My Own Catholic Music

For a couple of decades, I have, on occasion, written a few pieces of music. This started when I was on the Confirmation Retreat team in my parish, and I would write one for the kids for each retreat.

As years passed, I started writing them just because somebody asked me to, or because I was inspired by someone’s personal situation/struggle/victory or because something hit me that I thought might be fun to put together.

I have since lost most of the original files in a fire, but the music is still around because I 1) put it on CD’s and 2) uploaded them to my other blog site.

Most of these are 10 – 25 years old, but a couple are more recent.You can tell the earliest ones by the the sound quality, I think.

None of these songs are professionally recorded, so the quality may not be great. OK – I’ll rephrase that – the sound quality is, in most cases, not great. OK – I’ll rephrase that – the sound quality is not sterling and my vocals are not terrific. But they were fun to do, and my heart was in each of them when I did it.

A couple of years ago, I was blessed to connect with Lori Rae Martin at AudioGirl Productions. We corresponded back and forth about how I might be able to get some of my songs professionally produced using the original files (the ones that didn’t exist any longer :-)) and I told her they had gone up in smoke along with the rest of my house. I think she must have felt sorry for me because she surprised me with this banner (See the top of this page)! (Hahaha)

Lori’s kindness has always meant a lot to me, and I have been a fan of AudioGirl ever since.

Anyway, I thought I would put some of them up here for anyone who would like to listen…

Hear My Prayer

Loving Mother, Faithful Wife

(My wife and I were out to dinner one evening a couple of decades ago and she said to me, “You should write a song for the Blessed Mother.” I scribbled a big part of it down right there on a napkin. I don’t know where it came from – it just came out. Maybe I DO know where it came from… Koni Ritch also singing with me, here.)

What Are You Going To Do?

(Koni Ritch on this one, too. This was another one for the youth group.)

God Is One Of Us

I got a new guitar. I was inspired to do something with it to try it out. This is the result.)

Whisper In The Wind

(The first one I did. Around 1995. For the Confirmation retreat. My friend and music partner, Koni Ritch, asked me to write it. She’s also on the recording – vocals and flute.)

Whisper In The Wind, Reprise

(For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to ‘rock it up a bit’. My son, Steve, is the ‘rocker’ on here.)

Creed

(Another early one. Koni Ritch and my daughter, Jennifer, also helping out on the recording.)

We Are The Church

Lead Me Home

I wrote and recorded this in 2005. I was inspired by two friends of mine. One had lived on the streets for years. The other was in the rock music world. Both of them hit bottom and cried out to God. God heard and answered their cries. Both of them became close friends of mine…One is now a priest – Just about my favorite priest in the world – he was the pastor of my parish at the time. The other had become our Music Director in the parish. He has since gone home. To where God led him… God rest your soul, Mark… No matter what you have done… No matter how far you have strayed… No matter how dark your soul is… You can always come home…

Anthem For Life

(An organization within our parish – Rosaries For Life – asked that I write a pro-life song for them. I did. Not sure they were crazy about the style, Though. 🙂

Prodigal Son

Christmas Halleluja

Always liked Leonard Cohen’s song “Halleluja” and thought it would be nice to put some Christmas words to it. So, December 23, 2015, I picked up my 12 string, sat down at the computer and did it. Not a great recording or vocals, but my heart was in it. Sang it at Christmas Mass the next night with my friend Midge. It was better then.