Album Notes

"My prayers are my songs," says Chuck, who while studying for ministry as a deacon in the Roman Catholic faith, is a husband and full time father of 5 who has been involved in Church music ministry in various locations in Canada over the past 30 years. Taking his favourite passages from Scripture, and reading from the spiritual masters of the early Church, Chuck weaves together songs that find uses in personal reflection and meditation, in retreats, in worship, or in concert settings. He has independently released two CD's of original music (In Your Presence, Bethlehem Morn) and participated in a compilation CD of international Christian artists (In His Hands -Worldwide Worship Vol.1). His music continues to receive airplay on several Christian radio stations in Canada and the U.S., on the internet, and on EWTN Radio's Catholic Jukebox as well as Michigan Catholic Radio. The main thrust of his music is to bring others to contemplate and praise God, and to raise funds for Church ministries and charities.
In Your Presence was conceived while Chuck was on a spiritual retreat in June of 2004. Most of the songs were composed during the course of the silent portions of the retreat, while reading over Sacred Scripture. The album is acoustic, with minimal production and dubbing, mainly utilizing the simplicity of Chuck's guitar and vocals. While some songs are upbeat, most are quiet and contemplative - the simplicity of the album underlines the simplicity of the message the songs convey. The message is one of praise and service - of serving God in serving others, and considering one's world view as all important in each person's relationship to God and others; as it says in one of the songs ,"look with love at life around you and you'll see Christ in all things."