GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Parish’s music ministry leader was invited to share her personal testimony by video at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress Feb. 23.
Sallie Kelton was invited by renowned Catholic singer/songwriter Sarah Hart to be a part of her presentation, “The Song of Women: Raising the Voice of the Feminine in our Church,” featuring five women sharing personal testimonies of how God has used their gifts, unique circumstances and even their pain to inspire hope in others.
Hart – a Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, retreat leader and speaker who has performed for Pope Francis – said she was inspired by Kelton’s witness in glorifying God through her music and ser-vice to others.
“Women have endless gifts to offer, and endless light which cannot be hidden,” Hart said. “We know how to make beauty from any circumstance life throws our way, and how to see God in places where God is hardest to see – these are our truest gifts.”
Kelton, music minister at the Greensboro parish for 21 years, is the mother of three boys, one of whom died in 2015 from a drug overdose. She turned the loss of her son Griffin into a new purpose in her life: using her voice not only for song, but for prayer and advocacy for Caring Services Inc., a sub-stance abuse recovery facility in High Point.
“This is where my voice is, this is where my heart is, this is where my prayers are directed,” Kelton said. “Music hasn’t taken a back seat, so much is learned through song.”
Inspired by Hart’s song “Wonderfully Made,” Kelton encourages those she works with by reminding them that “we all need to see the beauty in one another, but first in ourselves.”
“My friend Sallie is one of my heroes,” Hart said during her presentation at the LA Congress. “I admire her courage so greatly… what she has done to help, save, heal and rescue others, from her pain, is beautiful.”
“The pain we feel, God can turn into love for others – and that is a gift,” she said. “Sallie is such an ex-ample of someone who has taken the pain of life, and turned it into love. She is a woman with an in-credible heart who has chosen to extend the love of God to the most vulnerable among us. She is a constant giver, a rarity in this weary world. She inspires me to move to love and live with greater compassion.”
— Georgianna Penn, correspondent
Pictured: Catholic singer/songwriter and Grammy nominee Sarah Hart, St. Pius X Music Ministry leader Sallie Kelton, and Catholic singer/songwriter and Unity Award winner Steve Angrisano at St. Pius X Parish’s Lenten Retreat March 1. Kelton was featured in a presentation by Hart at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. (Photo provided by MaryAnn Luedtke)