CAT.CHAT — Cat.Chat includes Denise and Gerald Montpetit and their five children: Reanne, 15, Vanessa, 2, Luc, 7, Jerome, 10, and Dominic, 13. The family is also joined by Cat.Chat mascot “Moses the Cat” when sharing faith through concerts, audio programs and now a new television program. (Cat.Chat photo)
Cat.Chat a family ministry
By Kiply Lukan Yaworski
BRUNO, Sask. — A Saskatchewan Catholic family’s
ministry of evangelization to young children is expanding to include
television.
Cat.Chat creators Gerald and
Denise Montpetit of Bruno travelled with their five children to Alabama
in April to film a new television program for the Catholic television
network EWTN. The eight 30-minute Cat.Chat episodes are expected to
air in April 2012, and will also be available on DVD.
Television is a new venture
for the family’s Cat.Chat outreach, which
includes live concerts, as well as audio and video recordings. Cat.Chat’s
fourth Vacation Bible School (VBS) program will also be released this
month.
The upcoming TV episodes will contain many of the elements familiar to those who have attended a Cat.Chat concert: lively songs and stories introducing Jesus, Scriptures, the saints and the Catholic faith; unicycling and other activities involving the whole Montpetit family; as well as the participation of the Cat.Chat mascot, Moses the Cat.
“We were very nervous and we didn’t know what to expect,” says
Gerald of the television production process. “We planned ahead
as best we could and left the rest up to God. It ended up being a wonderful
experience for all of us.”
The Montpetits’ vision for Cat.Chat is to see children and families “experience
Jesus through the beauty and richness of the Catholic faith in a fun and
faith-filled way,” he says.
“We have all come across many religious educators, parents and grandparents
who have expressed how they wish they could find solid Catholic resources,
CDs and DVDs that were professionally done and fun for kids,” he
explains. “As parents and educators, Denise and I also experienced
the same desire: to find great Catholic resources that would catechize
and captivate kids. That is when we sensed God tugging on our hearts to
start a children’s ministry.”
He notes the abundance of
great quality Protestant resources for children, but adds these are
missing essential teachings and treasures of the Catholic faith.
“As a couple, we started praying and asking the Lord how we could
possibly help fill this need. The Holy Spirit began to inspire us with
exciting ideas to help get the vision for Cat.Chat started. Scriptures,
church teachings and encyclicals by the Holy Father were also calling us
to move forward,” he says, citing Pope John Paul II’s call
for a new evangelization.
The family’s Cat.Chat
ministry started 10 years ago, and has been full time since 2002. Resources
and concert presentations are aimed at children from pre-kindergarten
to about Grade 5 — but Gerald adds
that the simple and dynamic message is also appreciated by parents and
educators.
Since 2005, the family has
given some 300 concerts across Canada and the United States. “As far as concerts go, I guess you would call us
a family band with a unique blend of entertainment and ministry,” describes
Gerald.
“As the Cat.Chat Man,
I deliver simple Catholic teachings through singing, playing guitar,
unicycling, juggling and storytelling, as well as encouraging lots
of crowd participation.”
“All five children play a special role, especially while we are on
tour,” he adds.
“Reanne, who is 15,
unicycles and teams up with me as we sing and lead the audience with
action songs. She also helps out in the office with accounting and
with the creative process of our Vacation Bible School programs.”
Dominic, 13, is the group’s
drummer, and he also rides a unicycle and does other fun things during
the concert, along with Jerome, 10, who plays the bongos, does action
songs, and also rides a unicycle. Seven-year-old Luc plays the bongos,
rides his unicycle and helps out with action songs.
“He has wonderful stage presence and kids relate well with him when he is on stage,” says Gerald.
“Vanessa is two, and
she comes up on stage for two songs during each concert.”
Other members of the Cat.Chat
team include Reeta Ali, who helps out with home-schooling, meal preparation,
child care and the creation of VBS programs, and Janice Babych, who
manages merchandise sales for concerts as well as providing child care. “Kerrie
Gould, who was part of our wedding party way back in 1993, has been
involved with Cat.Chat for the last three years as our mascot, Moses
the Cat.”
In fall 2011, Cat.Chat gave a seven-week tour, featuring 25 concerts through
Alberta, British Columbia, Oregon and Idaho.
Touring has its ups and downs,
admits Gerald, describing the challenge of having nine people travelling
and living in a motorhome for two months at a time.
“Touring can be very
demanding, with setups, tear downs, performing, driving late nights
and the challenges of finding showers, laundry and places to park.
Amidst all this we do, however, have a lot of fun and make it a point
to visit points of interest when it’s possible,” he
says. “We are blessed to be able to do this as a family and we
often remind ourselves of what a privilege it is to be able to share
the Gospel in such a unique way.”
When they are not on the road, Gerald and Denise wear different hats to
keep the ministry and the family going.
“I take care of songwriting and project development and oversee a
lot of the technical details such as web development, song and video production
as well as marketing. Denise’s main role in the ministry is managing
the office, tour booking and co-ordinating the production of our VBS programs,” explains
Gerald.
“We can’t forget
about our obvious parental tasks of raising kids, co-ordinating meals,
cleaning, laundry, home-schooling and so on.”
The family has lived in Bruno
since August 2007, moving there from Radway, Alta. “Entering a new community as a family is always a challenge,” says
Gerald. “However, the move was good for us. Small-town living has
always been important to us as a family and Bruno has been very welcoming.
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