Book Review: Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J. T. Stepanek and HeartSongs

Reviewed by Jim Logue, Jr.

MattieOnline.com.

"Remember to play after every storm. Storms aren't necessarily clouds with rain. They're things that darken your day."

This was the philosophy of life for Mattie Stepanek. From an early age, Mattie knew that his time on earth was going to be limited, but he was not one for self-pity or giving up. For him, life was not just for existing, it was to be lived as much as possible.

Mattie Stepanek was a young man who suffered from a form of muscular dystrophy called "dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy". His two older brothers, Jamie and Stevie, and his sister Katie all died very young from the same disease, and his mom, Jeni, suffered from an adult version. Because of this illness, Mattie spent much of his fourteen years on earth in a wheelchair and was in and out of hospitals. Yet, with all this going on, he still took the time to reflect on how important God is and how God called him to be a messenger of hope and peace. He took that vocation very seriously.

Early on, Mattie became interested in poetry and learned to express himself in verse. As one person writes a journal of their life, as a musician composes music on where they are in life, Mattie composed poems and shared them with people:

See now; and listen to me...
God speaks into my heart,
Then I choose the words
To shape the message, so you
May understand and know
What God wants us
To understand and know.
See now, and listen to me...
Do you hear my voice
Shaping with words
What the Voice in Heaven
Puts into my heart?
You will hear it now and
You will hear it again
When you come into Heaven.
See now, and listen to me...
I say to you,
Follow your heart.
This is what
My voice, and
The voices of Heaven
Now say to you...
See now, and listen...
These are the words I choose
To shape the message from God.
Follow your heart...
Please,
Just follow your heart...

(from "The Church Ride" in Reflections of a Peacemaker: A Portrait Through Heartsongs, pg 152.)

Mattie had six books of his poems published, and his mission for peace led him to co-write a book with former President Jimmy Carter entitled "Just Peace". And country singer Billy Gilman recorded a CD of Mattie's poems set to music.

Mattie believed in peace and in people's ability to work for peace. One example of this was on September 11th, 2001, during the aftermath of the terror attacks in New York and Washington. Mattie and his Mom, Jeni, would pray each night about various things. But that night, Jeni confided in Mattie that she was at a loss as to what to pray for. "How can we pick up the pieces?" she asked. "I don't even know where to start."

Mattie responded, "We need to see all the pieces, every fleck of ash, as a gift in the mosaic of life. Rather than seek revenge, we have to begin to rebuild the mosaic. If we keep seeking to retaliate, it's never going to end. Why can't people see that? Fear begets fear. Revenge begets more revenge. We need to stop. Just stop."

Mattie's Mom, Jeni Stepanek, set out to write this book so people could understand who Mattie was. He was not just the celebrity that many of us saw on Oprah or Larry King Live or as ambassador for the Muscular Distrophy Association. He was a boy who suffered much, but loved even more. He taught us that it's okay to be different, that we can being about world peace of we just give it a try in our own corner of the world.

From my own perspective, this book taught me to look at people differently. Even at Mass, when I sometimes get distracted by crying children and find it annoying, after reading this book, I found myself not worrying about that. Peace does not begin in another state or another country. It's not something we read about in the news. Peace needs to begin with us, with me.

Mattie's message of peace brings to mind a friend who is a Catholic singer, who recently performed at a church near his hometown. A few days later, he received a letter from one of the people who had heard his concert. While he liked the music, he advised my friend that he should give up being Catholic, that the Catholic Church was bad, and took the opportunity to insult the Church. There were several ways to respond to such a letter. My friend responded this way:

"I appreciate your concern for me and thank you for the time it took to write the letter and find such interesting materials. I did find them interesting, but not new to me as I have read many of these in the past - especially since I began sharing Christ in my music ministry. I hope that if you have been at my concerts that you can see and hear Christ crucified and proclaimed directly and indirectly in music and word, and most especially in the life that He has blessed us with.

I am very blessed to have such a close relationship with my Lord and Savior, one that I pray gets closer and closer with each breath I take so that someday when it is time, He will come back for me and take me to the place He has prepared for me to be with Him forever.

I hope that as you continue your walk with the Lord, that you will ever seek the truth and look into His eyes to see the beauty of this life He has given to us. Perhaps you will be able to get out to some concerts to enjoy our music and ministry as it is, the ministry, stories and music God has given to me to use and share.

I appreciate your prayers. Know that you and your family will be in ours."

The man wrote back, "Wow, usually Catholics are exteremely defensive when I witness 2 them but your response showed the love of Christ. I am honored to have u as a brother in Christ."

Mattie's messge of peace lives on.

The book is called "Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J. T. Stepanek and HeartSongs", written by his mother, Jeni Stepanek, wiht Larry Lindner. Poet Maya Angelou wrote the forward for this book. It will be released November 3rd by Dutton, part of the Penguin Group of publishers. Visit MattieOnline.com to learn more about Mattie Stepanek and his books and his life.

CD Review - Sarah Hart - SaintSong

Reviewed by Fr. Kent O'Connor

Excellent production value, great songwriting, and lyrics based on spiritualities that are uniquely appreciated by Catholics, Sarah Hart's new CD, SaintSong from the spiritandsong.com label, is contemporary Catholic music at some of its best. SaintSong, is what it says it is; the words of the saints put into song. Even though these songs are best appreciated by those who have a devotion to the saints, I think that this CD would also have a much broader appeal. As most of the songs are based on prayers of the saints, the lyrics (especially the choruses) don't fall too far outside the "praise and worship" category. It could be a wonderful opportunity for Christians everywhere to discover the beauty of the saints.

The music of Sarah Hart is generally classified as folk/rock or folk/pop. I would simply call it delightful. The slick Nashville production, which I find sometimes drains the heart right out of a project, serves the album well. The instrumentations are rich and authentic.
I also personally love it when a CD has a concept and it is carried through the entire album, and SaintSong, for the most part, does just that. In the age when more and more music is purchased digitally one track at a time, it is nice to hear a CD that is really best heard in its entirely. With the enhanced CD including printable devotions to complement the songs, there is all the more reason to own a physical copy. The only misfire of this great concept is the inclusion of "Our Blessing Cup (Psalm 116)". Although King David's words might be well considered as words of a saint, this well-known "Mass psalm" seems out of place on this album.
SaintSong by Sarah Hart is available from www.spiritandsong.com as well as iTunes.

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Review by Rob Ayoub

Spirit and Song artist Sarah Hart’s new album SaintSong is a contemporary montage of ancient prayer texts set to music. Her website tells the history this way:

“Six Years ago, Sarah stumbled across the Anima Christi in an old prayer book her mother used as a child. Awed by the beauty of this ancient prayer, she set it to music; then began searching for more.”

Sarah’s plays a folk-pop style that is unique amongst Catholic artists and its one that speaks to and can appeal a wide number of listeners. This is perfectly illustrated by the first song on the CD “On the Way”.

The collection presents 11 brand new compositions in Sarah’s folk-pop style. Texts include poems, prayers and other writings by some of the Church’s most revered doctors and theologians including St. Augustine, Catherine of Siena, Hildegard of Bingen and Mechthild of Magdeburg. The track Restless, for example, has that famous line by St Augustine – “We are restless till we rest in you “

This CD includes a devotional book. Combine the devotional book with Sarah’s heartfelt performance of these songs and you get a powerful resource for personal prayer. I’ll admit that I like the modern flavor to these ancient prayers. I’ve written a few psalms as a music minister and its very challenging to match modern music with the sometimes-complex prayers and language that come out of the early saints and writers. Sarah Hart’s key strength is the ability to bring these old texts to a new audience.

I like the instrumentation of this album. As I’ve already said I really appreciate what a momentous task it is to bring ancient prayer into a modern setting. If you like prayers of the saints or are parents looking to introduce your child to these prayers through a modern vehicle, pick up a copy of Sarah Hart’s SaintSong at
SpiritAndSong.com.

CD Review - Russ Renter - On the Way to Emmaus

Reviewed by Rob Ayoub

Russ Rentler is a multi-talented musician, physician, and luthier - playing inspired pieces in a Celtic-folk style. Russ is passionate about acoustic music and plays a variety of instruments including: hammer and mountain dulcimer, fiddle, dobro, autoharp and bouzouki. He also started building his own hammer dulcimers and uses his own instruments on stage. Russ’s latest CD is entitled Way to Emmaus and the title track is a beautiful retelling of what that meeting with Jesus must have been like.

The instrumentation is very rich on this CD. Being such a talented acoustic performer, the wide variety of instruments shines through on all the tracks. The title track shows some of Russ’s tremendous arranging skills, but I think it’s especially obvious on the track “Sing of Mary”.

Russ’s music is phenomenally peaceful – but the depth of his lyrics is not to be overlooked either. Russ is a true storyteller through his music – he cites artists such as Bob Dylan, John McCutcheon and Walt Michaels as major influences in his style. I think his storytelling ability is highlighted in the song Jewel of the Caribbean telling of the hopelessness and faith that wells up in a man during a missionary trip to the Caribbean.

Russ is such a tremendously talented person and humble as well. If you like folk or Celtic inspired music, if you like lots of acoustic music and if you like music that weaves a tale – you will like Russ Rentler. Check him out at RussRentler.com.

CD Review: Anuna - Sanctus

Reviewed by Jim Logue, Jr.

World-renowned Irish choral group Anuna is back with their new CD project, "Sanctus". Four of the songs are composed by Michael McGlynn, founder of Anuna. Some tracks were previously released, but the newer recordings were done at St. Peter's Church in Drogheda and features Anuna's exquisite performances.

Anuna had a brief bit of fame providing choir work for the original Riverdance video. They have since returned to their unique style of music, performing many early works; not just from the Church, but secular songs as well. This CD, however, showcases some of their best spiritual works.

Tracks:

"Crucifixus" - composed by Antonio Lotti. From the Nicene Creed, in Latin "Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato: passus et sepultus est." Translated, "(He was) crucified even for us, under Pontius Pilate:
(he) suffered and was buried."

"Nobilis Humilis" - composed by Michael McGlynn.

"Agnus Dei" - [From "...and on Earth, Peace - a Chanticleer Mass"] - composed by Michael McGlynn.

"Mariam Matrem Virginem" - Translation, "Praise Mary, the Virgin Mother" from the "Llibre Vermell de Montserrat", the "Red Book of Montserrat", a manuscript collection of late medieval songs from the 14th century. No composer is identified for this and the other songs from that manuscript.

"Victimae" - composed by Michael McGlynn.

"Miserere Mei Deus" by Gregorio Allegri. Miserere, also called "Miserere mei, Deus" (Latin: "Have mercy on me, O God") by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri, is a setting of Psalm 51 (50) composed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, probably during the 1630s, for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins, as part of the exclusive Tenebrae service on Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week. It was the last of twelve falsobordone Miserere settings composed and chanted at the service since 1514 and the most popular: at some point, it became forbidden to transcribe the music and it was only allowed to be performed at those particular services, adding to the mystery surrounding it. Writing it down or performing it elsewhere was punishable by excommunication. The setting that escaped from the Vatican is actually a conflation of verses set by Gregorio Allegri around 1638 and Tommaso Bai in 1714.

"O Maria" - composed by Michael McGlynn.

Anuna's website is at Anuna.ie. CD's can be purchased from their website or at Amazon.com.

CD Review: Phil and Sue Fortin - From The Heart

Reviewed by Jim Logue, Jr.

This is the sophomore release from the husband and wife team from Masachusettes. This album is focused a lot on the Liturgy, with many of the songs being new arrangements of the Psalms. Also covers some popular songs of the Church. The instrumentation on this CD is very well done, a very professional job.

Songs include:

"Open My Eyes Lord" - We are often blind to God coming into our lives. We need God to open our eyes, that we can see Him in our every lives.

"I Turn To You (Psalm 32)" - a nice version of this psalm of prayer.

"Only This I Want" - composed by Daniel Schutte, focusing our eyes on God and God alone.

"Refiner's Fire" - as a refiner burns away the dross to find the precious gold within, God burns away the sin to cleanse our hearts for Him.

"The Lord Is My Shepherd" which has a beautiful cello intro.

"Prayer of St. Francis" - An instrumental version of the Sebastian Temple classic. Piano and guitar take turns as the solo instruments.

John Michael Talbot's "Only in God (Psalm 62)", beautiful meditative song.

"The Lord Is My Light (Psalm 27)"

"Be Thou My Vision" - Starts out with a haunting acappella 1st verse - goes into instrumental from there. Song got its start in 433 AD Ireland, when St. Patrick defied the king's order and lit a fire on the night before Easter. The song was later turned from a folk song into the hymn we know now.

"Eye of the Storm" - contemporary song, trusting in God during difficult times.

"Taste and See (Psalm 34)" - Given a choir treatment.

"Hail Mary: Gentle Woman" - We hear many of the titles of our Blessed Mother, Mary, with the Carey Landry classic.

"How Can I Keep from Singing"

"The Path of Life (Psalm 16)"

Available on CDBaby.com.

CD Review: Danielle Rose - Pursue Me

Reviewed by Jim Logue, Jr.

This is Danielle Rose's last album, which she recorded prior to her entering religious life at a convent. Danielle has an Allison Krause-like quality to her voice, which is particularly evident in one or two of the songs that have a bluegrass sound. The songs on this project show the depth of Danielle's love for God, which shines through, giving the album a warmth and a deep sense of faith in God.

"In the Silence of the Heart" - guitar, violin, finding God in the silence, in the desert. Reflects Danielle's pursuit of God in her own heart.

"Pursue Me" - guitar, light percussion. A song asking God to "pursue me", to come into my life. "You stretched Your loving arms across the world into my heart." Sometimes we keep running away from God, trying to go after our own selfish prizes. God comes to pursue us, to bring us back to Himself.

"Nothing Compares to You" - light waltz. Unlike other songs with a similar name, this one is not about "you" going away and me being sad. Nothing in this world can separate us from the Love of God, as in the passage from Romans.

"Hail, Mary" - In honor of our Blessed Mother. The beautiful prayer to Mary expanded, a devotion to the Mother of God, mixed with the Doxology.

"Abraham's Offering" - a song written about the story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. A song about true faith, obedience, and trust in God.

"Anointing at Bethany" - midtempo 6/8 song about Jesus' annointing with the expensive oil by the woman, as told from the perspective of the woman.

"Follow Me" - "If you lose your life for the sake of my name...", this is a song about God calling us to follow Him. "I call you by name, I call you my friend. From now on I call you a fisher of men." Beautiful choir arrangment on this one.

"Walk on Water" - song about Jesus' walking on water, the apostles' fear when they saw him, "Come to me and walk up on the water; Come in faith my grace will be enough. If you believe you come to know love's power, come to me and I will hold you up." The harmonies give the right touch.

"Psalm 139 (Wonderfully Made)" - "Lord, You search me and you know me." A beautiful setting of the psalm. A haunting piano accompaniment accentuates this song.

"Sing a New Song" - A definite Bluegrass tempo, "I will sing a new song, to a new song. I will sing a new song to the Lord. He has turned my mourning, turned it into dancing, silence ends in melody." Turning everything over to Jesus. This is the song that gives her that Alison-Krause-like quality.

"See You In the Eucharist" - a light ballad, a song about Jesus' True Presence in the Eucharist. Something that even Catholics need to be reminded about, that the Eucharist is not just a symbol of Jesus, it IS Jesus!

"Gates of Heaven" - A light bluegrass/folk song, duet with her father, Dr. Daniel Skorich. "...and if I never see you face again, we will meet at the gates of Heaven." Reminds me a little of some of the Irish ballads I've heard. Danielle said she cried for two hours after first hearing this song.

While we will definitely miss Danielle's music, she is being called to a different life. We offer our prayers for Danielle in her vocation in the convent. 100% of the royalties of this project will go towards vocations.

The CD can be purchased at the WLP Website: WLP.JSPaluch.com.

CD Review: Alicia Hernon - Beloved

Reviewed by Jim Logue, Jr.

Alicia Hernon comes from a very musical family. Her father led music at her home parish, her brother is Catholic artist Martin Doman. Alicia began singing at Mass, and later, at Franciscan University, she had the opportunity to develop her musical gifts, and began a career of teaching music at schools and in private lessons. Over the years, people asked her if she would ever record a CD. She finally decided that now is the time. The result: "Beloved", a collection of ten inspirational songs done with acoustic instruments like guitar, violin, piano, and flute.

"Cry of the Beloved" - An uptempo song based on the Song of Solomon, describing God as the King as we, His people, the beloved.

"Conquer Me" - a song praying for God to conquer us with His love, His mercy, His truth. Turning ourselves over to God completely.

"The Ring" - a beautiful song for weddings, this is a beautiful duet between Alicia and Martin Doman. Talks of the lifelong committment of love that marriage is. "The ring is the symbol of my love for you."

"You're the One" - this song is of a woman singing of the love she has for her husband. "You're the one for me".

"Talitha Cumi" - song of a mother, whose child has died. "Little girl, arise", what Jesus said to the little girl who died. Another verse is from the perspective of the child, who recognizes Jesus as the one who calls to her, "Talitha cumi".

"Up to the Moon" - I love you up to the moon, as big as the sky. The song is a mother singing of her love for a child, watching a child grow "like a beautiful tree"..."You'll always be my little child".

"As I Kneel" - A song for Mary, with a little girl singing on this with Alicia. This song appears in the "Canticle" hymnal at Franciscan University.

"Give Thanks to the Lord" - more uptempo, with choir, "Give Thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever". Great contemporary arrangment of the psalm.

"Maria" - I first heard of this song in the Canticle hymnal (used by Franciscan University). Alison wrote the songs several years ago during a visit to the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. On her blog, she writes: "I remember perfectly the moment that the idea for this song came to me. I was at the annual March for Life in January of 1992 with other students from Franciscan University and we were visiting the National Shrine in Washington DC. I was walking around the catherdal praying and looking at all the beutiful architecture that drew one's mind to spiritual realities. I noticed around the top of one of the arches there were written the titles of Mary. "Star of the Sea", "Tower of Ivory", "Vessel of Divinity".... and I just started thinking and singing to myself right there in the church."

"Scripture Medley" - Alison gets the kids involved in this one, with a song to help kids in learning Scriptures. A great way to help the young ones to learn about the Word of God.

A very well-produced project, the musical background is very professional, a great debut CD!

The CD is available from her website at AliciaHernon.com.