10:00 am Praise & Worship
10:10 am Welcome
10:15 am Praise & Worship
10:20 am Keynote by Josh Blakesley
10:30 am Breakout Session #1
11:10 am Lunch
11:45 am Praise & Worship
12:00 pm Mass Preparation
12:10 pm Mass
1:00 pm Breakout Session #2
1:40 pm Closing Remarks
1:50 pm Praise & Worship
2:00 pm Dismissal
Breakout Sessions: 1. Praise & Worship: An intense worship experience with the Josh Blakesley Band! 2. Faith in Action: Secondary students sharing their experience of mission trips as part of our call as baptized Catholics. 3. Called to Witness: An interactive session where participants will get to meet with students from other schools.
Hosted by the Archdiocese of Kingston Youth Office, Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board & Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario Josh Blakesley www.joshblakesleymusic.com
Josh Blakesley has acknowledged a simple calling:
To make music that moves people into prayer and action.
As a songwriter, specifically for liturgy, the question that provokes Josh is: How do I create a song that will honour traditions and music yet speak to the modern Church and lead them to worship? So, he collaborated with his guitar player, Grae McCullough, to write a new mass setting, paying homage to the hymns of the past and the culture of modern worship. “Every week we lead music for school and parish masses, so we knew we needed something that would resonate with all ages. We also wanted it to be joyful, approachable and easy to sing but still fresh, dynamic and expressive” says Blakesley.
Josh tours solo and with his band, playing churches, festivals, youth and adult conferences, camps, etc. Blakesley has been featured on Sirius XM, EWTN’s Life on the Rock, KLOVE and has performed with wide variety of Christian artists like Matt Maher, Andrew Peterson, Jars of Clay and the Newsboys; as well as several International Papal events.
He also works directly with the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Life Teen International, Catholic HeartWork Camp, Adore Ministries, as well as many churches, camps and conferences of all sizes in an effort to live out his calling and to “make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:18)
He currently lives in Texas with his wife Heather and their two children.
Grae McCullough lives in Louisiana with his wife and children and is music director at his parish of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
Josh has been our music ministry for the past two years of Witness.
We are excited to have him and his guitarist Grae joining us this year!