Threshold: Inspire 2021 - Breathing in the Spirit
Gen Bryant is a Catholic singer songwriter from Melbourne and has been involved in music ministry for over 15 years across Australia. The Catholic Office for Youth and Youth Adults (COYYA) invited Gen and her band to come to Adelaide and celebrate Pentecost with the young people from our Archdiocese last month. Her visit was a quick one, but has made a lasting impact on the young people who encountered her and has given all of us a new spring in our step as we walk towards discovering our ‘new normal’.
The first event Gen was involved in was a Laudato Si workshop during “Laudato Si Week” for senior secondary students. Laudato Si is an encyclical written by Pope Francis which encourages us as people of faith to take action on the state of our world. About 50 students filled the Cathedral hall as Gen and the band energised the students with their original songs with the lyrics echoing Pope Francis call to ‘Raise our voices’! She also ran a small group discussion talking about the importance of raising your voice for issues such as climate change. The students came away from the event with a better awareness of the Pope’s encyclical and empowered to make a difference in their own lives and communities.
On Saturday the 22nd of May, COYYA and Gen’s team ran a music workshop and the Threshold: Inspire Pentecost Vigil. Both events were held at the Monastery in Glen Osmond – an incredible setting in our Archdiocese that allowed participants to enjoy the sunny weather and feel like they were stepping into a sacred place for the evening. Gen Bryant and two members of her band, John and Montel also from Melbourne, led a music workshop in the afternoon for young adult music leaders in parishes and school. Gen shared about the importance of a participatory experience at Mass, and how important the music leader’s role is in making this happen. She gave examples such as teaching new songs to the congregation before Mass to get them familiar, choosing appropriate songs for the flow of the liturgy, and finding the balance between familiar music and new songs. Gen also offered opportunities for musicians to meet each other and have a conversation about each other’s experiences in music ministry. Everyone really enjoyed chatting with Gen in a relaxed manner and asked lots of questions to gain insight from her extensive experience.
As night fell on the clear but chilly evening, over eighty young people from across Adelaide gathered for a youth vigil mass in the Church. It was kicked off by Gen joining the Vietnamese Catholic youth band singing “Veni Creator Spiritus” meaning; “Come Creator Spirit”. The beautifully sung hymn repeated over and over gave a sense of awareness of the Holy Spirit within everyone. Gen and the Vietnamese youth band led music beautifully throughout the Mass and was a fantastic example of what had been discussed at the music ministry workshop earlier. The Mass was led by Archbishop Patrick O’Regan who was very excited to share the evening with the young people and talked about how the Holy Spirit was both a helper and a guide. His homily was filled with the call and response of the young people gathered there as we all practiced this phrase. It was great to see the young people interacting with the Archbishop’s words and having a chat to him after mass.
After Mass we all gathered for supper and some activities run by young adult leaders Charlie Rodda (Blackwood Parish) and Alyse de Souza (Hectorville Parish) before a big concert with Gen and her band to end the night. Gen got everyone up on their feet enjoying her original songs: “Send us out” and “Raise it up”. Band member John spoke about how he found the Holy Spirit working through his life when he experienced unique challenges during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne. It was an inspiring testimony that gave everyone some perspective on what it means to trust God to bring you through hardship. The event sent us all out feeling revived and hopeful for how we can move forward into the future as people of Faith.
Gen’s last day in Adelaide was spent at the Mass celebrating 200 years of Catholic Education in South Australia. She collaborated with Cardijn College students from the school band to lead the music for the Mass. Despite not having a lot of time to practice together, the music sounded amazing! The Catholic Office for Youth and Young Adults thanks Gen and her band for inspiring the young people of the Adelaide Archdiocese through her encouraging, enthusiastic, and kind heart. We look forward to having Gen back in the years to come!