He is an internationally known jazz/hip hop Catholic Franciscan priest with a message about love.Father Stan Fortuna is a Roman Catholic priest who uses hip-hop music and pop culture in his ministry.
Father Stan has just released his third book U Got 2 Love, which is a follow up to his first two publications, U Got 2 Believe and U Got 2 Pray.
U Got 2 Love is your third book. What motivates you to reach out to the public through writing?
“I’m a preacher by nature and writing for me is like speaking. I use many different ways to reach out to the public - through music and through the spoken word. For me, my books wind up becoming like talking books because I write like I speak, so the motivation with the written word is that it can be in many places at the same time. Many different people in different places can be ‘listening’ to me by reading the books; this is one of the great things about the written word.”
The book is obviously about love. What are the views you express about love in your writing?
“The views about love I share in my writing are based on the foundational Christian revelation that God is love. Every other expression about love flows from this truth. In the midst of many Christian and non-Christian quotations about love, the book is dominated by the teachings of the great, venerable Pope John Paul II and his marvelous successor Pope Benedict XVI.”
Is there a certain age group you want to reach with your latest book?
“No, the scope of the book is not restricted by any age limit nor by any particular creed, profession of faith or lack thereof. I hope that the book will reach as many people as possible and make a positive impact on how they grow in love in contemporary culture today.”
Music has had a great impact on your life. Does it help you reach out to people?
“Yes. Music is one of the most powerful means of communication and has helped me to express what’s in my heart with greater freedom.”
What were your goals for your two other books?
“The goal of my first book U Got 2 Believe was to put together an introduction to the Catholic faith that would be intelligible to today’s modern cultural sensibilities. It seems to me that the goal has been met in that many people have commented on how they’ve found the book helpful, easy to understand, informative and challenging all at the same time. The goal of the second book, U Got 2 Pray - 100 Prayers for Daily Living in Modern Culture, was to help readers recognize the need for prayer as well as their innate capacity for prayer. It seems to me that this goal has been met. The book has been in print for three years and continues to sell, because people hopefully find it helpful.”
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