The closeness of a mother and child leads to a touching farewell in a song

Ann Lewis shares a moment of joy with her mother, Mary Ann Goetz, on her wedding day in 1997. (Submitted photo)

(Editor’s note: The Criterion has invited you, our readers, to share a song that has led you into a deeper level of faith, humanity or love. Here is one of the songs—and why it is special—that has been shared so far.)

One in an occasional series
 

By John Shaughnessy

The bond between a mother and a child is special.

So is the gift that God gave both Ann Lewis and her mother, Mary Ann Goetz, connecting them on a deeper level.

They were each blessed with singing voices that could touch people emotionally. People also noted that their voices sounded alike. And they each developed their gift as sopranos through musical training.

Lewis’ training occurred while she lived in New York City for a period, a time that included the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. During that time, she sang as a cantor for Masses at St. Margaret of Cortona Church in the Bronx.

“The parish I was in was a very Irish parish, so we had a lot of people who were first responders—firefighters and police officers who went down to 9/11, trying to find the remains of people killed in the towers,” recalls Lewis, now a cantor and a member of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral Parish in Indianapolis. “They’d come in covered in dust and crying.

“Father wanted me up in front. But I didn’t want to be up in front because I was emotionally involved in their suffering. Father said, ‘They need you up there. They need to know you’re there for them.’ ”

Lewis sang from the front of the church, including during the funeral Mass for a firefighter who died in the towers, the father of twin sons.

As emotional as those Masses were for Lewis, singing during another Mass was even more poignant for her—the funeral Mass for her mother in 2008.

The song she chose to honor her mom is one that, she says, “I truly love to sing” —Pie Jesu from the Requiem by French composer Gabriel Fauré.

“The lyrics translate to ‘Loving Lord Jesus, grant them eternal rest,’ ” says Lewis, communications coordinator for the archdiocese. “This plea is reflected in the simple, flowing melody that is, in itself, comforting and peaceful. Singing it is like asking for, and receiving, a gentle hug from the Lord to soothe one’s grieving soul.”

As she prepared to sing, Lewis had already started her grieving.

“I was with my mom for the last two weeks of her life with my sister,” notes Lewis. “You get a lot of grieving out when you’re there. So, when it came down to the funeral, I was OK. I was still grieving, but I was better off than my sisters and brothers. I did cry during the funeral, but the singing part was more consoling for me.”

The pureness of her voice—combined with her love for her mother—poured out from Lewis, touching the hearts of everyone in the church that day, especially her siblings.

“It was a sense of joy,” Lewis says. “I got to share something for her that she would have loved. Because she was a singer, too. I felt as though my mother was singing it with me on her way to her eternal reward.”

To hear Lewis sing ‘Pie Jesu,’ go to tinyurl.com/AnnLewisPieJesu.
 

(Whether it’s a song from popular culture or from a church hymnal, you are invited to share your story of how that song has led you to a deeper level of faith, humanity or love. Send your story and song(s) to John Shaughnessy at jshaughnessy@archindy.org or by mail in care of The Criterion, 1400 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202. Please include your parish and a daytime phone number where you can be reached.) †