1st Verse:
Before I felt anywhere near being a good man.
I was in an inner hell filled with fear, and like I couldn't
do anything positive,
thinking it's ok to be sinning as long as my wallet's thick...
But truth is, to be winning, it's more like give to the poor and sick.
I heard the call and I was quick
to embrace the Lord. But to adjust from my past
took time, but with grace I started discuss what is ours...
And that's the love of Jesus Christ
Who's above and gives us the light...
 

A new track from Alexander John (lyrics) and Richard Schletty (performer). Hip Hop Remix is also included in post. Please take a few minutes to listen and comment.

What's Left Is Beauty 

1st Verse:
So we go on in this quest for answers
And hopefully do what's best by removing our spiritual cancer...
I don't know how love can't be the way
As I flow I hope you get to know me as I pray...
GOD's perfect design
Was worth the wait and time...
To be one of his children is more than one can ask for
As we build buildings and have fun that's doing a task and being more...
The way to the light may take time and patience 
And we may be in for a fight against the night but it all makes-sense...
These words touch the paper with heart
But the saviour is the real creator of the true art...
The freedom to be who we want to be
From preaching to teaching to basking in his glory
May seem like a task if you don't know the story
But when I asked him about the light I realised darkness was boring

Hook:
GOD knows us better than anyone else
This track is more like a letter and I'm using my heart felt 

2nd Verse:
As the road gets more and more of a bumpy-ride
I know the core of it all is nothing-but-nice
So as I must-sing on this mic
It's like I'm hustling for the light...
But truth is I'm aware and I bet you are too
If you feel blue just stare at the world and you may see something new...
I only want to be
What GOD intended from me
I'm not pretending when I say all I want to see is peace...
So as I put the mic down after a track 
I look around for a good bite in town, praise GOD, he's got our backs...
The best thing about love is it's free
To rest and know a King is looking over us when we might see a dove it was all meant to be...
So paradise isn't too far away
Beyond the cameras-and-mics is where I wanna lay
And everyday until that day I will continue to pray

The Everlasting

God is shrouded in history, in mystery.
Prior knowledge infuses me, confuses me.

[refrain]
The Everlasting ever casting
mystic shapes on humanscapes.
Love poured down on every frown.
Take me to a place of wonder,
free of all disgrace and blunder,
where the truth is in the here and now.

Sundogs dancing, blinding youth, refracting truth.
Search for pathways to heaven's door, to evermore... 
  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jGND4EUJPU

Hail Holy Mary

You gave us Jesus, who lives with us today

Spotlight on Scott Aitken (from Scott's profile posted here at Top Catholic Songs).

Scott Aitken: Producer / SingerSongwriter / Engineer / Former Frontman for Leap of Faith, Sacred Heart Production Studios.

From a 3.9 GPA at Full Sail University to a Full-fledged audio recording and production studio, Scott Aitken has run the gamut of the music industry. Whether running the sound board for Rock and Roll Hall of fame legend Dion or making on-stage appearances with world-famous Tony Melendez, Scott’s fluidity in audio-tronics has placed him at the cutting edge of sound engineering and composition. At the age of twelve, Scott’s Brother brought him a guitar, and with just a few strums on the battered instrument, Scott was hooked. At age 16 Scott had landed a recording contract, but at the age of 18 he decided his musical career would be better off in his own hands, due to the limitations of musical creativity that go along with being on a record label.

Scott then devoted himself to mastering his craft of both music and engineering. He formed the group Leap of Faith and his song...

I wish you are mine forever 
In my heart you are the only one
Look up to the cross when I feel lonely
You choose me from the moment I conceive 
Teach me the lesson of obedience
To the 10 laws of commandments 
Take me from places of poverty 
Raise me up in the house of the Father
Give me the treasure of chastity
To love brothers and sisters as ourselves.
 

CHORUS
Finding my tone, finding my voices
In the chaos world
Isolate all the noise around me
To listen to your words speak from heaven.

VERSE
From mother wombs I heard the voices
Echo in the water and blood of her womb
So gentle and care of mother nature world
For a child about to enter the world.

VERSE
Fear not my child, you being protected
From the moment you conceive in me
You are made by my blood and water from me
And your bone is from the man at heart.

VERSE
The moment you enter this world
The Father in heaven knows your name
Knows your voices for the world
Father knows even a hair on your head.

BRIDGE
Father knows his child conceive for the world.

A shorter version of our dedication to Mother Mary, which we most often sing as a recessional hymn

CHORUS
Finding my ground with you, my Lord.
When my heart is heavy in life
Carry my cross with you, Christ
Light up my life with burden of the world.

VERSE
Through suffering with you on the cross
You help me to carry my own cross
In my life so much trouble sins
Forgive me, my own sin upon the cross.

VERSE
I am too fall on my knees
Just as you, Christ, felt on your knees
On the way you carried the cross to Calvary
On my way of my life on earth.

VERSE
Rise me up upon the cross
As you are being rise on the cross
Forgive my sins as I am forgiving others
Together we seek for the cross.

I am trying to encourage participation by members of this site. Perhaps some significant structural changes are needed in the way posts and comments areas are presented. Perhaps it needs to be more like a Facebook interface. Not sure. I know that people experience Internet overload and "fatigue." My hope is that members here would make collaboration a priority. Maybe a live chat feed would engage people. 

Here is an example of songwriting collaboration: I helped Asiansa09 with his English translation of a prayer he learned as a child.

I like to post photos and 1-minute videos at Instagram. Instagram is a nice model of social networking. 

However, here at TCS, we need to dig deep into Catholic music making and spend some time reflecting, sharing and helping each other. We have a Forum area being neglected. 

Your suggestions for enlivening this site are most welcome!

In Christ,
Richard

See finished song here:
topcatholicsongs.com/enchristment-nguyen-schletty

CHORUS
I am on my knees
My eyes focus on you in your tabonacle
My heart close to you my Lord, Jesus Christ
In the moment of encharistment.

VERSE
My God, my Christ, whom present in my heart
I praise you, oh Lord, I worship you
In your present at the tabonacle
For me to be with you forever more.

VERSE
My God, my Christ, whom present in my mind
I pray with Mother Mary for virginity
And for others to receive your graces
For me to have faith in you throughout my life.

VERSE
My God, my Christ, whom present in the church
I pray for mom and dad to live a faithful life
Upon the Lord, Jesus Christ, in heaven with the Father
And loves brothers and sisters as self.

Details here: St. James Music Press $10 Anthem Program

May 10, 2017  - Our $10 Anthem Program 

Here are this week's $10 anthems. Another "summer choir" hit, and an SAB anthem that is just lovely!

Don't forget, if you have a summer choir, we have a whole collection of one-rehearsal anthems. (Look under "Collections.")

You may download these two without becoming a subscriber. If you choose to use one or both, the cost is just $10 (per-anthem please...) You can send us a check. Then make whatever copies you need and put it in your library.

Yes, it's the honor system. We trust you. Ten bucks.

Here are this week's offerings.

Remember - you'll have to log-in to view, listen and download these.

Sing a New Song - Michael Praetorius, arr.
Three-part canon with keyboard accompaniment. Easy, one rehearsal anthem that sounds great. A joyful arrangement of the famous Praetorius canon. Perfect for summer singing! Text based on Psalm 96.

Beautiful Savior - Robert Lee
SAB and piano or organ. A lovely, new setting of the hymn text "Fairest Lord Jesus." Tender and contemporary and one of our all-time favorites.

As a subscriber to SJMP, of course you can... 

CHORUS
I have seen water and blood flow from Christ's heart
The light radiate from the heart of our savior
To our brothers and sisters for generations.

VERSE
Messages from Christ to sister Faustina
For the love of humanity
Christ wants to illuminate his love for all
To draw every heart of mankind to himself
That he will show his mercy for every soul
Wherever Christ pictures displace.

VERSE
Message from Christ to sister Faustina
For the love of humanity
Christ shows himself to every soul
To whom sees the picture of Christ
Radian with his heart of light red and white
Represent blood and water flows from his heart.

VERSE
Message from Christ to sister Faustina
For the love of humanity
Christ will save souls who comes for his mercy
He shows souls who is sinful will see the lights of salvation
Upon his heart he shows his mercy for humanity
The flows of water and blood from Christ.

I'm a Catholic musician/composer from Brazil and I'd like to promote my instrumental music inspired by the Seven Sacraments. My site is antonioresende.com

My music written in various genres can be found here: antonioresende.com/music

Highlights of Antonio Resende's Sacramentum album:

• CD release: antonioresende.com/sacramentum-full-release-en/
• An interview on an English Catholic Web Radio called "Heaven's Road FM": soundcloud.com/antonioresende/heavensroadfminterview
• Sacramentum album at iTunes
• Sacramentum album at Amazon Music

Sacramentum: Music Inspired by the Seven Sacraments

“Sacramentum” is a deepening musical experience inspired by the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. From Baptism to Matrimony, each track takes the listener through a prayerful journey within the unfathomable Divine Mysteries of the Sacraments. If there is a word that can sum up “Sacramentum,” it’s "Hope." Let the blessed journey begin!

History of the Sacramentum project

I am a dedicated layman member of the Comunidade Raízes de Jessé (Community of Alliance), whose charisma is "Awakening the Love of God in man", currently serving as minister of music. I also Serve the Parish Paróquia Santa Clara de Assis as minister of music and recently as a minister of the Eucharist. I work with composition / production of soundtracks for film, TV and music in general.

In late 2014, I wanted to release a song I had made dedicated to the Archangel Raphael. Composed in Epic / Film style, I thought it would be a good idea to release it on Youtube. So, I started researching various channels. I found that this style is very common not only in cinema but also in today's games. Readily, some channels volunteered to create videos with this song, but seeing the finished videos, I had a surprise. There was a clear tendency to something very dark or even satanic, in many of these channels, judging by the aesthetics and symbolism of the images.

I thought then to create a project with religious songs in the same style, with the initial aim of evangelizing the public. I put this project in prayer and a few months later came the inspiration to make songs inspired by the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. The style would be epic and instrumental. A soundtrack to meditate about the Sacraments. For example, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the song would start sad, signifying repentance, then become cheerful and light at the end, representing the forgiveness of God. It would not be liturgical music, but nevertheless would be music of prayer.

READ MORE HERE: Sacramentum Project