Larissa Fedoryka knew that the man who was hosting her at a house concert was an atheist. But she didn’t know that while she was performing classical cello works, God was opening his heart.
“It was really beautiful. He got up and started crying, and said, ‘If there was a God,’ he experienced him that day,” said Fedoryka. “When you hear someone say something like that, then you realize that God is in beauty, not because I put him in beauty, but because it’s true.”
Similar scenes are playing out in churches, makeshift pubs and concert stages throughout the diocese, where music is a tool for evangelization. On a frigid Friday night in Arlington, a mixture of young and old packed into the gym at St. Charles Church, where Fedoryka joined Ben-David Warner & Friends on their Celtic Christmas Concert tour. The gym quickly transformed into a warm and relaxed concert venue, complete with a happy hour, sing-a-longs, and a joyful family atmosphere. “I play for secular and non-secular people. Either way, it’s such a spiritual encounter. When you listen to beautiful music you can’t help but experience God,” said Fedoryka.
Susannah Tombes, a parishioner of St. Agnes Church in Arlington, attended the concert with friends. She believes excellent music “brings hope into your heart. It makes us more human and helps us recognize that we can come together.”
In an age defined by division, concerts and neighborhood music venues offer a genuine welcoming community that many seldom encounter. Ben-David Warner said the music is the “foremost thing,” but the communal setting is also important when it comes to evangelizing.
“People who might not belong to church come, and that’s where evangelism comes into play,” said Warner, who is also St. Charles’ director of sacred liturgy and music. “They feel something they might not feel in other situations. They come for the music, then they experience the joy of Christmas.”
The joy that is experienced while listening to music reveals the soul yearning for beauty, according to Father Donald J. Planty Jr., pastor of St. Charles. “It’s the beauty that wounds us and inspires us to draw near to God. Pope Benedict XVI writes a lot about the wound of beauty and the way of beauty as the best way to God, especially in a world that doesn’t believe in reason and reasonable discourse. You can argue all the truth about the faith you want, but it’s the goodness of the lives of the saints and the beauty of our art and architecture that’s going to draw people to the faith.”
Chris Rich moved to the Arlington area recently and said he was delighted to find St. Charles, where live music plays a role in a vibrant parish life. “It’s just incredibly beautiful to have everyone here together listening to music. It was fantastic singing with everybody. It’s emotional to engage with people. I loved it.”
St. Charles is within walking distance of an enticing array of entertainment options, but Maria Perrone, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Mary Church in Alexandria, thinks Catholics are hungry for more opportunities to hear live music in a wholesome environment. “I was just talking to some friends the other day about how the wrong kind of music can affect us and a lot of Christian music is just not very spiritual anymore. When we listen to music that is good and artistic, but also holy, it can move us to pray and it can actually move us to think of things higher than ourselves.”
Reaching others through the beauty of music doesn’t require it to be sacred or classical. The Little Way Cafe at St. Louis Church in Alexandria becomes a Catholic music lounge every Thursday night where beer and wine is served with an average 60 people attending. Father Keith O’Hare, the pastor and a singer-songwriter, often joins in with a host of musicians who play Celtic, jazz, pop, folk and Christian styles.
“Music that is performed in an excellent manner speaks a universal language which is uplifting and encouraging,” said Father O’Hare. “It makes the church accessible to parishioners and non-parishioners, including people of no faith background. It’s a musical entertainment welcome mat for the church.”
Parishioner Nancy Seward said that something special happens at the performances where music fosters friendship. “It’s a real gem and more people need to know about it,” she said. “You don’t even have to be Catholic. Friendship is where it all begins.”
Music among friends is on full display every Labor Day weekend in Front Royal when the band Scythian hosts the Appaloosa Music Festival, featuring some of the finest “roots music” in the country. Drawing thousands of Catholic and non-Catholic fans, the festival headliner is Scythian, celebrating its 20th year as a touring band. Scythian has earned crossover success, while staying true to its mission to share God’s glory.
“You can be a secular musician and still be bringing souls to God,” said founding member Dan Fedoryka (Larissa’s brother). “Music should be for everybody. The hate mail that we got in the early days was that ‘You don’t use the platform as a way of preaching Christ.’ And my mom (Irene Fedoryka) said ‘No!’ You’re totally preaching Christ when it’s true, good and beautiful.”
Early in their touring career, Scythian members recognized the unique challenge of playing for non-Catholic audiences. But something happens at Appaloosa, where non-Catholic concertgoers are influenced by the mostly Catholic crowd. “If the majority in attendance are Catholic, they’re going to enter into the music and enjoy themselves in a very wholesome way, and once the environment is set, then anyone who wants to go opposite of that feels awkward,” said Dan. “We used to see this happen all the time in Irish pubs. We wanted to bring light into dark places and we did 600 shows as a pub band. We were very adamant that we didn’t want to go electric guitar, and we were cognizant of the beats that our drummer was giving because we didn’t want people dancing crudely to our music. If you have a spirit on stage and you choose your music carefully, that can carry the day.”
Dan and Larissa credit their late mother, a Juilliard graduate, for the Catholic philosophy underlying their approach to every appearance they make on stage. “Her theory was when you do something that is beautiful, it moves hearts,” said Dan. “And that’s when the Holy Spirit can get in and do the work.”
