US speaker and worship leader Steve Angrisano finished his Brisbane-exclusive tour this week. EMILIE NG caught up with Steve before his Monday night concert, Set Free, to chat about music, life and being a Catholic missionary
IF there was one word to describe Catholic musician Steve Angrisano, it would be “alive”.
He is a man who lives off the joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and, as a result, is alive and full of the love of Christ.
The Texan embodies the great motivation of Blessed Pope John Paul II, who proclaimed, “We are an Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
Steve’s principal ministry is sharing the Catholic faith using music and storytelling (specifically with the aid of his Takamine guitar) which he calls “a product of the new evangelisation”.
“I think the new evangelisation gives it a name, and it calls us to new methods, and new approaches to share our faith, but it’s the same faith,” he said.
“The faith is not changing at all, but we are finding ways to reach out to people and allow them to experience it.
“I think what I’m doing is very much a fruit of that spirit that’s moving in the larger Church, and I feel very blessed to do this.”
Last week, Steve brought his energetic and moving ministry to parishes and youth leaders across Brisbane archdiocese.
His performances are a blend of prayers, music, and hand actions, but the most compelling part is his stories, which range from the 12-year-long miracle adoption of his third child, to witnessing the Sisters of the Disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ publically evangelise at a diner in Amarillo, Texas.
His busy schedule as a married man with three kids doesn’t allow much room for extended overseas trips, and his loyalty to his family meant he could only manage a Brisbane tour.
“The truth is, my own son is graduating this year and this weekend is a pretty big weekend for him, and he’s winning some pretty big awards back home,” he said.
“There was a possibility to go to Sydney for the weekend but I didn’t want to miss the things from my own family, so just kept it to Brisbane this time.”
At his live performances and workshops, there’s an immediate sense of Steve’s humility before God, not only from the stories he shares, but also from the prayerfulness of his music.
For Steve, his concerts are not about him, but about increasing his faith experiences.
“If you really don’t engage with your heart, and you just kind of do your thing and then leave, you’re really just having a near-faith experience, that is, you’re around people who are really experiencing it,” he said.
“I try really hard not to do that, but to really engage – to pray when everyone’s praying, or to sing when they’re singing.
“I feel very blessed that there’s a richness in my faith that comes from being in all these big events that people are gathered so it is definitely real significant faith experiences for me.”
The future for Steve lies in Nashville, where he will spend some time recording his new album, due out in November.
“It takes about three trips for me to finish one and about every three years or so, so we’re right in the midst of one now,” he said.
