ARTICLES

Song ‘Children of April’ salutes VT students

By Barbara Hughes
Special to The Catholic Virginian

At 2 a.m. on April 17, the day after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Frank Jordan awoke with a song in his heart.

“It was as if someone was whispering the song in my ear,” he said. “I felt a strong sense of comforting love and thought of God comforting the victims, holding them close.

“By 5 a.m. the song was written,” explained the writer of Children of April.

Frank, a residential painter and a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Newport News, contacted Mary Lynn Murphy, campus minister at Christopher Newport University, and asked if the song he had written could be sung at Mass.

“They sang it at our campus liturgy and it moved us to tears,” said Ms. Murphy who is known to the students as “Murph.”

She had planned to travel to Virginia Tech and help the campus minister there. But as she looked at the effect the song had on the students at CNU, she realized she was needed at her own campus to help students deal with the tragedy.

Within days the project took on a life of its own. A musician friend contacted Frank and he began bringing in more musicians, including Jason Kronstain and Geyo Maganis, high school seniors in the youth music ministry at St. Jerome in Newport News.

“After the tragedy we all were affected,” said Emily Bettendorf, female vocalist who lives in Winchester and will be a sophomore at CNU. “Everyone knew someone who had a friend or who knew someone who was affected by the event.”

Reflecting on a comment made by a professor, advising students to go home where the hugs are better, Frank felt the better hugs refer to God’s embrace but added, “I really like it to mean both — that the Children of April are in God’s embrace and in the hugs we give each other. I wanted to emphasize our connection to them, as we whisper and pray and speak their names.”

“This song is our gift to Virginia Tech. We wanted to offer it to the Tech community, especially to families and friends of the victims,” said Frank.

Will Smith says the whole experience has been incredibly moving.

“We recorded and sent the song because we thought it was the least we could do,” he said. “It seemed like the perfect opportunity to let them know they’re in our thoughts and prayers.”

Joe Fitzpatick, also a sophomore at CNU and a member of St. Gregory the Great parish in Virginia Beach, managed the technical aspect of the project and said, “I’m glad it brought comfort and support which is why we wanted to do it.”

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