A Summer of Songs for Sister Water

Through Summer 2021 we’re glad to feature songs that focus on water, as rejuvenating and sacramental elemental. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, like our saintly patron St. Francis, recognize water as a precious resource and  in turn look to our relationship with her as ‘sister’ water. Whether in our early foundation years in Clarks Mills, Wisconsin or now in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, our Community has enjoyed the shimmering streams of the Manitowoc River, the gentle ripples of Silver Lake or the grander waves of Lake Michigan in our close proximity. This stanza of the Canticle of the Creatures expresses well the Franciscan respect for Sister Water that sustains all of life.

Praised be You, my Lord,
through Sister Water
who is so useful,
humble,
precious,
and pure.

– From The Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi

To start off, we’re featuring 3 unique songs from the Steel Bridge Songfest, this year virtually held on June 12.

In the late 1990s, a grassroots group formed with the intention of saving Sturgeon Bay’s historic Michigan Street Bridge from the scheduled wrecking ball. In 2005 as the 501(c)3 non-profit Citizens for Our Bridge (CFOB) recruited some like-minded musicians to create Steel Bridge  Songfest.  Combining preservation with creative collaboration for nearly a decade and a half, Steel Bridge Songfest – or simply, “Steel Bridge” – continues to increase public appreciation for the notorious structure while enriching its historic surroundings and supporting a growing creative community. Songwriters and musicians from around the world, including Jackson Browne, Jane Wiedlin, James McMurtry, and hundreds of others have come to the community, written their songs, and donated their efforts.

With the bridge officially “saved,” the non-profit CFOB continues under the name Steel Bridge Creative Foundation, honoring the bridge as a living symbol of historic preservation combined with creative collaboration.

Listen to the concert.

Visit https://steelbridgesongfest.org/ for more information

WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE performed by: Landon Capelle, Delaney Davidson, Josh Hemingway, Hans Christian, Wally Ingram

Lyrics:

Why don’t you just let it be Free to wash underneath our feet

As we pass by from side to side

Tryin’ to decide which route I want to drive

To get to the other side So I can see my sisters and brothers

It’s a necessity to me to cross these waters

This bridge has got so much to offer

BUILD THIS BRIDGE, performed by: Tarl Knight – vocals / Shiri Gross – vocals / Haydee Irizarry – vocals / Liam Hall – vocals / Lena MacDonald – vocals / Statler Gause – wall

Lyrics:

Bound by the shackles of the shadows in the shrouded sound of battles lost shattered through my memory

Charred with shrapnel of the battle locked secure within the castle doors those locks ensure you’re never free

Build this bridge

Build this bridge

WAVES OF BLUE performed by Sam Lyons – vocals, guitar / Ben Spatol – vocals, guitar / Wally Ingram – drums, percussion Steve Smith

Lyrics:

I belong in waves of blue behind me

Through it all your light was always blinding

Won’t stop burning the candle I’ve seen it all fall to the floor (I’ve seen it before)

Together side by side forevermore (And more, and more, and more)

Times we spent will always be reminding

Of all the things you said that kept me smiling

Image: Flickr user mbaylor, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons