Westmere musician was a note-able in St. Louis

By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Richard Putorti, a music minister at Christ the King Church in Westmere, was at the right place at the right time.

With less than one day's notice and without any sheet music, Mr. Putorti and a group of 34 youth and adults from the Albany Diocese led 1,500 people in prayer during the National Catholic Youth Conference, held recently in St. Louis.

Mr. Putorti, a high school math teacher, was invited to the conference so he could sing at the bishops' luncheon. The prayer service, he said, "was certainly a surprise."

Mr. Putorti and a team of youth ministers found enough young people to create a choir of tenors, altos and sopranos; a youth to lead the prayer; and several others to do liturgical gestures. The young people gave up an hour and a half of free time to rehearse.

"They were awesome," Mr. Putorti said. "One of the kids said, 'It was the first time I did music at church, and it felt like prayer.'" Mary Harrison, associate director of the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, said, "Watching our Diocese lead prayer at the conference was a highlight."

Mr. Putorti has been involved in music ministry since his first piano teacher encouraged him to learn to play the organ so that he could fill in for her at church when she went on maternity leave. Since then, he has used his talents at St. John the Evangelist in Schenectady, St. Gabriel's in Rotterdam, St. Helen's in Niskayuna, Our Lady of Fatima in Delanson, and Christ the King.

His ministry often has him working with youth. While he was assisting with the Christian Leadership Institute (CLI), a leadership program for youth, he was inspired to write "Instrument of Christ," the song he performed at the bishops' luncheon. "That was an honor and a privilege," he said of the luncheon.

On Mr. Putorti's first CD, "Walk With God," several of the songs were written at CLI. "The youth inspire me," he said. "I thank the youth for their inspiration on the CD."

While he has had contact with the Christian music industry, he'd like to continue ministering in the Catholic Church. "I'm most comfortable in the Catholic world," he said. "It's where I belong."

(Mr. Putorti's CD, "Walk With God," is available at several religious goods stores for $15; the cassette is $10. It can also be purchased on the web at www.m4records.com/putorti.)

(12-02-99) [[In-content Ad]]