February 2021
WELCOME
Welcome to the fourth edition of The Vigil Project Newsletter! We hope you enjoyed our family Christmas letter last week because we sure enjoyed writing it. It truly feels like you are family, so thank you for being here.
It seems like Christmas was just yesterday but wouldn’t you know it, Lent comes early this year! With that, we will take time today to share some ways to prepare so that we can journey deeper together into the heart of this sacred season. Also in today's issue, we have the Year of the Eucharist and St. Joseph, a TVP wedding, new partnerships, sushi with Shawn, and more!
So without further ado, let’s dive in!
EMAIL DEVOTIONAL JOURNEY
In just under two weeks, we will be jumping right into our Lenten Email Prayer Journey with many of you, so we want to take this opportunity to share what our email journeys are, why we do them, and let you hear from a few folks who have walked with us in past seasons.
What is the Prayer Journey?
During each season of the church year, TVP creates a devotional journey that aids those who enter into it in deeper reflection and participation in that particular season. We believe that the liturgical seasons we’re invited into as a Church are not merely something we observe, but genuinely a source of grace in our lives. We also believe in the power of music, art, written reflections, and (of course) Scripture to be conduits of that grace for us.
For Lent & Easter, we’ve curated a 7-week email journey (delivered directly to your inbox each Friday), that consists of exactly that: Scripture readings, reflections, and original music. We will be featuring the music from our brand new album Exodus and a podcast version of Lectio Divina—led by Bill Donaghy of the Theology of the Body Institute—through the Scriptures that inspired the music. By the way, it’s FREE! All you have to do is sign up!
Because this is an intentional time of reflection and prayer, those who wish to join must sign up. We only send it to those who opt in!
Why we do it?
The beauty of each liturgical season is vast and often unexplored. Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we neglect to set aside the time to truly open our hearts and minds to all the Lord has to say in that time. And so, our email prayer journeys are meant to help us carve out that time to allow Christ to break open our hearts in new ways.
Not only that, but we truly believe that beauty comes in many forms and that those forms compliment each other. This space allows us to integrate not only music but a number of mediums through which we can pray more deeply.
It’s free because we just think it should be :)
Here are some thoughts by those blessed by the journeys in the past.
Thoughts from past participants:
“I am always looking for new ways to enhance my spiritual life; especially during Advent/Lent. I found The Vigil Project's email journey very helpful. It is easy as it came in an email format; and the material within was well written. I looked forward to each email and knew that my "spirit" would be renewed and uplifted. You will be happy that you signed up! God Bless The Vigil Project.” Jacalyn L.
“I especially like the Vigil music. It’s soothing, beautiful and relaxes the soul. The meditations are well written and very thought provoking. I very much look forward to receiving them. Thank you for continuing to provide such meaningful work.” - Carol K.
“The Vigil Project offers daily reflections each day of our Lenten Journey that help reinforce our intentions and motivate us to continue our efforts.” - Dan Z.
“I really enjoyed The Vigil Project during Christmas. What touched me was the emotions and feelings that Mary and Joseph went through throughout the birth of Christ! It really gave me an insight to what Mary and Joseph went through! Thank you.” - Faith L.
“My first & only exposure was during this recent Advent, when invited to participate through my parish at St. Clement in Chicago. The music was something I'd never heard in a Catholic setting, and found both meditative and encouraging; the reflections from many different perspectives caused to me to reflect more on Scripture and thought-patterns I've taken for granted (or never moved from since I was a kid), and the enthusiasm intertwined with different ages, people, and parts of concerts I saw were very uplifting - and reminded me, again, that Jesus must smile often. Thank you!” - Paul G.
TVP Happenings
John’s getting married today!...
It’s hard to believe that the John Finch Jr. we began ministry with five years ago is marrying his bride tonight! We are so excited for him and Molly. Even now, as you read this, they are preparing to embark on a beautiful journey as a couple. Please take a moment to lift them up in prayer today!
TVP at Seek 2021...
FOCUS’ Seek 2021 conference is happening this weekend and has gone virtual! The Vigil Project is one of the featured sponsors of the conference this year as well as a partner helping to facilitate the Awaken Competition (a Catholic music and art contest), in collaboration with Papercastle Records, Love Good, and FOCUS’ Beauty Initiative.
If you are attending Seek, be sure to:
Tune in for our breakout session on Thursday evening titled ‘The Meaning of Music from a Catholic Perspective’ (presented by Greg Boudreaux and Andrea Thomas).
Come stop by our virtual booth in Mission Way!
Archdiocese of New Orleans Year of the Eucharist and St. Joseph…
We’ve partnered with our ministry’s home diocese (home to John and Greg) to help implement a year of deeper learning and devotion to the Eucharist and St. Joseph! We’re humbled by the opportunity to serve our local Church by bringing, not only inspired new music, but a wide variety of coordinated resources to aid the prayer and unity of the whole diocese. As always, our commitment to serving the parish remains, and this precisely has been our approach as we work with the Archdiocesan office. See what we’ve been working on together with the Archdiocese of New Orleans HERE.
Exodus album and podcast partnership with the Theology of the Body Institute…
In the summer of 2019, our team went on a spiritual retreat to the TOBI. Many of the instructors and staff have been friends of ours for some time. As we experienced the “Way of Beauty” course offered by Bill Donaghy, we were more than inspired—our lives were changed. AND...yes, we were also inspired. Along with the official release of our Exodus album this Lent, we will be releasing a project we crafted together with Bill and TOBI. It’s a podcast that employs the music of Exodus with the Ignatian Lectio Divina method of praying with Scripture. You can experience the whole thing by joining the email prayer journey through Lent and Easter! You can also learn more about TOBI HERE.
The Hagios Study partnership…
We’re excited to announce a brand new content partnership with The Hagios Study! We’ve been blown away by the creative approach to studying Scripture and the lives of the saints Hagios is providing its users. Along with their team, TVP will be composing a custom music project that accompanies and deepens the experience of prayer offered through this incredible ministry. We’re looking forward to a summer release through their app. In the meantime, check out The Hagios Study for yourself HERE!
New TVP album in production…
It’s been some time since our core team of artists last had the opportunity to gather, pray, and collectively create together. Our writing retreat in the fall of 2020 gave us a much-needed opportunity to do exactly that, and we’re pleased to give you the update that the album is in production! While we are not yet committing to a release date (we want to allow the creative process to run its course), we can tell you that you’ll be hearing some of those new songs at some point in 2021. Please pray for us as we continue to keep our heart and ears opened to hear what the Holy Spirit desires to sing through this album.
SHAWN WILLIAMS & SUSHI
Hi friends, It’s Shawn!
I do a lot of the ‘behind the scenes’ work for The Vigil Project so you may not know me—though if you’ve seen the mysterious violinist in our projects, that’s me! I am the Director of Music Development for our organization, and I focus on crafting a lot of what you hear from TVP. Thanks for being a part of our newsletters!
A little about me...
I live in Nashville, Tennessee with my wife and two beautiful sons (a 15 month old and baby #2 due in March). I spend most of my time working from my home recording studio, drinking cups and cups of coffee, exploring the great outdoors on evenings and weekends with my family, and COOKING!
I absolutely LOVE cooking (real talk: I love eating great food, so I learned to cook). Today, I want to share a bit about my love for Asian cuisine…specifically sushi!
First of all, if you’ve never tried sushi (even a basic California roll), you are missing out AND I encourage you to make 2021 the year you break outside your food comfort zone. I’ll admit: it was a long and fickle journey, but my love for sushi started in college. Before then, I had not even tried avocado - a common ingredient in sushi rolls. (Yes, I realize that’s lame). Sadly, after one bad sushi experience, I ended up hating it for almost a year. Long story, short - I was in Louisiana with Greg and Lizzy recording their first album and got food poisoning from a roll. It didn’t end well, to say the least. After meeting my wife, who is an avid sushi fan, I was (not so gently) encouraged to like it again...and I do! After weeks of ordering so much sushi and putting a huge dent in our food budget, I decided I was going to have to learn how to make it!
Fast forward to today - I love sharing my great love for sushi (and really lots of various Asian cuisine) with friends and family, and we eat sushi fairly often...except when Sara is pregnant, during which time sushi is a forbidden word in our house...she is quite sensitive about it:).
Anyway, I wanted to share a quick recipe to make your own California roll (crab stick only, so don’t worry if you are scared of raw fish).
This recipe is a great starting place: https://tasty.co/recipe/california-roll
A few tips:
You will need a few tools, mainly a bamboo roller, plastic wrap (commercial grade is best), and a sharp knife.
The most important thing is to make sure you get the sushi rice correct (aka follow the directions exactly…trust me)! I actually use a rice cooker to make the rice, and then add all ingredients to make sushi rice. You can also add a Tbsp of sesame seed oil to your rice mixture if you like that flavor.
I also recommend the following list of ingredients for inside or on top of your roll: fresh cilantro, jalapeno, spicy mayo (you can make your own - mix 1 tsp of Sriracha with 3 Tbsp of mayo), rice paper (if you don’t like seaweed).
Serve with a side of frozen, microwavable edamame!
Please be sure to share your photos and tag us on social media! Those not on the TVP Newsletter will obviously think you/we are crazy, but our team will know… :)
Happy rolling!
Peace,
Shawn
— FEATURED PLAYLIST—
INSTRUMENTAL MEDITATION // The Vigil Project
We pray you are able to rest and reside in peace as you listen to these beautiful instrumental pieces. Click here to listen now.
— FEATURED ARTIST —
ERIC GENUIS
Hi friends! Andrea here.
I had known of Eric’s music for years before I had the chance to see him play. Let me tell you: it was a different experience completely to hear this guy play live. The passion, conviction, and downright love for the dignity of the human person shined through every note. I laughed. I cried. It was absolutely beautiful and unlike any concert I’d ever been to. This man has been given a unique gift and a unique mission. I’m very honored to introduce his work to you in this month’s issue, if you don’t know if it yet!
Eric’s Story
Born in Toronto, Canada in 1966, Eric Genuis is an acclaimed composer, virtuoso pianist, and inspirational speaker. He has recorded several CDs with the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra of all original music in addition to performing on television and scoring music for independent films. Annually, he performs hundreds of live concerts a year in the US and internationally.
While many of his concerts grace great concert halls and the living rooms of the rich and the famous, what strikes us most about Eric, is his beautiful mission to bring his uplifting, original content to the often forgotten, disenfranchised, and those who have lost hope. Eric’s Concerts for Hope seek to bring this music to those who are imprisoned, addicted, homeless, and who are generally in institutions, including death row in prisons. In fact, it is evident that through his giftedness, there is a platform he is able to use for a greater good. Eric performs paid concerts and solicits donations….to pay for Concerts for Hope!
We encourage you to take a listen to his music, learn about his mission, and if you ever have the chance, definitely go see him live!
WHAT SAY YOU?
Answer the question and we’ll share the answers in our next newsletter! You’ll also be entered into our random drawing for a prize:)
ON THE ROAD
We have our first live events of the new year in February and March in VA. We are so excited to pray with you!
Our plan is to be back on the road for Advent 2021, God willing. If you are interested in hosting an event or want to know more, click HERE for some details on what we offer. On that page you can also submit an inquiry form, or just reach out to Andrea at andrea@thevigilproject.com.
We’d love to pray with your community this year!
BECOME A PATRON
We are on a mission to restore our heritage of beauty through music, and we need your help! Be part of the mission by doing what the Church has been doing for centuries - patronizing the arts.