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Our favorite singer from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Brother Isaiah, is back in 2024 with the full release of his brand new album Mysteries and Medicines. The album, for which he collaborated with composer J.J. Wright, was released alongside a short documentary, Before the Mystery, a moving film that gives a peek at the process of making the album.
We’ve written about several singles from Mysteries and Medicines, and now that it’s released in full we can confidently call it a masterpiece of Catholic introspection that explores the mind of a truly spectacular musician priest. Brother Isaiah, who was ordained Father Isaiah Marie Hofmann in 2022, has a magnetic musical style that tends to meld simple chord patterns with intricate rhythms to create a rich and vibrant soundscape.
The music, as good as it is, is just a backdrop for the wonderful message of faith and love that pours out of each one of Fr. Isaiah’s songs, or perhaps it would be better to describe them as hymns, since each song is clearly a carefully crafted prayer to the Lord. Much of this album’s message revolves around themes of belief and repentance; of faith before mysteries, through which we are granted medicines for our spiritual ailments.
In the documentary, Fr. Isaiah commented:
“It’s hard, it’s raw, you go to your heart, you go to places of insecurity and vulnerability, but when you let the Lord find you there and transform you there it’s so good. I want to tell people that the journey of repentance is such a joyful one.”
We enjoyed every track of Mysteries and Medicines, but even more so the accompanying documentary. Before the Mystery is a 20-minute film that gives fans a chance to spend a little time in Fr. Isaiah’s world and become inspired by his beautiful humility.
Fr. Isaiah is a holy man who spends every waking hour in service of the Lord, letting God guide his thoughts, words, and music. Prayer is a central aspect of his life, even taking valuable studio time to pray before he records. The viewer is drawn to him every moment he is on screen as he is surrounded by an air of gentle serenity and this light that he exudes shines brightly on every musician in the recording team.
In the documentary, he said of his musical process:
“I find it in every project and I definitely found it in this one, that there just comes a time when God says ‘Are you willing to let go of everything? Your dream, your hopes, what you wanted and all of that, will you trust me? Will you let me lead you where you will not go and let me show you something that you cannot see from where you’re standing? Are you willing to put it all back on the altar and let it be mine?’
“And so you have to be willing to be OK with not knowing everything. You have to be willing to be led in the day to day. You have to be willing to learn, to be humble, to be poor, and to be surprised. I think all of those things and in that sense there is a complement between the journey of the project and the priesthood for myself…” he chuckled “Yeah that’s the process. That’s life huh?”
Between Fr. Isaiah’s wonderful sentiment and the cinematic footage of the album’s recording, it's hard to overstate just how much we recommend giving the documentary a watch. It makes the music even better, as knowing the personal story behind the album will only bring its songs closer to listeners’ hearts.
Mysteries and Medicines is already available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Be sure to follow Brother Isaiah so you don’t miss his future releases.
