Cathal BarryScottish singing sensation Susan Boyle has spoken of how her Catholic faith gave her the confidence to pursue her dream career as a singer.
Boyle shot to fame in April 2009 when her audition for Britain’s Got Talent aired on television and exploded onto the Internet.
The youngest of nine children raised in a strongly Catholic home, Boyle said she never lost hope that she would be able to realise her dream of a singing career. “I felt that one day, it was going to happen for me,” she said.
St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, is her patroness, though she also has a great fondness for St Andrew, the patron of Scotland, and Mary.
No stranger to Ireland, Boyle regularly accompanied her mother on pilgrimages to Our Lady of Knock shrine, Co Mayo, and turned to Mary when her mother died.
“At times of great stress, I turn to Mary for support,” said Boyle, whose middle name is Magdalane. “I do have a special relationship with Mary, Mother of God, ”
To this day, Boyle continues to dream of a long career doing what she loves, and inspiring other people to persist in pursuing their dreams. “If I can do it, so can they do it,” she said. “Without God, you can do nothing. The kind of gift he’s given me, I have to use for the benefit of others.”
