"Here I Am, Lord" named Unity Awards' song of the year
by Mark Pattison - Catholic News Service

NEW WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Dan Schutte's 20-year-old hymn "Here I Am, Lord" won the song of the year award at the Unity Awards sponsored by the United Catholic Music and Video Association and held Dec. 1 in Washington.
The Benedictine monks of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain won awards for two albums released in 1994 -- "Chant" and "Chant Christmas," both of which were recorded in the 1970s.
Dana Scallon, who records under the name of Dana, won seven Unity Awards and Vince Ambrosetti won five, in results announced during the ceremony at The Catholic University of America.

Schutte, once a member of the singing group known as the St. Louis Jesuits, also won with "Here I Am, Lord" as liturgical song of the year. An association spokeswoman said older songs were being "grandfathered" for consideration in the initial years of the awards, which are just in their second year.
In receiving the award, Schutte said he recalled Mary's words to the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation: "How can this be?... I'll tell you, it's much harder to get up and receive an award like this than it is to get up and sing."
Before he sang it for the audience and before the announcement of his awards, Schutte said he wrote "Here I Am, Lord" at the request of "a friend of mine some 20 years ago (who) asked me to write a song in two days to celebrate a deacon ordination."
After the ceremony, Schutte told Catholic News Service that the recognition "blows me away. ... How do you write music like that? I don't know. I think it's being overpowered by God."
Many are familiar with Schutte's contributions to the St. Louis Jesuits, even though he has issued five collections of his own work since the group's last effort in 1985, "The Steadfast Love."
He said he and his onetime St. Louis Jesuits mates, Jesuit Fathers Bob Dufford, John Foley and Roc O'Connor, held a low-key reunion during the National Association of Pastoral Musicians convention in Washington in July.
"People didn't publicize it so it purposely wouldn't be a big event," he said. "It was the first time we sang together since 1985."

Winners, in accepting their awards, revealed the motivations behind their songs and their ministries.
Ambrosetti said he had been inspired at age 13 after attending a workshop given by liturgical musicians Redemptorist Father Lucien Deiss, Bernhard Huijbers and Jack Miffleton.
Ambrosetti won honors for artist of the year, devotional album ("Come You Who Labor"), devotional song ("Ave Maria"), instrumental album ("From a Quiet Place'), and tied for praise and worship song ("I Will Sing") with Lynn Geyer ("Music of the Light"). Ambrosetti's producer, Phil Perkins, won producer of the year honors for "Come You Who Labor."
Scallon said the song "This Is My Body," which won her songwriter of the year and pop/contemporary song honors, was inspired by Father Frank Pavone, the outgoing director of Priests for Life. The song looks at the title phrase from the perspectives of Jesus and of women who are considering an abortion or have had one.

Other awards coming Scallon's way this year were for pop/contemporary album and album packaging (both "Humble Myself"), music video ("We Are One Body"), international video ("Dana's Ireland") and spoken-word recording ("Mother of Mercy: A Rosary of Healing" with her brother, Father Kevin Scallon).
Last year, Scallon also won or shared in seven awards in the first year of Unity Awards voting.

The Benedictine monks won in the international album category for "Chant" and the international group of the year category for "Chant Christmas."

In all, 36 awards were distributed this year. Other multiple winners were:
-- Sudden Impact, for group of the year and rock song ("Round and Round").
-- Greg Walton, for modern rock/alternative song ("Leanin' On") and modern rock album ("Stealing Moment").
-- Roberto Bignoli, for international artist of the year and international song ("Ho Bisogno Di Te").

Winning inspirational awards from the United Catholic Music and Video Association were The Christophers, Rep. Christopher Smith, R.-N.J., and the Irish and American youth team that participates with teams from other nations in games for the physically disabled.