Check this page monthly for stories about interesting people throughout the Maryland Province. If you want to suggest someone to be featured here, contact Kate Pipkin at kpipkin@mdsj.org.

Gloria Burton is a parishioner at Holy Cross Church in Durham, NC, where she has been a member for 40 years. She is a retired school teacher and composer.

Before the 2004 Feast of St. Ignatius, Gloria Burton began an adventure that would change her way of thinking about herself and the world around her. A native of North Carolina and a “dyed in the wool cradle Catholic,” she attended North Carolina Central University where she received a degree in music. A retired music teacher, she has been a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Durham, N.C., for 40 years.

Her story starts at Holy Cross Church in Durham, N.C. With a membership of about 300 families, it is a “Generations of Faith” community; the entire parish is involved in faith formation, from the youngest to the oldest person. The same theme is carried out through every event at every age level. At the end of a planning meeting to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Ignatius, Ms. Burton was surprised when the Director of Religious Education announced that “Gloria will have a song for the celebration.”

Ms. Burton found the thought of searching for a song somewhat daunting, since she did not know what kind of music was sung at an Ignatian Feast Day celebration. She emailed two Jesuit friends, J- Glenn Murray, SJ, and George Quickley, SJ, for suggestions and both men mentioned the Suscipe, a prayer written by St. Ignatius. Father Quickley mentioned that he had always wondered what a gospel version of the Suscipe would sound like. She began to wonder how she might make that happen.

“I am a retired music teacher but had never even thought about writing a piece of music. In school I absolutely hated composition. What was I thinking?” said Ms. Burton. “I read and re-read the words realizing that they were a prayer. I sat down at the keyboard and said, ‘Oh, Lord, send help.’”

Ms. Burton began her composition by imagining the different parts of the song and asking herself; who would be singing it, soloists; choirs; congregations? Adding drums would give it a more gospel sound. “I took some liberties with the text and before I knew it, the gospel interpretation of the Suscipe had come to life.”

With the song finished, Ms. Burton made a recording of the Holy Cross choir singing it and sent a copy to Father Quickley in Africa. He liked it so much that he adopted it to use with the men of his province. Ms. Burton later dedicated the music to Father Quickley and the people of the recently formed North-West Africa Province.

One morning in late May, Ms. Burton received an invitation from Father Quickley to come to Africa to teach and perform the Suscipe for a special ceremony; the Inauguration of the newly formed North-West Africa Province. It didn’t take her long to accept and soon this new composer was on her way to Nigeria.

The soloist, Noel Nwadike, SJ, a Nigerian scholastic, and choirs from the Church of St. Anthony in Ghana, St. Joseph Church in Benin City and all of the attending Jesuits sang the gospel Suscipe at the moment of the conclusion of the Inauguration Rite of the new North-West Africa Province. “It was an awesome experience,” said Ms. Burton. “I was never more aware of the gifts of my life than at that moment. Never had I wanted more to return those gifts. The Suscipe had become my prayer; it had become my gift.”

“The trip to Africa, my second, moved me very deeply. I loved the spirituality and devotion of the Nigerian people,” continued Ms. Burton. “To them, faith is not something you do on occasion; it’s a part of their daily lives. They speak God, talk God, live God. With over 2,000 people in attendance, the two-hour Mass is standing-room-only. It is a great celebration, filled with joy. Whole families bring fruits, vegetables and other gifts to the altar to celebrate and share the special occasions in their lives. Even in the midst of their trouble, they find reason to celebrate.”

“In the Ignatian way of finding good in everything, I asked myself, ‘What was good in this? How can it change my life?’” Ms. Burton said. The experience has made her more aware of the blessings of living in a free society where her religious beliefs can be celebrated any way she chooses. “I have come to realize that I sometimes take advantage of the freedom I do have; I don’t always appreciate it as I should. I have learned new ways to celebrate my life; sorting out what is really important personally and in the world. I look to see how I can make my life and the lives of my fellow travelers better.”

“As for the future, I will continue my work with the African Ancestry Office in the Diocese of Raleigh. I feel a stirring to write more music, especially gospel service music; there is a real need for that. I am motivated to move forward, to give back what I have received.”