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GrapeVine in the News
GrapeVine has been
covered in the print media, on the radio and in podcasts,
and on blogs.
July 9, 2006 (From the
Catholic Music Express website): GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE JOINS CME!
Song minister at Westborough-based church offers online music scene magazine
By Lori Berkey, Contributing Writer
WESTBOROUGH - For the past 10 years, Susan Bailey has been ministering song on Sundays to parishioners at St. Luke Evangelist Church in Westborough during the 9 a.m. Mass. The former Westborough resident wanted a way for people to be able to extend the Sunday service into the rest of their week through Catholic music that they could listen to in their cars and in their homes. So she launched "GrapeVine," a free, online magazine devoted to the Catholic music scene. The magazine has been up and running for about seven years except for a two-to-three year hiatus while ironing out computer snafus before it was resurrected last year. With the newest issue having been put up in May of this year, Bailey is hoping for more hits to the site. A guitarist and vocalist with two compact disks of her own, Bailey said she wants to share with others what Catholic music does for her. She said it nurtures her faith. "I find that it feeds me," she said. "I listen to it when I go into work in the morning. I have an hour long commute. It helps me to pray. It gives me peace. It settles me. It extends the experience of the Sunday Mass into the week and into my life. It does so much for me, that I'd like other people to find out about it." Through the free online magazine site, viewers can choose to read articles while logged on, or they can download pdf files for later perusal. Its contents expose people to the existence of the faith melodies and serve as a support forum for the artists who produce them. By exposing the music to as many people as possible, Bailey said GrapeVine aims for readers' hearts to be touched and encouraged by the gospel message the songs proclaim. Besides informing people about the music, Bailey said the magazine also serves to help Catholic artists find other Catholic artists in order to build fellowship in a field that she said can be very isolating. She said she has "gotten a kick" out of hearing from other musicians from around the world who share their information about their common fervor. Bailey's involvement with Catholic music extends beyond leading Mass songs and her connections through the magazine. She also ministers song at other events through St. Luke's, belongs to the adult choir there, and performs at times across the country. She said she's particularly enjoyed ministering song through St. Luke's for funerals, when she likes to offer comfort through her music. She has also been called upon by the parish nurse to provide song to people who are dying. She relishes the chance to be with people in that way, she said. Being the founder and publisher of GrapeVine is meaningful to Bailey. She said she likes connecting people to each other, and the magazine has been a vehicle for her to do that. With over 13,000 hits to the site since its resurrection last year, viewers from as far away as Romania and Indonesia have made new connections to the Catholic music scene, according to GrapeVine statistics. To check out GrapeVine, visit www.gvonline.net.
Copyright ©2005 Community Advocate, Inc.
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