Composer of note: 'Music is language of soul'

Catholic composer Gregory Norbet left the monastery long ago, but the legacy of his former life of prayer, study and contemplation hasn't left him.

During his 21 years as a Benedictine monk at Weston Priory in Vermont, he served as composer, lead singer and arranger for 12 albums of contemporary Christian hymns and songs. There, he wrote some of his most recognizable pieces, still sung by Catholics across the country: "Hosea (Come Back To Me)," "Wherever You Go" and "All I Ask Of You."

Mr. Norbet is bringing those songs -- as well some recently composed tunes -- to the Albany Diocese to benefit Abba House, a spiritual life center.

Busy schedule

Besides composing, Mr. Norbet is a lecturer, directs parish retreats and plays concerts.

He criss-crosses the country, he told The Evangelist, with the goal of "helping people discover the hospitality of God's love for them, so they can impact the world by the kind of decisions they make and people they choose to be -- and grow in greater awareness of Jesus' invitation to new life."

As he travels, he enjoys discovering how parishes of different shapes, sizes and cultural influences go about their outreach programs. He is impressed by the variety he has encountered.

"They do all the things that Jesus did when He went into a community -- feed the poor, by operating a soup kitchen or food cupboard, or serve the elderly with home visits or bringing them to the doctor's," he said.

Even in "humbler" parishes that "may struggle financially and have difficulty getting people to do the music and other things, somehow the spirit of Christ is as apparent there as in a place that has the earmarks of professionalism and a larger material base," he said.

God and notes

"Music is the language of my soul," Mr. Norbet explained. "It's a gift that God has given me. It is a friend that I go to visit when I feel sad or worried. It is a place that I visit when I am reading or praying Scripture."

He said that his songs are intended to stimulate fresh perspectives, introduce a sense of God's peace and help to impart the strength needed to meet life's challenges.

The challenges could be his own or others' -- friends who have suffered the loss of their only son, for example, or an elderly couple facing their twilight years with "tremendous compassion and faith."

"I write from the perspective that -- in the midst of the joyous, or the sad or the uncertain -- the faithful love of God is there to guide, console, uplift, inspire and give hope," he explained.

Melodies

Melodies "just come," he said, and might float through his head; he'll scramble for a guitar or piano to put what he hears into notation.

Sometimes, simply sitting at the piano and playing will "provide inspiration: a melody can be found, words can be shaped around it."

At 63, Mr. Norbet reflected on his life with gratitude: "I have had all my life an extraordinary experience of God's love and compassion, and I want others to have as powerful and as deep and profound an experience as I have had. Jesus is my friend -- and inspiration."

(Gregory Norbet will perform at St. Francis de Sales Church in Loudonville, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., to benefit Abba House, a spiritual life center in Albany. A $15 donation is suggested. Call 438-8320.)

(9/18/03) [[In-content Ad]]