A fun-filled, toe-tapping, sing-along journey through the Catholic Faith for kids and grown-ups of all ages, featuring all original songs in varying musical styles, such as calypso, lullaby, super hero anthem, and lots in between.

12 MP3 Songs
KIDS/FAMILY: Sing-Along/Interactive, KIDS/FAMILY: General Children's Music

Show all album songs: Totally Catholic Songs


Details:
Totally Catholic is Mary Zitnikâs debut solo recording. As a former classical vocalist, Mary participated in several Grammy Award winning recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, of which she was a member for twelve seasons. Mary also appeared as a soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions and has performed with artists from Luciano Pavarotti to David Byrne of Talking Heads. She has over 25 CD recordings with the CSO on London Decca, Erika, Sony and Deutsche Grammophon, and with Liturgical Press as a member of the Schola Cantorum of St. Peterâs in the Loop. She also participated in the recording of the movie soundtrack to Fantasia 2000.

Along with her brothers and sisters, Mary has been involved in music since her earliest years. She studied guitar and trumpet as a child and earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from DePaul University in Chicago. Mary has performed everything from opera and Gregorian chant to rock nâ roll. She is also a published country music songwriter and has recorded several TV commercials.

While Mary has always served the Church in music, it wasnât until the call of Pope John Paul II in his 1999 Letter to Artists that she began to write original music for religious purposes. The Holy Father stated, ââ¦it is up to you, men and women who have given your lives to art, to declare with all the wealth of your ingenuity that in Christ the world is redeemedâ¦â. In obedience to the Holy Father, she began to write Catholic/Christian music, not knowing if, when or how she might use it. She did know, however, that through her music, she felt called to put forth traditional Catholic spirituality and doctrinal Truth in a culturally current way, rather than to write strictly liturgical or praise and worship music. Indeed, with the exception of the childrenâs setting of the Nicene Creed, her songs are not intended for liturgical use, but as an aid to personal faith formation.

In February of 2000, Mary and her husband Steve relocated to Ft. Myers, FL where much of her family resided. Over the last seven years, she has written songs for summer Bible Camps at Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord Parish, including five songs telling the stories of the new Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. After much encouragement from the parents of camp attendees and the children themselves, she decided to record this CD.

Mary teamed up with Rob Robinson, a very talented rock music producer who has recorded top bands such as Styx and Lynyrd Skynyrd. With their varied backgrounds, together, they produced an array of song styles that appeal to a wide age range of children. The result is Totally Catholic, a CD that is sure to make learning the faith fun!