John Angotti Christmas Concert Tour

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John Angotti Christmas Concert Tours 2011 - Click Here to Book Angotti for 2012 Tour

John Angotti - WYD Madrid 2011

I’ve waited almost a month for this final blog for multiple reasons. One of which is because I was so busy as soon as I got back. The other reason became clear as I delayed the blog. I wanted to see the effects of WYD on me and remember. All to often we go to church and by Sunday afternoon it’s all forgotten. What the homily was; what songs were played; and what about God? Has God been forgotten too? It’s easy to fall back into an unconscious state of the transcendent reality that is immanent or present always.

The question for me becomes, is what is immanent reflect the transcendent? Does all of life reflect God somehow? If it doesn’t then I need to see through the eyes of God.

As I close this blog for WYD I must say that even through the logistical craziness we experienced, the heat, the thousands of people blocked from entering the main park, the protestors, and the language barrier, God was revealed. It didn’t matter what human obstacles we came across, God was revealed through word and deed. I may not have agreed with all that was said, but God was revealed. It didn’t matter that the equipment wasn’t right, God was revealed. It didn’t matter Saturday night thousands were kept from the main park and sleep on the street, God was revealed. The many thousands of protesters were met with compassion and non-violence of the Catholic Christians, God was revealed. In all of the mess, God is revealed.

Revealed in a way that is beyond my comprehension and bias opinion.

At one of the locations in Madrid, I asked if there was another microphone. I never thought that people worship a different way outside of the US and that there must be another way to fix the problem. He looked at me and said, “no one sings in church, just the priest.” What we were bringing in terms of music in Worship was foreign to him. After the mass, he came to me and thanked me for the experience. As I reflect back, I needed to thank him for the experience. Because it enabled me to see that even though we would like to have more than one mic, and we want great sound equipment, we were there to reveal God to each other. I was blest to uncover the God of many sounds and cultures who continues to teach me to sing a new song.

The US Mass we played for had over 50 bishops, about 15,000 people and Arch Bishop Dolan preaching. Arch Bishop Dolan’s homily is still vivid in my mind and how he spoke about how Jesus turned Peter’s life upside down. He called for all of us to let Jesus turn our lives upside down. He reminded us that power comes in serving others not in money or material wealth. Jesus turned our world upside down in Madrid in a small way, but opened me up to how Jesus constantly shows us the path that turns our perspectives of what we think upside down. In turning our world upside down we see through the eyes of God. It is only our humanness that says we are turned upside down. I think in reality was God does is turn us upside right. For if our lives don’t reveal something beyond ourselves, what do they reveal? WYD was inspiring because we weren’t there to be rock stars, we were there to serve and as God was revealed through the many different languages and customs and music, the world was turned upside right.

I heard a priest the Friday before WYD in San Francisco Cathedral put it simply, we have a choice: we can be either bitter or better. May we all recognize that the worship of God must lead us to serve each other and that we become better in revealing God to a world who is in needs to see through the eyes of God.

BLOG POST #2

Greetings from Madrid.  It’s Friday here and what an awesome day!  I had the great honor to minister with Danielle Rose and Steve Angrisano at the Madrid Arena this morning.  Much walking and subways to get there, but we had the great Bishop from Alaska who was the presenter.  The place was filled with many nations who were “ON FIRE” for the Word.  The day started with shouts from different nations singing their anthems and ended together with everyone singing “I Send You Out, on a Mission of Love.”

It’s a great witness for all of us to recognize the common ground of Jesus Christ which binds us all together.  What an awesome witness to see 1.5 million youth excited about their faith and willing to do as Mary did and say YES to God without knowing the outcome.

“On faith we stand and know that we are made for justice.”

I wish the whole world could see that, even in Madrid where there are protestors against the Pope and us being here, our response is not violence but of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. It is this ingredient that is going to unite the world beyond our borders, to see that our only way to survival is by seeing that God is not distant but present in Word and Deed. I have been blessed, through all of the logistical craziness, to witness the hope that is present from this gathering.

I hope that all of you at home can empathize and see that it is our calling as well to resist violence and hatred, and recognize that God is bigger than our own conception.  We continue for one more day to help open the minds and hearts of the world to become One Communion of Love.  Tomorrow the US Mass and concert!!         -John

BLOG POST #1

Greetings from Madrid, Spain! The arrival into Spain, for World Youth Day 2011 , was difficult because of cancelled flights and all that craziness. A few of us made it there by Tuesday and the rest of the band made it by Wednesday after all of those delays! Our first day was filled with playing for Evening Prayer and Theology-on-Tap for folks from all over the world. Archbishop Sartain from Seattle led the discussion for Theology-On-Tap and evening prayer was lead by Cardinal O’Malley from Boston.

The thing about Spain is that it’s hot and there are no air conditioners in the churches!! There is also no sound equipment of any value in any of the church locations. No pianos or keyboards except in the main arena, which we get to play on Friday night and Saturday morning. So I’m using my guitar skills and JT & Grady have been doing more singing than playing.  It’s been different, and yet, the mission still gets completed.

No matter what, we are called to reveal the living God to the world…

I look at the Apostles and all of the difficulties they had in preaching the Gospel and then think that our difficulties are minimal.  When I was feeling low on Wednesday evening, after not having our equipment and dealing with all of the logistical confusion, I texted my wife Tracy, saying that “I was ready to come home”.  She texted me back and reminded me that it was God’s work.  In that moment, I was reminded that, no matter the difficulty, we are still called to reveal the living God to the world…no matter what!!  This gave me inspiration to write a new song which you will all hear soon.

If you are wondering what Dion has been doing…(since there are no drums!!)…well, we are sharing a cajon with our brothers and sisters from OCP and so he is keeping the beat and we are improvising all the way. Tomorrow we are at the Madrid Arena and then tomorrow night at Placio de los Portes Arena helping with the Lectio Devino prayer.  Pray for us as we journey through, in hopes to change the world.     -John

p.s.  We saw the Pope today!!   He sends his love.

p.s.s.  Check out the LIVEstream of events as they unfold: www.madrid11.com/en.

Jennifer Robers Foundation

Most of you know Jennifer or you knew of her tragic accident in 1988. As you are aware, Jennifer has been bound to a wheelchair since that day. HOWEVER…..God has a new plan for Jennifer!!! Long story short, Jennifer miraculously was referred to a specialist in Miami that thru a few sessions has helped Jennifer to move her legs again. She can now stand with a walker. [read more]

11/12/10 – Cordova, TN – Colonial Country Club

Come to this event and support  the Jennifer Roberts Foundation. There will be DANCING and a LIVE AUCTION. For more information and to purchase your tickets Click Here. If your looking for directions to the venue, Colonial Country Club, Click Here.
Jim O’Meara featured a song from Extraordinary Love on his Catholic Music Express podcast.  Podcast Page – 0fficial site

One of my most fascinating nights in Ireland was after the “Second Chance” mass at St Andrews-Westland Row in downtown Dublin. After Mass, we all gathered in Fr. Fintan’s apartment for a grand dinner prepared by the friends of Aine Carvill.  Aine was the coordinator of the Ireland tour and one of the members of the Second Chance Ministry.  (Second Chance was established to give those who have fallen away from the church an opportunity to give the Church a second chance by provided vibrant worship.)

Towards the end of the evening, Stevie, who is part of the Second Chance Ministry and the local DJ on one of Dublin’s top radio stations, took out his guitar.  What struck me was that when he or one of the others sang an old Irish folk song, everyone sang with such passion, like it was embedded into their being.  As an American, even though my parents are first generation Italians, I didn’t grow up with such history of the tradition.  While listening to my new friends sing, I felt their connection to the past through the energy of their voices.  As they sang with confidence and pride about their heritage, I was able to understand the context of their passion.

During my tour of Ireland we provided a mini-retreat event for about 9 schools in 3 days.  Each day I would ask the students how many thought mass was boring.  99% raised their hands.  That number is not much different in the United States and I wonder if it’s because we as “church” have not passed along the passion of the tradition in a way that is embedded into our being.   When I was a guest on the George Hook show last week, we talked about how there is so much apathy in the Catholic Church today.  The “George Hook Show” is one of the leading talk radio hosts in Ireland.  During the conversation CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO the sports announcer, who was probably in his 30’s, said he hadn’t been to mass since Christmas and he wasn’t planning on going back until next Christmas.   He said if the music were more like what I did, he would go every week.  That is a common thing I hear regularly, that if the music were more vibrant and uplifting and joyful people would go.  I understand that and I agree that music in our Catholic worship needs to vibrant and joyful and reflect the many movements of the rituals, but I don’t think that is the issue at its core.

I believe the issue is how many really believe Christ present in the Eucharist?  I think that if we did, the churches on Sunday would be full and music wouldn’t be a problem because we would be tied into the history of the tradition of the music and the prayers.  The music would reflect not ones preference but who is present in the gathered assembly.  We would see Mass not as an old tradition that has nothing to do with me today, but as a living tradition that has everything to do with me today.  A tradition that is interwoven into my being.  If we believed without a doubt Christ present in the Sacrament how could we not sing and participate fully conscious of what we were doing?  If we recognized that these rituals within the Catholic worship can be traced back to our history and that when enacted enables us to connect to our heritage, just as an Irish Folk song can, then we will be transformed into what these traditions are meant to transform us into which is the Body of Christ.  And the body of Christ humbled himself to accept the cross but also be raised to life from the depths of devastation.  From a Christological perspective we can see that it was through Jesus’ faith in God that he continued to walk down the via Dolorosa.  Even in the moments where he cries:  “My God why have you forsaken me?” his faith is still strong.

Hence Mass is a response to the lived experience of faith in our everyday lives as we remember God’s faithfulness to all people from the beginning of time through the events of today.   The Spirituality of the Liturgy is Kenosis, an emptying of ones self and ones preferences.  Knowledge of what the rituals are to do is key in order to surround them with music that brings their deeper meanings to life.  Vatican II states that all are to be predisposed before they can enter fully into the worship.  It also states that its more than just the words the govern valid and licit worship.  You have to know what’s going on.  As a Navy man myself, you have to know where you’ve been or else you won’t know where you are going.

I had the awesome opportunity to go to Trinity College in Dublin and see the Book of Kells.  To see for my own eyes this historical document that was written in the early 4^th or 6^th Century, created such a sense of awe and wonder because it’s message was the same message we hold true today.  As I looked through the glass at this work of art I became aware that I was attached to this history because the intention of the book to spread the Gospel of Jesus is the same intention I have today.   That history is our history and to know how it survived through the wars through out the years speaks volumes of its importance. Those who kept it from being destroyed relied on each other to maintain its safety in order to pass on what they held as truth.  Even in times of destruction, faith was not abandoned.

We can see from the history of Ireland and the Church how people relied on one another to get through the oppression.  We can see how the traditions were developed so that we remember how we got here and where we go from here.   But those who hold the keys to how these traditions are passed on must see this too so that music, preaching, and hospitality enable those who are in some doubt, to see with the lens of the Spirit and hence Mass becomes effective, it changes us.   Not just a going through the motions quickly to make bingo on time, but expressed with the same passion as when an Irish Folk song is sung that connects us to what it means to be Irish, or American, or Italian, or Catholic.   If our worship doesn’t take us here, then we need to reflect why are we going through the motions?  I think it is important for people to question and doubt.  But not question with an attitude or doubt that leads to despair but question and doubt that lead us to explore further the mystery and come to have faith in the uncertainty that is beyond our human understanding but understanding the certainty of knowing in our hearts that we are loved because we have choice.  We have so many choices in today’s world but I think simply our choice in all situations is to love or not love.  That encompasses everything.

This is not a time for despair in the Church but a time for renewal.  The issues within the Institutional Church and amount of apathy within the laity is a clear sign to me that the Church and the people need to take a look at themselves and realize we need each other equally to see that the Kingdom of God isn’t some far away place but evolving right before us.   As the old song says, “The strife or o’er that battle is won.”  God has won the victory over death through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Therefore Sunday is a celebration of this victory.  I see the current turmoil as an uprising of the Holy Spirit in the world, turning everything upside down, awakening our eyes that love is a choice in our every action toward one another.  Our mission is the same no matter where we live.  Our mission is to Move In Spirit Seeing Inside Others Needs.  If we all say we believe in God then we believe in love above the boundaries that have been politically or religiously put upon us.

I hope that my tour has triggered the people of Ireland and people of the world to see God’s extraordinary love.  The product of this love is that we have been given the gift of choice.  I can’t force you to love me, I have to show you how much I love you through my actions and then it’s your choice to love me back or not.  Unconditional love that can be seen in the beauty of Irelands country and in its pride for freedom from oppression both reflect the artistry of God’s presence in the lived experience of history and God’s presence now and forever.   The essence of this is expressed communally in the Mass. My hope is that together we come to realize that the key to effective worship is more than just vibrant music and preaching, but that vibrant music and preaching in worship enables an assembly to see Christ present in each other and in the Sacrament we are called to become.  I hope that my Irish brothers and sisters realize that the music I gave them only scratches the surface of the mystery.  I hope that I have caused them to search deeper into the beauty and value of the tradition that we all share to see that everything is God.   God dwells in us and we in God.

After a great show at Vicar Street in Dublin, a man come to me and told me how he enjoyed the show.  He then began to tell me about losing his son and I could see how sad he was as he showed me his son’s picture.   I told him that one day he would see him again and he smiled and said: “I can’t wait for that day.”  And so do I close with that same emotion for my friends from Ireland.  We have made an everlasting bond with one another based in the history and tradition that we both share in Christ Jesus.   May you endure the challenges that lie ahead and with the faith and hope of God’s ever-present love in sacrament and sign we forever stand in the light as one.  I can’t wait until I see you again.

Peace always,

I send you out on a mission of love, forever and ever.   Amen.

JOHN ANGOTTI

“Sorry for the wait” was the comment from the person at the restaurant as I waited for my sandwich. My thought was I didn’t mind the wait because it gave me a chance to see the full rainbow that stretched across the rolling valley, anchored by the green mountains of this beautiful country. Here it seems like the Catholic Church has been waiting to be awakened but some would rather not be disturbed. Faced with declining numbers of attendees in the pews, a priest scandal that has left people in disarray as well as apathy about the Institutional Church, the idea of waiting has come to an end.

When I asked the students at the last two events, which encompassed a total of 6 schools, how many felt mass was boring, 95% raised their hands. I get the same story in the U.S. There is no blame to be given, but an awakening to those who are in charge that the people are hungry and need fed so that in times of family discourse they don’t just get up and leave but have the compassion to wait as the fallout from the difficulties unfold and settle. I see that if people were truly tied to the beauty and truth of the core of the church and its mission, which is the mission of Jesus Christ of justice for the oppressed and the poor, then in times of struggle we wouldn’t up and leave because we are mad or hurt but recognize that the mission we are on is greater than the institution that governs it. Of course there will be battles of preference within the Institution. It’s comprised of humans who are imperfect. But the church is us. All of us, Ireland, United States, the whole world and just because I don’t always agree with my own government doesn’t mean I’m going to move to a different country. It means I’m going to find out all I can because I love my country and I love my church because I love God who has given me the opportunity to be aware that there is a time for everything, it’s just not in my time, it’s in God’s time and I must wait on the Lord for he has rescued me in so many ways. But I know me and most folks, we are impatient and if it makes me uncomfortable, I’m out. Hence the cross to which we are all called to. A cross to get over myself and not leave but continue with its mission of love, forgiveness, compassion, justice for all creation.

From the downbeat of “Building the Kingdom”, the opening song the last two days, I have felt the Spirit pouring out of me to awaken the people that we have been sent on this mission to revive our spiritual selves and to go deeper to discern who we are as Catholic Christians in today’s world. Yes it’s an old church, but it’s time to get out of our old comfort zones and get to work. It’s a battlefield out here. There is a real need for faith for without it what do we hope in. As we wait for the Institutional church to take care of its internal affairs, we cannot wait to complete the mission. In fulfilling the mission of Jesus in our everyday lives we heal those who have been hurt by the carelessness of the Institution. Just like in any school or business situation, we need each other to complete the task of building the Kingdom now. We are only as strong as the leaders before us therefore our preachers and teachers need to recognize as we wait for the Lord, we must say, “sorry for the wait but the wait is over.”

Just finished a live radio interview on EastCoast Radio in Dublin…Extraordinary Love to Fr. Arthur O’Neill and the gang at EastCoast Radio! Check us out in downtown Dublin…playing Vicar St. this Sunday at 8:00p.m. Tickets

Last night of the mission here in the Boston Area. Great response the first two nights. Hoping to catch them on fire with the Spirit to go out on mission. It’s a hard mission but is there another choice? The other choice leaves us empty. So it’s either forgive or not forgive… love or not love… both have consequences.. one leads to life the other doesn’t….. Your choice.