PILGRIM FAMILIES didn’t just happen overnight. They are part of a long tradition of Prayer, Work and Hospitality in a shared communal life which stretches back 2000 years to at least the early Christians, who held everything in common and trusted God to send, care and use them as Creation unfolded, day by day. Big dream.
This collection of sing-a-long songs of the faithful was produced in Catholic houses in the north of England from 1997 - 2010, formed by Australian families of actors, dancers and musicians following Jesus overseas on their next adventure and taking with them the on-the-road riches that they’d lived as motorhome PILGRIM FAMILIES around Australia. They bought with them open hearts, music and worship, tears and laughter and ‘The Pilgrim House Pocket Songbook’ is a sign of the Spirit moving how, when and wherever it will.
The composing, singing and recording of these songs arise from recent community life for PILGRIM FAMILIES at Good*God extended family and recording studio in Adelaide South Australia from 1975, St Joseph’s House of Prayer in Goulburn NSW from 1976, the ‘Bushfire’ Bi-Centennial tour right round Australia in 1988, the House of the Gentle Bunyip in Melbourne Victoria from 1972, the Port Adelaide collective from 1977, New Voice touring musical drama group from 1990, the Fusion Arts Colony with ‘the Waterhole’ recording studio in Malmsbury Victoria from 1992 with each building on the foundations of numerous Christian Communities in the 1970s.
Orders of monks, nuns, brothers and sisters have been prevalent over the centuries yet families with children living intentionally by sharing, creating and reflecting together seems a more recent movement. Probably the Pilgrim Families on the ‘Mayflower’ sailing from the UK to the New World were part of this blood stream.
PILGRIM FAMILIES were based in 5 different northern English towns, headed up by Paul and Helen Shogren, all members being very active in the local church, school and community. Paul, Rod Boucher and Andy Redman put together this songbook for community use with David and Eden Turley, the Holmes family, the Bushfire families, the Cochrane-Igoe family, the Boucher family and ‘The Mansions’ families. Songs were created for evening Reflections, Musicals, Schools’ programmes, Church Festivals, Blessings and Farewells, all expressions of a full-time, fulfilling faith. May we be open forever.
Click on "Pilgrim House - a place to live out faith" booklet to right to read more from Paul Shogren.
