Denver Catholic

4 JUNE 13-26, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC T he call for a singular Christian life is a personal mission for musician Matt Maher, who will play two shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison this summer. Maher is a five- time Grammy nominee and chart topping Christian rocker. He even played in front of Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013. But despite all that, he says he is primarily called to remember he is a child of God. RED ROCKS Maher's first Red Rocks show will be on June 14, where he will play a 30-minute set during the "Third Day and friends" show. He will return Aug. 13 to play a set during Chris Tomlin's concert. Maher said he was humbled and excited by both invitations and hopes it will serve as an example for the Christian community in Denver. "The big thing I'm praying for is a greater manifestation of Christian unity," Maher said.¥ "We need to be able to publicly proclaim our Christian faith together, because that's what people see." A CRY FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY Maher has managed to bust out of the exclusively Catholic entertainment bubble. His songs are regularly featured on evangelical and worship stations, and he frequently collaborates with song writ- ers from other Christian denominations. He said he made a choice to be true to his Catholic faith, but remain accessible to all Christians. "If we want people to believe in the Real Pres- ence, we first have to get them to understand that God is real and he is pres- ent in their lives. Once people accept that, they might be willing to accept the more audacious claim that he is present in the Eucharist," Maher said. THE INFAMOUS TAYLOR SWIFT SELFIE Maher came close to breaking the Catholic internet in January when he posted a selfie with Taylor Swift. "I was at a Grammy nomination reception in Nashville with my wife for date night. It was one of the first nights we had been out in a couple of months," Maher said. Maher said he and his wife were excited to simply wear nice clothes and talk to adults. Then his wife saw Taylor Swift. She immediately got in line to get a picture with Swift, while Maher went to get a drink. "And then it sort of dawned on me: You should help your wife get the photo," Maher said. He found a Grammy employee he knew, who introduced Maher and his wife to Swift. "We just couldn't believe how incredi- bly present she was. It blew me away. She made every single person that she talked to feel like a million bucks. I walked away from it going, 'I don't do that, and I've made a whole career out of singing songs about Jesus,'" Maher said. Catholics on Twitter and Instagram were thrilled to find a picture of a well- known Christian artist posing with a pop icon like Swift. However, Maher says the two worlds need to collide more often. "I think we all struggle with this. There's this whole idea that there's a Church subculture, and that's where we do Church stu, and then there's just normal life. We're called to have a singu- lar existence," Maher said. COLORADO CONNECTION Maher has had friends in Colorado for years, but says his connection to the city started with the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. A friend of his, Jim Beckman, was the youth minister at St. Francis Cabrini Parish. Maher came and prayed with the teens a couple of months after the shooting. "There's still a real heavy weight on that community. I think I've always just had a heart for what happened there and kept in touch with people," Maher said. Maher played in Denver parishes at the beginning of his career. He is also friends with several ministries in Denver, includ- ing the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) and the Amazing Parish Conference. The June 14 show will be his first at Red Rocks. Maher said he is thrilled to play at Red Rocks, and hopes his presence on stage with so many other Christians will help break down barriers between Catholics and other denominations. But he said that he can't let this success become his identity. "We live in a time when people are tempted to define who they are by what they do or their degree or their accom- plishments. I think ultimately, we're called to self-identify as children of God," Maher said. In-Depth MATT MAHER comes to Red Rocks, asks for Christian unity PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MELISSA KEATING 303-715-3123 melissa.keating@archden.org www.twitter.com/mkeats42 UPCOMING SHOWS June 14: Red Rocks Aug. 11: Amazing Parish Conference Aug. 13: Red Rocks i If we want people to believe in the Real Presence, we first have to get them to under- stand that God is real and he is present in their lives." MATT MAHER "

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