KERIGMA

In 1995 a group of youngsters from a wide sample of spiritual experiences decided to form together for prayer-meeting and meditation. Their pious wish was that such prayer should welcome all, be ecclesiastical, and above all embrace the younger generation.It was in this way that by singing from biblical texts, they attempted to pray through song. From scripture to vocal study, song matched understanding with the participation of the soul, and the step was incredibly brief. It was popular music which the youngsters recognised as their own and accepted, but hearing this type of music matched to the holy word astonished them at first. So the church isn’t just for the tastes of the older generation, after all?They thus began to allow themselves to be caught up by the music, to let it embrace them in its melody, to carry them towards the Lord and then, they began to learn to pray. The texts began to be replaced with words which sprang spontaneously from their hearts, they weren’t someone else’s words any longer, but their own. Each piece was lived, not just sung. Each sheet of music wasn’t just music, but something which expressed their personal sentiments.
They decided to call themselves “Singing Prayer” and had their meeting place at the “Spirito Santo” Parish premises in the Ferratella area or Rome.In 1997 they ambitiously organised a concert entitled “The Story of Salvation”. To their great surprise the incumbent generously offered them the main body of the church for this, instead of some secondary building. To see a church host a rock concert, albeit a christian one, astonished many, youngsters included. Many requested information on who they were, what they did, and why they did it. And most of all they wanted to import the intended message into their own parishes and extended invitations for further concerts.So the group found itself performing in parishes across all Rome, being called “Festive Voices” wherever they appeared, because of the enthusiasm they exuded and transmitted to their audiences.
As time passed, however, they began to feel more and more the necessity to become closer to their fellow man, especially young people like themselves. They realised that messages such as “God Loves You” were much too abstract, too distant. Moreover, more could be done to help the needy; high-sounding words will not feed those who have no food.Therefore, in 1998 they changed their name to “Kerigma”, which means “The Messenger” (or “he who carries the message”).They used exclusively songs from their repertory written by themselves; those are the songs which narrate life experiences, the music the corollary which deepens the sentiments of the episodes. This was the message they wished to transmit to their listeners; not a group of supernice kids singing gospel songs, but sincere, real-like, everyday youngsters, each with his or her own experiences, who have suffered, who have searched, and some who are still searching, for the Living Word. Some have been disappointed, some have found the path which leads to God. But they are all there singing for God together.They transformed their experience in music to say to those who are living the same anxieties, the same fears, the same experiences, that they are not alone, others have been down the exact same path before them and have found their answers in the Lord. The road to be travelled is long, but if we play and sing as we go it is a much happier journey.