When John Angotti set out to make a career of music, he entered a business that can be quite challenging. But the joys he experienced in being drawn back into the Catholic Church defied the cold world of the music industry. Angotti’s passion was funneled into a career that has evangelized thousands.
And, he has continued to evolve his artistry and move with the Spirit of God, facilitating worship experiences that allow his audience to listen to what the Lord has for them. Angotti’s artistry can be experienced on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 24, at 4 p.m., as he performs in Columbus St. Mary Church, 684 S. 3rd St. in the German Village area.
Artists such as Billy Joel and Elton John inspired Angotti to pursue music. “You know, the piano guys,” he said with a smile. When asked about his style of music, Angotti, who has played in front of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, swept genres.
“My music is a little more modern,” Angotti said. “But the older I get, my music style changes for the Church as well as for me. It might sound more like pop music, but it also takes people to a place of mystery.”
There’s nothing superficial about Angotti’s music, and his love for the Lord, for Scripture and for the sacraments moves through each lyric so that every phrase is full of life.
When Angotti reflects on his career, he sees where God was planting seeds all along and is blessed to see the fruit that his work and worship have produced.
“God has stirred up in me more and more a love for this work,” Angotti said, in reference to how God pursued him in his vocation. “Every time I perform, I hear a word from the Lord. Every time. I’ll sit and study and read and pray before a show, and then all of the sudden, you’re not on that music sheet anymore. It’s about trusting that the Spirit will work through you.”
Angotti prays before each performance: “Lord, you speak, I’ll be silent.”
When listeners worship with Angotti’s music, they might find it leads them into the mystery of the Lord and lets them sit quietly and patiently, allowing them not to be burdened by a search for definite answers.
Angotti recognizes that his music written for Mass must be intertwined with the ritual of worship so that it allows space for God to speak. Angotti said he is there to facilitate worship and then allow God to speak amid the musical and lyrical sound.
“I don’t think people struggle with believing in God,” Angotti said, “but I think they struggle with believing in what we tell them is the truth – about the Bible, God’s character, the Eucharist, how the Lord continues to move through the Mass today.
“It can feel like an impossibility to prove, yet it can be seen in how we live in love, embrace and embody the Christ that lives in all of us. The sacrament has to affect each individual, so they see that they are part of the Body of Christ.”
Angotti hopes that his music opens listeners’ minds to hear that God is speaking to them. Angotti mused about who would be at his concerts and what they might be challenged by, given the difficulty of this world.
“Where is God in the middle of all this suffering? The older I get, the less I understand God. But the older I get, the more I encounter God … through sacraments, through watching people come together, through experiencing the way we rise up and take care of one another and the earth.
“All we really have at the end of the day is faith or despair. What are we here for? Maintenance. We’re here to take care of each other, to take care of our planet, to love each other and enjoy it.”
Tickets for Angotti’s performance can be purchased online at https://southcolscatholic.org/music-at-st-marys-concert-series or at the door.