Church Steeple
   365.43

There’s a peace I’ve come to know,
Though my heart and flesh may fail,
There’s an anchor for my soul,
I can say, “It is well.” 

My first year in Chicago involved an exhaustive, yearlong 50+ church search before finding my parish home. I was a member at Ascension in Oak Park for three years, where I joined as a cantor to make beautiful music with talented musicians, many of whom were connected to two local Catholic music publishers. I climbed a staircase to the pulpit to lead the psalms in a century-old church. I learned how to sing Gelineau, Taizé and other songs with rich tradition. And while that music is moving, it’s not always the music that moves me.

Last August, I was elated to return to Holy Name’s LifeTeen band I left in 2005 when I moved, and as luck would have it, they needed a piano player. From keys to drums, electric guitar & bass, and four vocals, my friends and I sing contemporary Catholic and Christian music. We groove with tight harmonies and glow with energy that gives me goosebumps and connects with the congregation in sung prayer. And the homilies are both meaningful and memorable.

And I hear the voice of many angels sing, 
“Worthy is the Lamb.” 
And I hear the cry of every longing heart, 
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

There’s an anchor for my soul,
I can say, “It is well.”

Because I am home.