Album Notes

Have you ever felt sadness, weakness or pain? Have you ever felt abandoned, isolated or lonely? If you said yes to one or more of these questions, you are sure to be encouraged by the music of Matthew Baute. Matthew is an inspirational singer/songwriter with a gentle spirit that is reflected in the style of music he plays, and one who shines a light on a bruised heart.

Matthew Baute grew up in a Catholic family among the cypress trees and piney woods of Covington, LA, just north of New Orleans. At the age of 2 he received a drum as a Christmas gift, and a year later added a plastic-stringed guitar. Not long after Matthew started piano lessons and learned that he not only had a love for music, but a gift for music as well. As a teenager he sang in the church youth choir and was active in his high school marching band.

During his senior year at college, Matthew's life changed dramatically after reading a book on the contemplative life by Thomas Merton, the renowned Trappist monk. Matthew began to experience a period of spiritual awakening which prompted him to search out works by other Catholic monks and mystics, wondering what his own calling might be. After college graduation he devoted a year of his life serving others in a concrete way, driving a shuttle bus for seniors and disabled in the Pacific Northwest with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

As time passed however, life took Matthew on a winding road. In his personal life, he married...but the marriage ended in annulment. The pain from this event eventually took Matthew to a monastery, but after a short time there...he knew this was not his calling either. He worked as a software engineer in a corporate environment...but felt isolated from his faith. He returned to college to study music therapy...but didn't feel called to be a clinician. He served as a youth music minister in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, participating in Life Teen groups at several parishes...but even that didn't seem like quite the right fit for his heart. In time, it would ultimately be music and prayer that God would use to lead Matthew on a path to clarity, as he focused on composing and singing for prayer services. In 2004 Matthew released his debut CD "LOVE WINS ALL", with several tracks receiving airplay on EWTN’s Global Catholic Radio Network. Matthew took this as a confirmation that he was just where God wanted him to be.

In 2005 Matthew was part of a music mission trip to the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Around this time he began performing at local and regional events, including the Catholic Crossroads Festival and the Rock the Light Christian music festival in Kansas City. In 2006, Matthew Baute signed on as a World Library Publications (WLP) artist and in 2007 released his second CD "HOLD ME, LORD". Matthew embraced this opportunity as a way to share with a wider audience through his music the depth of God's love and how the Lord has touched his life, helping to inspire others with hope on their own journey of healing.

With the release of a second CD and a new relationship with WLP, Matthew responded to the call to compose and sing prayer music full-time. He was soon blessed with a return trip to the Caribbean to minister on the island of Curacao and a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he had the privilege of singing during Masses on the Mount of Beatitudes, the Mount of Transfiguration, and in the Church of the Annunciation. "HOLD ME, LORD" was subsequently honored with a Unity Award for "Praise and Worship Album of the Year".

Today Matthew travels across the US as a full-time lay "music missionary" sharing God’s message of mercy and love through prayer concerts and diocesan events. He strives to lead a simple, contemplative life in the midst of the busyness of the secular world, giving witness to the reality that God is still whispering an invitation of love to every heart. Matthew is frequently called upon to provide music ministry for various retreats and conferences, and many have remarked on the peace they experience during his Eucharistic healing concerts. He also offers workshops on the single life, vocational discernment, and healing through the annulment process. Matthew finds great joy leading the Sunday contemporary choir and playing for weekday grade school Masses at his home parish of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri, where he has ministered since 2002.

God has Matthew Baute just where he should be at this point in his life...delivering hope and renewal through music and prayer.