At the beginning of the summer, Father Alex asked our family to host the second annual “Night of Singing” for the CL community in Evansville, Indiana. This was one of three events that Fr. Alex had planned for the “2018 Summer of Culture.” We said yes, without knowing how it would change us over the course of the summer.

Our family (and several close friends) put a lot of time into picking the songs, practicing, setting up, and inviting people. Almost every night for two weeks leading up to the night of singing we had people over to practice singing. These nights with my family and our friends were as meaningful as the event itself. We had friends (and friends of friends) who were opened up to what the experience of singing together could be, despite thinking it a bit odd when they first heard about it. For us, it was a joyful reminder of everything we have been given, in our family, as well as in our friends and the Movement.

Steve, Indiana, USA

My family has always loved to sit around at night and sing together. For some unknown reason, I had reservations about these singing nights with my family. Knowing that ultimately I loved singing and spending time with my family, I decided to make it my summer goal that I would say yes with an open heart and mind to all sorts of music nights. I don’t know why I had this desire to make this goal at the time but knew that it was something I needed to do.

Seeing my dad pour his heart and soul into this night helped me see how intensely we should live our daily lives. If we all lived with the same passion he showed in the weeks leading up to the night of singing, then the world would be filled with an indescribable love.

The playlist also helped open my heart. The playlist was titled “The Journey” and it had three different sections: lost, searching, and found. Throughout this summer I was able to see myself in all three of these sections.

At the beginning I was lost: not understanding why my family loved singing together. Then I decided to search for the meaning and set a goal to make myself present in the moments we sang. Finally, God revealed himself to me on August 3rd at the night of singing. I saw people from all over Evansville, in the CL community and people who have barely heard of CL, come together to sing songs that explain our journey through life. I’m sure everyone has their own story of what this night of singing has meant for them, but for me it has changed my perspective to being open to what is proposed to me and opened my heart to love more.

Ellen, Indiana, USA