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.
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Empty Pews
The bottom line is that I deeply miss you. I know you so well, I even know your pew. I know where you sit, very clothes and expressions, hearts full of expectation to absorb the lessons. “Empty Pews”, a spoken word piece performed by Fr. Pontifex, inspired by and written for his congregation.
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Holy, Holy, Holy
“Holy, Holy, Holy!” is a Christian hymn written by Reginald Heber (1783–1826), and performed in this video by Pat D’Angelo. Its lyrics speak specifically of the Holy Trinity, having been written for use on Trinity Sunday. It quotes the Sanctus of the Latin Mass, which translated into English begins “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God of Hosts”. The text also paraphrases Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:1–11. John Bacchus Dykes composed the tune Nicaea for this hymn in 1861. The tune name is a tribute to the First Council of Nicaea which formalized the doctrine of the Trinity in 325.
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Amazing Grace
“Amazing Grace” is a Christian hymn published in 1779, with words written by the English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton (1725–1807), performed here by talented artist Madeleine Puschautz. Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction, but his life’s path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed (conscripted) into service in the Royal Navy, and after leaving the service, he became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748, a violent storm battered his vessel off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland, so severely that he called out to God for mercy, a moment that marked his spiritual conversion. He continued his slave trading career until 1754 or 1755, when he ended his seafaring altogether and began studying Christian theology.
