Soul songs

PALMER -- Surrounded by the rosy glow of Saint Michael's Catholic Church's wood-paneled walls, mirrored in the gleeful faces of dozens of happy participants, Vince Ambrosetti delivered a host of soul-stirring performances designed to touch the hearts and souls of Valley residents of all ages last week.

Ambrosetti, who is based in Nashville, conducts musical ministries across the United States, and was visiting Palmer to celebrate St. Michael's Father Leo Desso's 25th year since his ordination to the priesthood.

"It's wonderful to be here; Palmer is so beautiful," Ambrosetti said. "I think that Father Leo should have a 25th anniversary every year."

Ambrosetti's concert offerings contained not only such old church standbys as "The Lord is My Shepherd" and "Nearer, My God, To Thee," and several secular tunes on the order of "America the Beautiful," but multiple original compositions dating all the way back to when he was only 9 years old. His career is still older, however, dating back to the tender age of six, when he started studying the piano and guitar, with the church organ soon to follow at age 7. By the time he was 9, he was directing his local church choir and band.

These songs addressed themselves to audiences of all shapes and sizes, from children to married couples to September 11 victims, but had wide enough appeal to speak to all listeners. Most had accompanying illustrative gestures and movements, turning the church into a waving, clapping, dancing sea of devotees. An unusual tune that seemed a blend of a Yiddish folk melody and a lively polka had attendees spinning around in frantic joy, while a slower song devoted to the power of marriage brought a contemplative hush to the crowd.

Ambrosetti said in a later interview that his mission was especially focused on those parishioners who were seeking to rekindle their relationship with Catholicism.

"Our mission is to build the fire of faith within a church into a great bonfire," he said. "The fire will subside somewhat with time, but we provide people with the tools and the breath to fan the flames."

Ambrosetti said he believes that strengthening the faith of regular parishioners will also encourage less frequent churchgoers to reconsider coming to church.

"We start with the people who are already here, and we make it so that those who aren't here start to feel like they're missing out," Ambrosetti said.

At the Sunday concert, Ambrosetti voiced not only support of continued faith in an often cruel world, but also the necessity of relying on each other in times of trouble and the importance, now more than ever, of pursuing accountability and responsibility among elected officials.

On a lighter note, however, he also mentioned his good-natured outrage at the often lackluster singing at church services, saying that, in a place of worship and celebration, music should be correspondingly joyous, not routine.

Ambrosetti's record of music and ministry is impressive. In 1988, he performed for a crowd that included Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Catholic Church's presence in America. Since then, he has traveled across the globe and the United States alike spreading his word. He has visited 49 of the 50 states over his career (the lone holdout being Wyoming), and was asked to perform at the funeral of Mother Theresa of Calcutta in 1997.

"I have this philosophy: Wherever you are, be there," he said.

Ambrosetti's concert was followed by a brief speech by Father Desso, who spoke to the importance of giving gifts of faith and devotion within the community, and said that Ambrosetti's visit was a sterling example of this ideal.

"What better gift to give to this community of Palmer and St. Michael's than having Vince visit?" Desso asked.

Ambrosetti, however, modestly deferred the pomp surrounding his visit in favor of Desso's Silver Jubilee celebration and the faith revival that this event inspires at St. Michael's.

"This is not about Vince Ambrosetti coming to town; it's about people in the parish here in Palmer experiencing a special time in their lives of faith," he said. "This should be a time of excitement and exuberance, a time of rediscovery, a time to realize that, for a brief time, our faith is the most important thing in our lives."

Proceeds from Ambrosetti's concerts go to benefit a mission in Nashville that was founded in 1977. He said that, in coming years, he envisioned his ministry expanding to larger "mega-mission" venues as well as continuing its work within Nashville. He also said that he would be launching a new Web site, www.parishmission.org, and would be adding multiple additional record labels to his repertoire.

More information on Ambrosetti and his ministries can be found at his aptly-named Web site, www.vinceambrosetti.org.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.