'Let God play you'

By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic

FORT LAUDERDALE | Singing and playing instruments in church isn’t enough � you have to be an instrument of God yourself, young Catholics heard at a music retreat for them.

"A guitar's beauty is shown through the way a musician plays it," speaker Kathleen Peek told nearly three dozen young Catholics at the Instruments of Peace formation retreat, held at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. "Each of us is an instrument.

"Let God play you," continued Peek, one of nearly a dozen speakers and leaders at the retreat. "The Church needs you, and the world needs you."

The second annual retreat, organized by Katherine Lantigua of St. Mark Church in Southwest Ranches, drew 31 youths from 10 to 18 years old from six parishes.

The unusual program went beyond hymns, processionals and basics of the Mass. It also offered insights into arranging music, adding alternative chords and playing percussion.

An interchurch praise and worship band led the students in spirited, hand-clapping songs. So did Catholic rapper Alvaro Vega, who performed along with two of his hip-hop videos.

The eight-hour retreat featured a Lectio Divina session, in which the students heard and meditated on an excerpt from the Gospel according to John. The students also worked an exercise on choosing the best places in the Mass for popular contemporary Christian songs. Nor was worship omitted: The attendees took part in Mass and Adoration.

Ten of them came from Sacred Heart parish in Homestead, nearly 60 miles away. And they came for social reasons as well as spiritual ones.

"Just to do something together in the band helps us lead in worship," said Daniella Reyes.

Elizabeth Kuehne agreed. "We lead retreats � this time, we get to go on one."

But they were generous in sharing their talents as well � especially the half-dozen or so who brought ukuleles. "I got to learn ukulele from some of the kids," said Jeovanni Diaz of St. Mark.

 

'Point to Jesus'

Even some of the retreat leaders came to gain knowledge, like Alicia Leal, a youth leader at St. Clement Church in Wilton Manors.

"I'm here as a leader, but also to learn," said Leal, who sang during the day's Mass. "When you're Catholic, God always wants you to receive the message, too."

Peek, a missionary at the UM chapter of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, told the students that the retreat theme was drawn from a prayer by St. Francis that begins, "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace." She ticked off traits of the revered medieval monk � generosity, simplicity, boldness, love of beauty � and said they can also be applied to church music.

She urged the students to place their talents in service to God. "You can reveal a new piece of God and show how talented he is," she said. "Point to Jesus. He gave us the gifts, and we use them to point back to him."

Her talk and others impressed Jeovanni Diaz. "I'm not in a church chorus � I'm a drummer � but it taught me a lot. How music brings us closer to God, and takes other people closer to God, too."

Vega, the rapper, did his YouTube numbers "I Believe" and "Smile," with the videos on a large screen looking oddly like they were lip-synching with him. He followed his performances with a short lesson on Jesus' parable of the talents.

"Your talents were given by God to praise Jesus," said Vega, a member of St. Bonaventure Church in Davie. "And we will be held responsible for how we used them."

He briefly told his own story, on how he deserted his career in secular rap to follow Jesus. He spent nearly six years in the seminary, then left for a period of discernment on whether to join the Franciscan order.

"As beautiful a gift as music is, I believe there is something bigger that God has for me," Vega said.

David Rojas of the retreat band started his talk on the Mass with a brisk praise and worship number � then surprised everyone by announcing that it was an updated version of the fourth century hymn "Te Deum."

"The Church has a rich history of music," said Rojas, from St. Andrew Church in Coral Springs. "And it doesn't have to be old and stuffy."

Katherine Lantigua, the retreat organizer, is a graduate teaching assistant in the music therapy department at the University of Miami. She originally planned a similar music retreat last year for her parish, St. Mark.

"I learned about music and spiritual formation," she said. "You can have all the notes right, but if you're not praying, it won't sound right."

But as she collected info and contacts for the retreat, she decided to broaden the reach to the whole archdiocese. "I knew it was going to be really neat, and it would be selfish to keep it for myself."

Attendees ended the April 29 retreat with Adoration, which included Bible reading and praise and worship music. Also featured was a simple ritual of commitment: Each attendee was given a paper flower and told to write on it the talents that they have but don’t yet use. They then dropped the flowers into a basin of water in front of the altar � and saw the flowers open.

Reyes, from Sacred Heart, said she wrote on the flower about her latent singing talent. "I've been singing more since then, at the church meeting Wednesday night."

Finally, each of the youths received a memento of the day: a silver-colored coin with the face of St. Francis. On the back of the coin was written "Make me an instrument of your peace," the theme of the retreat.

"I loved it � so cool," said Jocelyn Diaz, 10, Jeovanni's younger sister. "I enjoyed it a lot."

Their mother, Liliam, said she could tell Jocelyn enjoyed the day. "As soon as she got in the car, she started telling me about it.

"It was a great opportunity for her, to be around other kids and teenagers. To see them praying and enjoying being in the Mass. They know that other people their age are doing the same thing."

Chris Roberge of St. Mark, one of the small group leaders, voiced hope and admiration for the youths. He said they bring a sincerity to the Mass, unlike their elders, who often follow the liturgy by rote.

"Kids aren’t pretentious; they're more genuine," said Roberge, who led a session on advanced guitar. "But churches have to be receptive. Give the kids a chance."

• See related story: When playing music for Mass, make sure it's Catholic