Critically acclaimed Centricity Music singer / songwriter Jason Gray adds his voice to the multi-artist A New Heaven And A New Earth project’s single, “Our Common Home,” which has been remastered and is available today (May 17) at digital and streaming outlets globally from The Fuel Music. Originally released Oct. 6, 2023 around the close of last year’s ecumenical Season of Creation, the single also features Jason Roy (Building 429), Don Chaffer (Waterdeep) and Phil Joel (Newsboys).
Church leaders from around the world welcomed the song with joy last fall, declaring, “These artists felt called to express how care for Creation glorifies God.” The note was signed by:
– His Eminence Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, The Vatican
– His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Ecumenical Patriarchate
– The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
– The Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop & Primate, The Episcopal Church
– The Most Reverend Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, Presiding Bishop, Church of Norway, former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches
“This kind note of welcome from international Church leaders is a testament to the spirit of ecumenical collaboration from which this project springs,” shares Reverend Séamus Finn, OMI, Director, OMI Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation.
Written by Chaffer, Joel and Gray, “Our Common Home” was inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical, Laudato si’, On Care for Our Common Home. This single from the A New Heaven And A New Earth project slated to premiere summer 2024 commemorates the Encyclical’s ninth anniversary.
“Our Common Home” is also heard in a short video documentary following the artists’ experience of singing songs from the A New Heaven And A New Earth recording at a concert held at the Vatican (Oct. 26, 2022). This documentary, filmed and directed by Joel’s daughter Phynley,
“This project has given me perspective, a greater conscientiousness about how closely tied care for Creation is to caring for the poor,” shares Gray.
Chaffer adds, “The more we discover about the connection between the health of the poor with the health of our earthly home, the more we’re inspired to pray, ‘Lord, we need to do better. Help us to do better.’”
“We are all coming from different places, gathering around a round table, all uniting around the fact that we need to take better care of this beautiful marble that we are all travelling around on,” sums up Joel.
Producing “Our Common Home” and singing and playing various instruments on the track, Roy says, “It was an honor to work on this song with these musical legends, these friends of mine.”
Featuring Joel on bass/vocals, Chaffer on acoustic guitar/vocals, Roy’s son Avery on drums, Lori Chaffer and Phynley on backing vocals, Gotee Records’ Jon Reddick on keys and Jesse Garcia on guitar, the resulting, multi-generational “Our Common Home” single has an organic, Americana feel along with a pop sensibility and the lyrical refrain:
Lord, help us hear the cry of the earth (Sleeper awake)
Hear the cry of the poor (Sleeper awake)
From the dark of the deep to the sky-blue dome
Let us rise with a heart to care for our common home (Sleeper Awake)
