Reaching out in a non-traditional way

Priest turns secular music into instrument of the Lord

By Jim Niemi - jniemi@herald-leader.com

Call him the Rappin' Chaplain. He won't mind.

The Rev. Norman Fischer, parish priest at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, is a product of the hip-hop culture who often follows his homily at Sunday Mass with, say, a rap song that praises Jesus or comes down hard on the evils that tempt us.

On a recent Sunday, he treated members to his version of The Temptations' hit My Girl.

”He sang, "My God, talkin' "bout my God,'“ said member Norma Collins. ”And the choir did "doo-wop' behind him. It was really something.“

The message behind the music: ”A generation of young people are seeking God but are not satisfied with the presentation of church,“ Fischer said. ”You have to try to understand them, to tell them how much God loves them, how God and goodness still need to be made real in them.“

To Fischer, music is a tool to reach those young people.

”How can we get our kids' attention? Don't be afraid of the music,“ he said. ”Understand it and put a positive spin on it.“

Fischer, 34, made popular music a large part of his life early on. His favorite artists include Tupac Shakur, Kanye West, Akon and Sean Kingston.

”I grew up in the hip-hop culture in the '80s, influenced by break dancing, how rap music can generate a lot of energy and enthusiasm,“ he said.

But much of that music included obscenities and reflected values such as subjugation of women that Fischer considered negative.

”I got interested when lyrics were "sketchy,' not something you'd recite to your mother,“ he said.

So he often retools an existing song, replacing offending language or values with Christian ideals.

”I'll take an Eminem song that's filled with obscenities and make it positive,“ he said.

Fischer's tunes, from Motown classics to rap songs, resonate with the diverse parish at St. Peter Claver, 410 Jefferson Street, whose members are both young and old, white and black.

Deacon James Weathers said the priest's music ”always has a Jesus theme, so it's not secular. He turns things around.“

Collins and her husband of 50 years, Tom, were members at Christ the King Cathedral for 50 years before joining St. Peter Claver. Fischer's sermons in song were part of the draw to the church.

”We came here one time and fell in love with it,“ Norma Collins said.

Fischer credits his parents, who raised him, a brother and sister at their home in Perryville, for encouraging him in his ministry.

”I learned quickly that with great family support you can not only realize your own dreams but help others realize theirs,“ he said.

He graduated from Boyle County High School, Centre College in Danville and the Mundelein Seminary at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Ill., finishing at the top of his class each time, ”although he would never tell you that,“ Deacon Weathers said.

The multi-talented Fischer also works with visual arts, creating faces of Christ in charcoals and paints. And he's ”learning the guitar, the piano by ear and the djembe drum,“ a West African goblet-shaped instrument played with the hands.

Fischer began his ministry at St. Peter Claver in 2000, then served at St. Joseph Catholic in Winchester and St. Patrick Catholic in Mount Sterling for four years before returning to Lexington in 2006.

The priest is also chaplain at Lexington Catholic High School, where he provides spiritual growth opportunities, counseling, weekly Mass, prayer and sacraments for 870 students.

”I also like being there for the staff and supporting the sports programs,“ Fischer said. ”And being there for families during difficult times.“

Youth retreats, parish missions and revivals have taken Fischer from Los Angeles to Boston, from New Orleans to Chicago.

Earlier this month, Fischer proclaimed to his congregation that the Diocese of Lexington had approved St. Peter Claver's application to rebuild on its current site. The pews are crowded at Mass, and space on folding chairs in the aisles is scarce.

But the church is also filled with friendliness and warmth.

”I love it here, its sense of community with its different races and ethnicities,“ said parishioner Diane Viert, a seven-year member. ”I wish I'd discovered it earlier.“