COL EXCLUSIVE: Fr. Pontifex - See what this priest does to deliver his powerful message
challenge.
COL: How does your Bishop feel about your work?
Fr. Pontifex: My Bishop has been supportive. I've been sure to run my scripts by his desk before going public with the videos. I try to keep him informed as I am asked to speak in different places. Overall he is very supportive and at the same time I think he finds it a bit surprising. It is a rather unique form of expression for a priest.
COL: How large is your fan base?
Fr. Pontifex: That's a good question. I am really amazed at the number of people who recognize me when I am at Catholic events. It seems to happen more an more as the videos are rolled out. I have people that send me emails, tweets (@frpontifex), and Facebook messages from all over the world. From Australia to Africa to all parts of Europe and then throughout the U.S. it is rather surreal. I just keep praying, serving and expressing myself and really focus on staying humble. It's not about me it is about Jesus Christ. I never want to lose that focus.
COL: Has anyone told you that your video had an impact? What happened for that person?
Fr. Pontifex: Each of the videos has a different focus but at the heart of them all is the truth and love of Jesus in the Church. I have received many messages from people that have decided to become Catholic, to return to the Catholic Church, have questioned their atheistic stances, have felt comforted that they are loved, and have expressed that they have been inspired. Those messages are the ones that keep us focused on producing more videos, more music and more messages. It makes every hour worth it. It's the only thing that matters really.
COL: Do you have any plans for the future? If so, what are they?
Fr. Pontifex: As I said early I am currently working on a follow up album. I just finished a series for each week of Advent with Spirit Juice Studios. We plan to record more Spoken Word Videos in 2013, hopefully traveling to some new places and embracing the challenges that face our Church. Personally, I have been doing many speaking engagements and hope to add more of those to my schedule for the upcoming year. I just want to stay open to what God has in store. It truly is an adventure every step of the way.
COL: What music is on your iPod?
Fr. Pontifex: I am very eclectic in my musical taste. I listen to Matt Maher, HIllsong, Lecrae, Playdough and a few other Christian Artists, Bob Dylan, Mumford and Sons, Adele, Coldplay, U2, Radiohead, STP, Kenny Loggins greatest hits, Bibio, some Kanye West, the Fugees, and ton of instrumentals for new tracks I'm working right now.
I also have many Catholic rap artists from phatmass.com in my playlist. We have some great up and coming artists and I'll just name a few, Foundnation, Akalyte, Sammy Blaze, Move Merchants, and many others. You gotta check out the music page on the site. It's an up and coming movement.
COL: Please tell us a few more things about yourself that our readers might like to know.
Fr. Pontifex: I'm just a regular guy, living out my vocation. I pray everyday that I stay grounded in my faith and remain authentic. I love the challenges and the blessings of priesthood and the Pontifex Project is just an extra gift from God. I am always blow away by his love and generosity to me. I do not deserve it.
COL: Fr. Pontifex, thank you for your time and God bless you for the work you are doing. We look forward to your next video.
You may friend Fr. Pontifex on Facebook: www.facebook.com/frpontifex and follow him on Twitter: @frpontifex And visit his website at: www.frpontifex.com
© 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Fr. Pontifex, spoken word, poetry, video
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Michael, as someone who knows Fr. Pontifex personally let me say that he is actually one of the best preachers out there. He sat under Fr. Barron's teaching in seminary and they stay in contact. It is his first passion and the one he uses most frequently. Spoken Word poetry is not rap. It is poetry. He does both but does he need to be as good as JayZ to be effective? World Youth Day is a failed Catholic Woodstock? Do you see how many young people flock to those events? I really don't understand why this story would catch any negative feedback. Do your thing Fr. Pontifex, win souls not grammys.
I just checked one of Father Pontifex's rap-videos on his website. Although I came along a couple generations before Rap music was developed, and never listen to very much of that style, there is a clear message of beauty Father brings to light through this media. His simple idea to incorporate this popular musical style into the "Word" of the church, brings me to my knees with one comment:
B R A V O !
I don't think it matters how we connect with people, only that we connect.
God has given us a variety of talents. Fr. Pontifex and break-dancing brothers may not connect to you, Michael, however they may connect to that one person who needs to hear.
I for one, listen to the homily every week and sometimes I really struggle to connect. Maybe I'm tired, bored, distracted, or don't think it really applies to me. Then along comes a gifted speaker or someone like Fr. Pontifex and I'm shocked back into reality -- in a good way -- an awesome way.
Let each person use their talents for Christ and let me not judge their utility by my measure. What may be uninteresting to me could be a ray of sunshine for someone else.
Bless you, bless Fr. Pontifex, break dancing priests, bless the cloistered academics, and even the most monotone speakers who share Christ with us!
Hey Michael, The Obama administration wants to feed the poor, the bishops leading the Church want the Obama administration to feed the poor! Why support the "middleman"! Obama communicates with us in terms we understand, the bishops of the Church communicate with us in diocesan newspapers. Catholics, much less the general public are not hearing the Catholic message. Fr, Robert Barron ("Catholicism Project") and Fr. Pontifex are connecting with a solid message (listen to Pontifex's "Shine"). It is not enough to drown our Obama's anti-Christian message, but is it a beginning!
Before the foundations God chose each one in His Christ for in Him is all things fulfilled proved by his death & resurrection to our fulfillment in Him, contrary to trying to fulfill without Him which becomes to idol worship which idolatry is to the desires of ones heart called Paganism in the worship of oneself which is but making oneself to god, to the Abomination of desolation Prophesied, like Israel of old making a golden calf with hands saying these bought us out of Egypt, which is to creating god by an image, so seeing their Blasphemy did He gave the first commandments..Like wise today the word of God in the pure sense cannot be expressed in the truth of it through any image whatsoever other than through the word itself. By saying these innovations are popular need not reflect its effectiveness to the Faith which in turn is not dependent on Popularity like Politics.
I know two priests that happen to be brothers. They break dance and one of them does some strange act known as beat-boxing, an inner city way of making noise with one's mouth. Anyway, this "baptizing" of base things hasn't work and it will not work, especially for a priest who is to rise above thees things. First, Jay-Z is a much better rapper than Fr. Pontifex so why try to compete? We tried Christian Rock...we tried Catholic Woodstock with World Youth Days...and now we try the base activity of rapping. And guess what..the youth, including Catholic youth, voted for Obama in droves.