I considered myself lucky, very lucky to have been taken to Mass at St Aidan's in Toronto on the Saturday afternoon that the church's roving Caribbean Mass Musicians were accompanying the choir. Guitarists Danny Nelson and Gerry Williams and, believe it or not, a tenor pan played by Junior Pryce in chilly Toronto, at the silver anniversary Mass of a priest from India.
The three musicians are part of the Vision 2000/Vision of Love Ministry, a group of more than thirty artists whose vision is to promote values from a Catholic theological perspective, while expressing the love of the Trinity with joy, and at the same time provide a full time music ministry for Masses, wedings, funerals and all Christian gatherings, at no cost, although honorariums are appreciated to help defray expenses.
"Our Mission" says Nelson, leader of Vision 2000, "is to live the Christian faith and use the arts as we herald the message that 'Jesus Christ is Lord."
It all began with Pryce, who had migrated to Toronto in 1986 from Siparia, and started the Divine Worship Music Ministry doing Healing Masses in 1989 with his Indian born wife, Denise, and Andy Williams, and by 1992, started taking part in Renewal Conferences. Then, says Pryce "my Ministry took a rest because of my family status, my wife and I were raising three young children." Nelson, who had always had a dream and desire to start a music group to visit Roman Catholic churches in Toronto, had in the meantime began to observe different musicians in Toronto, one of whom was Junior Pryce "I knew him in Trinidad from the National Music Ministry, he was active in the Renewal here in Toronto with his Divine Worship Ministry, and I thought that Vision could fill the Divine Worship gap. Today, Divine and Vision are almost the same team working and using our talents together, along with another affiliate group Juan Ichkhanian & Alfa y Omega."
Danny, from Woodbrook in Trinidad, migrated to Montreal in 1974, where he was involved in the St Augustine Music Ministry, St Anthony's Folk Camp and Kin Kora of the Montreal Diocese Liturgy Camp; came back home in 1976 and became very involved in the Living Waters Music Ministry, St Patrick's Folk Choir, and Charismatic National Music Ministry. In 1986 he went back to Montreal: "Kept quiet for two years, came to Toronto in 1989 and began in the Divine Worship with Junior and this motivation led me to thoughts of the Vision Team for Jubilee 2000, the 2000th birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Danny continued to observe as an individual with a dream and one day attended Mass at St Joseph Highland Creek in Scarborough: "Hearing this guy in the group playing the guitar reminded me of Patrick Govia from Trinidad. He was Toni Rossi - a Canadian- who remotivated me.
I approached him and asked if he would become part of the team." Danny's dream was about to become a reality as he thought "this is it. My dream to have a band with steelband in it. However for the first three to four months there was no pan until he landed James Gregoire from Dominica. I did not want to encourage Junior out of respect for his young family."
Forty-one year old Pryce, who had been playing pan from his boyhood with the St Joseph's Parish in Los Bajos and also at Santa Cruz Church, Siparia Deltones and Phase 11 Pan Groove, stayed away for about a year, before affiliating his Divine Worship group to Vision 2000, so that while Vision has added drama, music, art, dance testimony and spiritual gifts, Divine Worship remains committed to healing, praise and worship.
Vision 2000 got started in September 1996 and in 1997 responded to the call from the Holy Father Pope John Paul to prepare to celebrate Jubilee Year 2000. The group prepared through Celebrations to Jesus in 1997, the Holy Spirit in 1998 and God the Father in 1999. Vision visits parishes throughout the Archdiocese and the two-hour celebration begins in the sanctuary before the Blessed Sacrament with a time of adoration, followed by Mass, at the end of which comes a ninety minute presentation in which young Catholic adults share the Christian message through drama, music, art, spiritual gifts and dance "offering a diversity of cultural styles in music and being from Trinidad we try to do different styles yet maintain the Caribbean style" says Nelson. The response in the many parishes where the group of about ten to twelve perform, has been very good.
Standing in the practice room at Charade Court, was Vision's state-of- the-art sound and musical equipment - an investment of $300,000, purchased with funds raised from the group's first Compact Disk "Celebration Time Revival Time", which can be found at Living Waters in Trinidad. Sponsorships from companies and individuals is now being actively sought to start recording a second disk "Glory" from which the funds will be used for things like hotel accommodation and travel expenses when Vision goes on tour.
Danny Nelson's biggest dream is "to bring Vision to Trinidad" but he was a bit concerned about proper sound equipment for transmission of their sophisticated musical equipment. I reassured him that sound is available at the highest level in Trinidad otherwise how would Carnival be the success that it is.
On June 16, 2001, the Vision of Love Ministry hosted its first praise and worship music festival in Toronto, which is to be an annual event that brings together some of Toronto's finest praise and worship artists for a day of spirit-filled music and fellowship.