Sean Forrest Concert - 11/13/2003
Sean Forrest, singer/songwriter and musician, performed a solo acoustic concert at Sacred Heart Church on the evening of Thursday November 13th. The event was well attended by many youth and adults from Sacred Heart Church as well as surrounding parishes. Sean has a very unique calling, having undergone a conversion to Catholicism and having left behind a promising career in secular music to minister to teen-agers, the elderly, and the disabled through his songs and many talents. Sean witnesses to many thousands of youth each year through retreats (primarily to confirmation candidates), conferences like Steubenville East, and events such as this one.
Sean played many of his original Christian songs at the concert, but also spent plenty of time talking about
many of the issues facing today's youth. Topics ranged broadly from abortion, to teen suicide, to the
Real Presence, to developing a Personal Relationship with Jesus.
Many of Sean's songs are drawn from his family, personal experiences, and especially his relationship with God.
In the middle of the concert, Sean randomly picked SHC Pastoral Council Chairperson Paul Adams out of the audience
and asked him to come up to sing a song with him. Agreeing with his wife's assessment that he didn't have
much of a singing voice, Paul promptly replied "That would be a sin!". Despite the objections,
Sean persisted and Paul finally agreed to come up to the stage.
Sean had big things in store for Paul, involving singing of the old standard "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Paul
bravely sang with Sean - even demonstrating that he could sing the high part - all for a little fun.
The concert was well attended, and it seemed that everyone was inspired by Sean's message. Many
of the concert-goers knew the words to Sean's songs by heart. During the concert, Sean encouraged
everyone to read two books (in addition to their Bible of course): his own, called From Happy Hour to Holy Hour and Freedom,
which contains an account of his Faith Journey, and also a book by John Eldredge called
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
After the concert, attendees were able to grab a snack at a table set up by the Youth Ministry.
Sean had a table set up in the Atrium where attendees could obtain FREE copies of his CDs or
his book. Sean does not charge for any of his items, but does accept donations which go directly to his
"Movin' With the Spirit" ministry.
Sean's concert was both entertaining and moving as he ministered through song and words to both youth and adults alike. For more information on Sean and his ministry or to obtain copies of his book and CDs, check out his web site at seanforrest.com. Sean's web site also contains a fantastic Catholic Online Community where teens can read through forum postings or add their own. The site is also a great resource for anyone who might be looking for more information on our Faith or issues facing today's Catholic Youth.