Funky Friars Make the Scene in Sydney

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
15 Jul 2009

With their bushy beards, shaved heads and simple grey robes they are unlikely rock stars. But that is exactly what Fr Christopher, Fr Anthony and Br Louis of New York's Franciscan Friars of the Renewal have become.

Now the three American Friars are heading Down Under to take part in SCENE – the Sydney Congress Embracing the New Evangelisation - which begins on July 19 and runs until July 26.

For Fr Christopher and his fellow musicians, it's an opportunity to return to the city they fell in love with last year when they brought their brand of Rock, Rap and Reggae to Australia as part of World Youth Day's 2008 celebrations.

"We're really keen to come back to Sydney for SCENE and find it very exciting that the momentum and excitement of World Youth Day has been maintained and carried on long after the event itself," Fr Christopher says. "It is very impressive and proves World Youth Day is not just a one-off but 12 months on continues to influence and inspire people."

Speaking from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal's New Jersey headquarters by telephone, Fr Christopher says he and his fellow musicians, Br Louis and Fr Anthony, along with the Order's rapper, Fr Steve Fortuno, have performed at World Youth Days in Germany, Canada and Australia.

World Youth Day Not Just a One Off

"After each one, we have been invited back a year or two later and seen the excitement continue," he says.

Fr Christopher believes that one of the great values of Catholic World Youth Days is the chance for young people to discover they are not alone in their faith. "They discover through these events that there is a whole community out there who share their beliefs and their love for Jesus," he says. "Often by the very nature of our secular culture, people think they are the only one who believes what they believe. But World Youth Day and events like SCENE show them that they are part of something far larger."

With Fr Christopher on vocals and guitar, Fr Anthony on vocals, keyboards and electric guitar and Br Louis on saxophone, the trio will bring their own brand of evangelisation to Sydney.

"We want people to get pumped about their faith," says Fr Christopher.

The band take part in SCENE's workshops and street evangelisation events, but what makes the trio's visit doubly exciting is the fact that the band will introduce Sydney to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal's ground-breaking Catholic Underground Apostolate.

Founded in 2006 by the Order in a basement of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Yonkers, a poor neighbourhood in upper New York, the Catholic Underground has become one of the fastest growing religious movements and there are now Catholic Undergrounds across the US as well as in Germany, France and Britain.

The Catholic Underground Sweeps the World.

The Friars idea of the Catholic Underground evolved in response to urging from Pope John Paul II, and later Pope Benedict XVI, that the Gospel must be in conversation with culture. The result was a contemporary marriage between prayer, performance and technology, where young people could glorify and praise God, as well as be entertained by a showcase of Catholic artists, performers, actors, poets and musicians, together with visual entertainments in the form of film and multimedia presentations.

"I think when the Gospel is in union with the culture it bears fruit and that's what we are striving for," says Fr Christopher and describes a typical Catholic Underground evening.

 "The first half is devoted to prayer and Eucharistic Adoration and begins with Vespers and ends with solemn Benediction. Then for the second half of the night, we move out of the church and into the basement where artists perform music, drama or poetry and show visual art, dance and film."

Rock, rap, hip hop and reggae is provided by Fr Christopher, Br Louis, Fr Anthony as well as a host of other Catholic bands in New York such as punk rockers, Last Day; rapper, Mars ILL; hip hopper, Flip Caderao and R & B maestro, Sammy Blaze.

In Sydney, the Catholic Underground will follow the same pattern, beginning with the Eucharistic Adoration at St Mary's Cathedral at 7.30 pm. An hour later, prayers over, everyone will move next door to St Mary's Cathedral School where the party will begin, and with lights spinning, the dance floor crowded and refreshments on tap, Fr Christopher, Fr Anthony and Br Louis will take to the stage and set the whole place rocking.

The Perfect Marriage of Prayer and Performance

"It wouldn't work without the Eucharistic adoration at the beginning," insists New York student and Catholic Underground regular, 20-year-old, Michelle Chandy. "We pray first and that gives us the energy to go downstairs later and dance, go crazy and burn it all off."

Since the Order's founding in 1987, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, have gained an international following for their simple style of evangelising and for their outreach programs in New York, Honduras and London where they operate soup kitchens, homeless shelters, free health clinics and of course, the Catholic Underground.

On the first Saturday of each month, Fr Christopher and his fellow Friars continue to sponsor the Catholic Underground Apostolate at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. "The Church is right off Central Park and a lot of people in the neighbourhood put their heads in to see what's going on, and stay because they enjoy the peace of the Adoration upstairs and love the excitement and fun of downstairs. They tell us it wasn't at all what they expected and from that standpoint it's always a beautiful encounter."

From just 60-80 regulars in its first year of operation, the church that started it all now attracts more than 700 young people each month.

"We see it as part of our Order's bid to reclaim Catholics who have strayed from their faith and to help others find it or reaffirm it," says Fr Christopher who believes young people are searching for something authentic and discovering this authenticity in the combination of prayer and contemporary rap, reggae and pop.

Accomplished musicians before taking Holy Orders, Fr Christopher and Fr Anthony played guitar and sang in bands while growing up. Br Louis went even further and after playing in the band Midnight Thunder in the late 1980s, was so successful he was able to give up a career in finance. A full-time saxophonist before giving his life to God, he played at clubs across New York, and jammed with The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.

Br Louis Jammed with Bruce Springsteen

"When I used to play sax in bands and jammed with Bruce Springsteen, it was all about me," Br Louis says. "But now it's all about worshipping God. Every time I play, I imagine I am blowing a solo for Him."

Although evangelical churches have long used rock music along with the Internet as a way of reaching young people, the Catholic Church has been slower to embrace multimedia or contemporary music to evangelise and spread the Word. But in the past few years this has changed. Pope Benedict XVI now has his own site on YouTube and evangelisation now takes place on the web, on social networking sites and via emails and texting.

Fr Christopher believes the rapid uptake of the Catholic Underground by parishes worldwide is due in part to video streams and podcasts on YouTube, My Space and its own website, www.catholicunderground.net. Modern technology is reaching young people but it is the music itself that appeals to them, and the chance to be able to pray and then glorify Jesus through music.

"I think in the beginning all Christian music was struggling for its own identity and a decade or so back it was mostly a matter of putting Christian words to secular music. But this generation has come a long way and found its own musical identity and an authentic culture has been born out of creative inspiration."

The Catholic Underground has been able to break down many of people's preconceived ideas about the Catholic Church, opening their hearts to receive Christ, he adds.

For more about Scene and your chance to join in the Catholic Underground or see and speak with Fr Christopher and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, log on to www.scene.org.au