Amanda Vernon is a recording artist who speaks to authentic beauty through music, the language of the soul. We were fortunate to have her share her talents on an original rendition of the classic hymn “Vive Jesus el Señor”. Translated into English as “Live Jesus, the Lord”, the song was composed by Belgian priest Fr. Lucas Casaert, a well-known missionary who has served in Bolivia for 50 years.

“Ocean” is the lead single off Fr. Pontifex’s body of work The Invincibles. “Safer in your waters than these shores is what you promise,” one of the lines from the piece encapsulates the intended takeaway by the listener. God may call us to the deep waters, to the unknown, and to a place that is not comfortable, but with that he promises his presence and grace. He walks with us and directs our steps.

Friar Gabriel skated for seven years as a teenager, with his focus gravitating towards one of a religious vocation as he matured. His passion for skateboarding waned with his surety to live a life of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience as a Friar of the Immaculate. After securing the title of Friar, with much time passing since he last interacted with a skateboard, he was given obedience to visit a local skate park once a week, with the intent to “preach the gospel at all times,” as Saint Francis once stated. In Salve Regina, Friar Gabriel explains that God utilizes peoples’ talents to give Him glory, and how skateboarding has given a platform to the idea of exercising the body as well as the soul.