. Because "the glory of God is a human being fully alive!" (St. Irenaeus)

Listen now:

You can listen to all 12 songs by clicking on the song titles in the player at right.
Behind the Single "Prayer to St. Jude"
St. Jude is the patron of those that are in desperate need. We can all relate at one time or another--some are dealing with a life-threatening illness, the recent loss of a loved one, a debilitating psychological struggle, the loss of employment, etc. Prayer to St. Jude is a hopeful song, and simply asks a friend of Jesus to "help me make it through." Much like a friend that tells you "I'll pray for you."

Not that you can't pray on your own--we are reminded to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thes 5:17). But did you ever feel that there are special people out there that you think you can count on again and again for help--well, Catholic saints are like that. James 5:16 states that "the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."

St. Jude, pray for us!
(Feast Day: October 28)
Inside "All Generations"
The image you see in the background is of the Mother of Perpetual Help. As a young boy, I remember praying the devotion once a week with my family. Time and time again, I have had recourse to the Blessed Mother. As Catholics, we have reverence for the Mother of Our Lord. I recommend attempting to pray the Rosary as often as you can, perhaps in the morning before the day is in full motion.

The song "All Generations" is a prayer for leading everyone to Christ, the singular objective of the Blessed Mother. The title comes from Luke 1:48:

For he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

May the Blessed Mother lead you to Christ!
Yasu'ah and the Oud
That's my dad you see in the photo above, Ignatius Loyola Shaheen. My dad, who passed away in 2002, played the “oud” (a lute-like instrument, popular in the Middle East) expertly and I would have loved to have had him play on the English-Arabic track Yasu’ah on my CD.

The good news is that there is still a tie-in to the oud-playing of my dad—it turns out that the musician you will hear playing the oud on Yasu’ah, Gary Abud, was taught by the same oud master that taught my dad. I did not know this fact when I first approached Gary!

Yasu’ah is the transliterated Arabic name of Jesus. There is another line from the song that you will hear in Arabic: “Aminth b’ismuck Ya Rubbi”—the transliterated Arabic phrase that essentially means “I believe in Your Name, O Lord”.