As part of the plan to ActiV8 the youth of Australia for World Youth Day '08, Fr Stan Fortuna CFR has been invited to tour Australia this week giving concerts and interviews.
Fr Stan is a rapping Franciscan Catholic priest who is using his musical ability to glorify and bring people to God. He has become very well known with his own production company, Francesco Productions, and having released numerous CD's which go towards the poor and the Frnaciscan community that he co-founded 20 years ago, they were a new Franciscan order, the Friars of the Renewal, that wanted to get right back to the core of living the way of St Francis.
Last night I went to his concert in Melbourne. I had heard about him long ago and was interested to see what he was all about. I was really impressed he is quite a showman and kept the crowd of a couple of hundred entertained, enthralled and involved.
He performed for around an hour and would mix up his songs with audience participation responding to his rap. At times he sounded like a catholic version of Eminem. Fr Stan deals in his music with big issues like suicide, sex, abortion and the hardness of life all with a continual focus on the love of Jesus. He began the night with a prayer which was a song of offering. He dedicated one song to the lonely souls in Melbourne and ended with his priestly blessing which was clearly straight from the heart of a holy priest. He is a funny man too, he reminded me at times of Jerry Lewis with some of the faces and funny comments he came out with.
I recorded a few bits and pieces on my camera and have turned one of the clips with him warming us up for a song into my first YouTube video which is below. The video under that is the promo video that was put together for his tour. He is one talented priest. Check out the website of this talented worker of the Lord.
|